UNIVERSITY PARK — Two weeks and nearly 1,800 miles stand before the No. 4 Penn State wrestling team and its marquee dual of the season against the No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes.

Don’t expect any member of the Nittany Lions (4-1, 0-1) to overlook the three Big Ten foes that proceed the Hawkeyes on the schedule however. But, if Penn State has any expectation for this road trip — what will be its longest time away from the friendly confines of Rec Hall this season — the Lions expect to build momentum and confidence and establish a firm base from which to improve upon with the showdown with Iowa looming.

That quest begins today at 2 p.m. when Penn State takes on the Michigan State Spartans (2-2, 0-1) at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Mich.

“It gives us some momentum and it gives us time to build, especially going into this next portion of the season,” Senior 149- pounder Frank Molinaro told the Penn State Sports Network this week. “This is going to be a grind. We showed a lot of things that we are very well at and a lot of room for improvement.”

Penn State wrestlers were not available to reporters this week.

The Lions responded well to their most recent gauntlet of on-mat activities, winning the grueling Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga by 14 points over No. 3 Minnesota, the only team that has cracked the Lions’ armor in a dual meet this season.

In the next two weeks, Penn State will face the Spartans then return home before trekking to the mid-west to face No. 17 Northwestern on Jan. 13. Then they’ll head to Wisconsin on the 15th to face the Badgers.

Penn State will return to Rec Hall on Jan. 22 where the Hawkeyes await. Last season, Penn State had just one road dual that preceded the Iowa match, a dual the Hawkeyes won 22-13.

Penn State sophomore David Taylor is expecting the heavy travel schedule to benefit the team.

“Now we have two weekends where we go out and keep building momentum, keeping the train rolling and getting ready for that match,” Taylor told the Penn State Radio Network after the team’s Southern Scuffle win. “It’s a big match. I’m really looking forward to it and I don’t want it to end like it did last year.”

But Taylor was quick to add:

“I know a lot of guys are really looking forward to that match but we can’t overlook what’s coming up. All of those teams are pretty solid so we’ve just got to prepare for every one of them like it’s the national tournament.”

The Spartans have wrestled just four dual meets and have sent a handful of wrestlers to three open tournaments thus far.

In their last match, Michigan State lost 22-17 to Pur-due.

The Spartans have lost six straight duals to the Nittany Lions including a 30-9 drubbing last season inside Kellogg Arena. Coach Cael Sanderson said he and his staff have been careful about when to push their wrestlers and when to ease up based on the hectic travel schedule they will maintain over the next two weeks.

“We just have to pay real close attention to our kids and see how they’re feeling and how they are mentally and physically,” Sanderson told the Penn State Sports Network. “We plan out every practice during the summer, the whole season through based on the last year and the year before that, just putting things together but it really comes down to just paying attention to your team.”

The Spartans have four nationally-ranked wrestlers in their lineup.

Dan Osterman is ranked No. 18 at 149 and will give Molinaro a sturdy test at that weight class. For Molinaro, this road trip will give him a chance to evaluate himself after he said he took it easy earlier in the season in the weight room in order to get healthier.

“This is going to be a good opportunity in the next month or so to get strong, get my health up and just feel real good going into Big Tens and be at my best,” Molinaro said.

At 157 pounds, the Spartans will likely send No. 14 Anthony Jones to the mat to face No. 9 Dylan Alton while No. 16 Tyler Dickenson will meet No. 13 Morgan McIntosh at 197. No. 11 Mike McClure could start at heavyweight for the Spartans, although Steve Andrus was listed as the starter as of Saturday.

Meanwhile, Penn State sophomore Frank Martellotti is expected to make his first dual meet start for Penn State after spending the first semester on the academically ineligible list. Martellotti will replace Derek Reber at 133 pounds.

“This week we’re going to give Martellotti a shot,” Sanderson said. “Martellotti has worked real hard to get back to where he can compete and he’s eligible and we’re real proud of him for that. And we’ll give him a chance, probably this week.”