This weekend’s two-day Oklahoma road trip presents the ISU wrestling team with its toughest stretch of competition before March.

Facing a combined 10 All-Americans and five national champions, the ninth-ranked Cyclones (9-4) take on conference heavyweights Oklahoma (7-3-1, 0-1 Big 12) and Oklahoma State (12-1, 2-0).

Iowa State faces the eighth-ranked Sooners Saturday in Norman, then the second-ranked, defending national champion Cowboys Sunday in Stillwater.

Coach Bobby Douglas welcomed the challenge for his team.

“We, at some point in time, start to simulate the National Tournament and the Big 12 Tournament,” Douglas said. “It is a mission for seeds . No doubt, we are in the strongest conference with the fewest teams in the country, and it’ll be reflected in the performance at Nationals.”

Thanks to the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Cowboys already have one dual meet loss on their record.

But with three national championships in as many years, they still are looked at as the country’s team to beat.

“It goes into mentality,” said Trent Paulson, ranked third at 157 pounds. “We have to go in there with the mindset [to win]. They are No. 1 or 2 and we are No. 8 or 9 – it doesn’t matter. We just have to battle.”

At almost every weight, elite talent is waiting for the Cyclones.

Nate Gallick (23-0) has his second match with Oklahoma’s Teyon Ware (15-0), last year’s NCAA Champion.

Gallick, the 2005 national runner-up, won an exhibition match with Ware earlier in the season and is now ranked first in many polls.

Paulson (16-1) gets a rematch against Oklahoma State’s Big 12 Champion, Kevin Ward. Paulson lost to Ward (17-7) in the championship last year.

For undisclosed reasons, eighth-ranked Cyclone Travis Paulson (16-1) has sat out the team’s last two duals, but is in the Cyclones probable lineup for the weekend. He would wrestle against the Cowboys’ Johny Hendricks (17-1), last year’s 165-pound NCAA champion, on Sunday.

“For the team, it is going to be a big test,” Gallick said. “Both are real tough teams, solid up and down the lineup. I think we have the depth. If we wrestle smart and to our potential . this weekend could be really successful.”

In the NWCA/Intermat poll, Oklahoma has four wrestlers ranked in the top five, including Ware (1st, 141), Sam Hazewinkel (2nd, 125), Joel Flaggert (4th, 197) and Jake Hager (5th, 285).

Oklahoma State’s Steve Mocco (2nd, 285), Jake Rosholt (3rd, 197) and Zack Esposito (3rd, 149) have five combined losses already this season, but each senior has already won two national titles.

Coleman Scott (5th, 125), Nathan Morgan (2nd, 133) and Daniel Frishkorn (19th, 141) were also All-Americans for the Cowboys last season.

Iowa State beat Oklahoma, 30-6, last season, but fell to Oklahoma State, 21-14, in conference action.