The greatest show on dirt is finally here. The College World Series kicks off Friday in Omaha. Here’s our full preview.
Odds to win the CWS
Earlier this week we broke down the best bets for the College World Series this week. Here are the latest odds for the College World Series from DraftKings.
Georgia +275
North Carolina +275
Texas +300
West Virginia +750
Ole Miss +800
Alabama +1400
Oklahoma +!600
Troy +3500
One good thing for every team
West Virginia
The Mountaineers have had a pretty easy route to get here which has led to most people dismissing them. They’re a very balanced team though and rank in the top 25 nationally in both batting average and ERA. They have the highest ranked ERA in the field at 3.82, which ranks seventh in the country.
Troy
Troy lost the first game of regional play, but since then has reeled off six straight wins. Winning six straight in the postseason is impressive enough, but the way Troy is punishing teams has been far more impressive. They’ve won those six games by a combined 39 runs. That includes a 29-6 run differential in their last three.
North Carolina
UNC’s strength starts on the mound. The Tar Heels rank in the top ten nationally in ERA (3.88) and runs allowed per game (3.89). They are one of two national seeds on the left side of the bracket, and are the clear favorite to reach the CWS Finals from that side.
Ole Miss
Ole Miss has been an enigma at times this season, but they’ve come on strong this postseason. They rank fourth in K rate at 29.1 percent. They also rank 22nd in walk rate which leads the field. They have also won all five games in regionals and super regionals and swept their way to get here.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma has thrived at creating chaos on the base paths and are comfortable winning with small ball. But, what’s been most impressive from the Sooners is the increase in power since regionals began. Oklahoma finished the regular season with 65 home runs in their first 53 games of the year. They’ve hit an astonishing 18 in their first seven games of regional and super regional.
Alabama
Alabama was one of the worst hitting teams in the country during the regular season. As a team, Alabama hit .253 this season. Since regionals they have hit .312 and become one of the best offensive teams in the field scoring 52 runs in their five games.
Georgia
Georgia has been one of the best teams in the country all year. The Bulldogs lead the field and are ranked top four nationally in runs per game (9.4), batting average (.326), on base percentage (.439), slugging percentage (.628), OPS (1.067) and home runs per game (2.8).
Texas
Texas is the most balanced team in the country, by far. They rank top-20 in home runs per game and OPS. They’re also elite on the mound ranking top-20 nationally in runs allowed per game (4.21), ERA (4.10), WHIP (1.22), K Rate (30.4 percent), and OPS (.678).
SEC versus the field
Five of the eight teams in this year’s field are from the SEC, including the entire right side of the bracket. That at least guarantees someone from the league getting into the finals. That alone is worth the price of making the bet.
Yes, -190 is a lot of juice and not a ton of return, but the likelihood of an SEC team winning it all is inherently very good based on the sheer number of teams in the field. The other part of that equation is that there’s a case to be made that the two best teams in the field are from the SEC, and Ole Miss and UNC are trending in different directions with the way each has played this postseason. If Ole Miss wins game one on Friday, they are in the driver seat for the left side of the bracket which would potentially set up an all-SEC final.
Best dark horse
Give me Ole Miss.
They’ve got a massive matchup on Friday night in game one against UNC. The winner of that game is the clear cut favorite to get to the CWS Finals from that side of the bracket. I like OIe Miss. They’ve swept their way through regionals and super regionals and are comfortable in close games, winning all five by just nine combined runs. The pitching staff has been really good since regionals began and have allowed over four runs just once in five games.
Picking a winner
I have banged the drum for Georgia all season. They have been incredible. They went 23-7 in SEC play in the regular season, then went 3-0 on their way to winning the SEC tournament, and swept Mississippi State in super regionals.
A 28-7 record in SEC play seems almost unheard of. But, there are cracks in that foundation. They walk a ton of batters and though they hit a ton of home runs, a lot of those come at home in their bandbox of a stadium. They also somehow played 35 games in SEC play without facing any of the other three SEC teams on their side of the CWS bracket.
Texas doesn’t have the best odds to win the national title. They are the best team in the field, though. The top end of their rotation features two of the top pitchers in the country including a potential No. 1 overall pick next year in Dylan Volantis. Out of the pen they have the freshman pitcher of the year, Sam Cozart. The lineup is even more dangerous as one through six absolutely rake.
Give me Texas.
