Plenty of questions abound when it comes to the 2020-21 college wrestling season as the fallout from COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the collegiate sports landscape. For the teams looking forward to competing again on the mat, there are all the usual questions, too, including how incoming recruits fit into the lineup, and which upperclassmen will move up or down a class to find a better shot at winning a title or helping the team win meets.

Ohio State has a few interesting questions along those lines to answer in the coming months.

Much attention has been paid to future star Anthony Echemendia at 141, and what a lethal combination he might make with returning 149 Sammy Sasso. While the Cuban Missile will face competition from Ohio native Dylan D’Emilio for the starting spot, it’s hard not to get caught up in the buzz about Echemendia.

But the really interesting roster battles this season are farther up the scale, as the Buckeyes appear to have a couple of spots where solid wrestlers will end up “the odd man out.”

Case in point: 165 and 174, where Tom Ryan appears to have three starters for two spots. Kaleb Romero likely has the inside track at ’74 given his breakout performance there last season, but Ethan Smith might like to take a swing at his old weight given the stiff challenge he’ll face from redshirt freshman Carson Kharchla, a local star who generates Echemendia-like buzz because of his obvious talent and wrestling pedigree.

Smith didn’t make quite the splash Romero did last season, but you can argue that he had the tougher class given the depth of talent in the Big Ten at 165. Kharchla went 16-0 in open tournaments last season, getting in the bonus in more than half of his matches.

The Buckeyes have plenty of depth at 197 and heavyweight, too, with a few solid options at both weights. At ’97, for example, U23 world teamer Chase Singletary drops down from 285 to take a shot at filling Kollin Moore’s boots, but former blue-chipper Gavin Hoffman will be nipping at his heels.

Hoffman didn’t have quite the season he would have liked last year after making his debut at 184, but it became clear that he was simply too much wrestler for that cut. He wrestled heavyweight in open tournaments the rest of the season, but ’97 feels like a more natural weight for him. He and Singletary should have a really interesting battle for the starting spot.

At heavyweight, meanwhile, the story is fan-favorite Gas Tank Gary Traub vs two-time NCAA qualifier Tate Orndorff, the transfer from Utah Valley. Orndorff was the eighth seed at last year’s aborted NCAA Tournament, and was a U23 Greco-Roman World Team member. He isn’t just moving to Columbus for its temperate climate and world-class zoo – he’s coming to make a name for himself and to win championships.

But can he unseat The People’s Champion? On talent and experience, Orndorff probably has the edge. But the Covelli Center may not be “The House Gary Built,” but it sure was Gary’s House last season.

Tom Ryan and his staff have some questions to answer about how much their lightweights can improve, and who might step up at 157, but the really exciting storylines come wrestle-offs should come from the big eaters.

Andy Vance is a Columbus-based journalist who covers the Ohio State University wrestling program for Eleven Warriors, the largest independent sports site on the internet for Ohio State news, analysis, and community. He is co-host of the site’s Eleven Dubcast podcast. Follow him on Twitter @AndyVance.