286 of the 330 NCAA tournament slots will be filled by the number of qualifiers allowed by the NCAA per conference. The Big 10 Conference leads the way with 78 automatic bids. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches’ ranking. In order to earn an automatic bid a wrestler must meet the criteria in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference was awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three catagories.
NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings 3 of 4