Nebraska wrestler Craig Brester couldn’t recall Friday night just how many times he and Iowa State’s Jake Varner have circled around each other on the wrestling mat, with pride, ranking and usually a trophy at stake.

“We’ve butted heads a lot of times,” he said.

They’ll do it once more in the 197-pound final of the NCAA Championships, held in Omaha’s Qwest Center. No. 1 Varner and No. 2 Brester secured spots in the title match with semifinal wins Friday night. As Iowa handily wrapped up the team title - Nebraska was not a factor this year - the drama turns to the ten weight classes. Given the locale and the history, Brester-Varner is arguably the most anticipated match of the Championships.

For two years, each of the matches - six officially, with one exhibition - has been close. Varner’s only loss in that series was 4-3 setback at the 2009 Big 12 Championships, in front of a delirious, raucous Husker crowd inside NU Coliseum. Brester lost 6-4 in overtime and 5-2 at the Big 12 Championships so far this year.

Beyond that, they are a contrast in styles and pedigree.

Varner was considered the nation’s top recruit out of high school, an ISU heir to the Cael Sanderson throne, insomuch as anyone could be. Brester, a native of Howells, Neb., walked on at NU. Varner is a skilled offensive wrestler who often carps at the unwillingness of his opponents to engage him. Brester can, too, be offensive-minded, but is more tactical and choosy in his matches with Varner. Brester searches for openings. Varner, by virtue of being Jake Varner, presses forward.

Varner coasted to a semifinal win over Cornell’s Cam Simaz. Brester, meanwhile, needed an escape with 19 seconds left to beat Maryland’s Hudson Taylor 1-0

Even their answers in how they approach Saturday night’s final is different.

“It’s just a wrestling match,” Varner said of the final. “I guess that’s a challenge in itself - winning or losing. If you’ve got to be one, you might as well be the one winning. It’s not life or death, anything like that, but we’ve faced each other a lot.”

Said Brester: “I’ve got nothing to lose going out there. He’s expected to win. He’s been there. He’s done this. He’s made a name for himself and I’m just me. I’m just going to go out there and take down the giant, and I’m just going to have a fun time trying to do it.”

The finals start at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. Brester and Varner are the second-to-last match in the event.

At 174 pounds, Stephen Dwyer nearly joined his teammate in the finals, but lost 3-2 to No. 1 Mack Lewnes from Cornell. Lewnes got the deciding takedown with 15 seconds left in the match.

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Defending national champion Jordan Burroughs, one of the best Nebraska wrestlers in history will miss the remainder of the season with a torn posterior and lateral cruciate ligament.

The 157-pounder tore the ligaments in Saturday's dual vs. Central Michigan. Burroughs lost the match 3-2 to CMU's Steve Brown, snapping his 44-match winning streak.

Head coach Mark Manning will seek - and likely be granted - a medical redshirt; Burroughs, at 7-1, should fall well below the 30-percent benchmark set by the NCAA.

“You don’t replace a young man like Jordan,” Manning said. “On the other hand, it gives other guys on the team an opportunity to step up. It also gives our team great lessons in life that relate to athletics. It shows them you have to protect yourself and make the most of your opportunities because you are not promised anything. We’ll move on from this and our team will be fine.”

In Burroughs' absence, the Huskers are essentially anchored by two wrestlers: 197-pounder Craig Brester and 174-pounder Stephen Dwyer. Heavyweight Tucker Lane remains ranked in the top 20, but has experienced a hot-and-cold start to the year.

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See also: Big 12 Postseason Awards, 10 Unforgettable NU-UT Moments, Big 12 Rankings, Bowl Watch, Onward to DFW, Huskers Giving Back and A Dangerous Qwest

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Nebraska opens No. 7 in the Intermat preaseason poll after its first Big 12 Championship last year. Not surprisingly, defending national champion Jordan Burroughs starts the year No. 1 at 157 pounds, Craig Brester is No. 2 at 197 behind Iowa State rival Jake Varner, Stephen Dwyer is No. 6 at 165 and heavyweight Tucker Lane is ranked ninth in a loaded division.

Nebraska will face at least nine opponents inside the top 25, starting with Wisconsin on Nov. 15.

1. Iowa
2. Iowa State
3. Ohio State
4. Cornell
5. Minnesota
6. Oklahoma State
7. Nebraska
8. Missouri
9. Boise State
10. Maryland
11. Wisconsin
12. Edinboro
13. Central Michigan
14. Penn State
15. Indiana
16. American
17. Arizona State
18. Oklahoma
19. Lehigh
20. Virginia
21. Michigan State
22. Harvard
23. Cal Poly
24. Penn
25. Duke

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