OK, to the general sports fan, it’s not exactly Ali vs. Frazier.

But in the college wrestling world, Saturday night’s 197-pound championship match between top-seeded Jake Varner of Iowa State and No. 2 Craig Brester of Nebraska is a box-office bonanza.

The story line hints of Hollywood — the high-powered nationally known star against the small-town walk-on.

Varner, who advanced Friday night with a 6-0 pounding of Cornell’s Cam Simaz, is tougher than a weekend in jail.

The senior from Bakersfield, Calif., had a monster junior wrestling career and became one of the nation’s top recruits. He already has wrestled for the United States in the world championships and is the defending NCAA titlist at 197.

Plus, he looks at you like he’s sizing you up for a manual tonsillectomy.

“It’s just another match,’’ Varner said, chilling the air while assessing Saturday’s tussle. “I’ll go out there and wrestle my match, and I’ll wrestle to win.’’

I believe you. Trust me, I do.

Brester also has wrestled since he could toddle, growing up in athletically proud Howells, Neb., (pop. 635).

His future as a wrestler was in doubt as he wrapped up his high school days. The scholarship interest was from Division II schools, and at times it was as much for football as wrestling.

Instead of possibly playing football at Chadron State, Brester chose to walk on to the Nebraska wrestling team. By his junior year, he earned a scholarship. By the end of that season, he had advanced to the national finals, where he lost to Varner 2-1.

“He epitomizes what it means to be a student-athlete at Nebraska,’’ NU coach Mark Manning said. “He’s a tremendous student. He has tremendous values. He’s been raised properly.

“You would like 40 guys like Craig Brester. He’s a great kid.’’

His semifinal match Friday night against No. 3 Hudson Taylor of Maryland was drenched in drama. It was scoreless until Brester got an escape with 20 seconds left for a 1-0 win.

Brester’s toughness showed through, but in some ways his is more grass-stain-on-the-knee stubborn in comparison to Varner’s blunt power.

The ready smile of a small town boy made good masks Brester’s internal fire, even in the face of six defeats in seven career matches against Varner. The lone win was in last year’s Big 12 championships.

Brester (30-2) flashed that same smile late Friday night when talking about the sense of calm he feels for his final showdown with ISU’s four-time NCAA finalist.

“I’ve got nothing to lose,’’ Brester said. “He’s expected to win. He has made a name for himself. I’m just me. I’m going out there to take on the giant.’’

Varner (30-0) kind of ho-hummed his four wins so far at Qwest Center Omaha.

“It kind of sucks when you go out there and wrestle guys that won’t really wrestle back,’’ he said. “They don’t care if they lose. They just want to keep it close.’’

If Varner could have picked a championship foe, would he have selected Brester?

“It doesn’t really matter to me,’’ Varner said. “It’s him. That’s how the tournament is supposed to be, for us to meet. I’m looking forward to it.’’

So is Brester, who came within a few seconds of toppling Varner earlier this season in a match at Ames, Iowa.

“We’ve butted heads a lot of times,’’ Brester said. “It comes down to who wrestles the perfect match. I’m going to have to wrestle a perfect match to beat him, and that’s my plan.

“We’ve thrown everything at this guy. I’m just going to let it all fly. It’s the last match on the stage in Nebraska.’’

Athletes regularly engage in visualization before contests. Has Brester conjured up a vision in his mind of the perfect match he says he needs to wrestle?

“Get my hand raised,’’ he said, smiling. “I don’t care how it happens. Any way it happens and I get my hand raised, I’ll be a happy man.’’

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

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