Final exams are over, dual matches are getting back in full swing and before you know it, it will be time to head to the Scenic City for the 2016 Flips Wrestling & Defense Soap Southern Scuffle.  The two-day Scuffle returns to its New Year's home at the McKenzie Arena at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Jan. 1-2.
 
All eyes in the collegiate wrestling world turn south every year for what has grown into the top in-season collegiate tournament in the country.  This year's lineup continues that tradition with 11 of the top 25 teams in this week's Intermat Tournament rankings set to compete.  Highlighted by No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Oklahoma State and fourth-ranked Cornell, seven of the 10 No. 1 ranked wrestlers will be at this year's tournament.    
 
Tickets are on sale now on TheSouthernScuffle.com.  Reserved seats are going fast, so order online or call the UTC Ticket Office (423) 266-MOCS (6627) to get yours today.  FloWrestling carries every match live online while Trackwrestling handles the online scoring. 
 
TheSouthernScuffle.com tries to break down the brackets heading into the tournament.  There is still over three weeks to go before action begins, and there is a lot of wrestling between now and then.  Rankings will change, but these are the major players at 125 and 133, based on this week's Intermat poll. 
 

 
Two-time NCAA runner-up and former Scuffle Champion Nico Megaludis returns from a redshirt season and is currently No. 4 in the nation.  The senior has an 8-1 record and is the likely front-runner at 125.
 
He will be challenged by four other All-Americans at 125, including last year's NCAA runner-up, sophomore Zeke Moisey from West Virginia.  Moisey is currently No. 13 in the country and could use the Scuffle to jumpstart another run at the NCAA championship. 
 
Oklahoma State senior Eddie Klimara is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation and is also coming off an All-American campaign.  He is no stranger to the Scuffle, having placed fourth at the event last season. 
 
Other returning All-Americans include Michigan junior Conor Youtsey and Lehigh junior Darian Cruz.  Cruz was on the podium at the NCAAs in 2014 and is currently ranked 17^th.  Youtsey checks in at No. 16 this week.    
 
Scuffle newcomer Chason Tolbert, a senior from Utah Valley, tops the list of remaining ranked competitors at 125.  He is currently No. 11 in the country, followed by Cornell freshman Dalton Macri at No. 19 and Stanford sophomore Connor Schram at No. 20.    
 

The 133-pound bracket is also stacked with talent and experience.  There are seven ranked upperclassmen and four All-Americans at this weight.  Cornell senior Nahshon Garrett is one of the seven No. 1s in this week's rankings who are scheduled to compete at the Scuffle.  He just won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite to take over the top spot.
 
Garrett is a three-time All-American who won the Scuffle at 125 in 2014.  He lost in the finals at the same weight last season and has moved up to 133 for his senior year. 
 
His biggest competition comes from a pair of top-10 and returning All-Americans in Virginia junior George DiCamillo and Penn State senior Jordan Conaway.  Garrett already has a win over the sixth-ranked DiCamillo at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, while No. 8 Conaway is 7-1 overall.
 
Michigan's 12^th-ranked senior Rossi Bruno and Lehigh's 13^th-ranked senior Mason Beckman are both All-Americans who will be in action.  They had an epic battle in last year's semifinals, with Bruno advancing on a 7-5 decision in overtime. 
 
Air Force's Josh Martinez is No. 14 in the nation and returns after finishing fourth at the 2013 Scuffle.  Pittsburgh sophomore Dom Forys is the other ranked individual at 133, holding the No. 19 spot this week. 

Local fans should also look for Virginia's Zach Watson.  The junior from Chattanooga's Baylor School finished sixth as a freshman in 2013.