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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
NCAA College World Series Odds: Arkansas, LSU Open As Betting Favorites
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks are one of the College World Series betting favorites after taking down reigning champ Tennessee in the Super Regional. Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks are one of the College World Series betting favorites after taking down reigning champ Tennessee in the Super Regional. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Starting this Friday, June 13, NCAA College World Series host Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, will once again take center stage for college baseball fans. Eight teams -- including Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State and Louisville in Bracket 1 and Arkansas, LSU, UCLA and Murrray State in Bracket 2 -- have a chance to be crowned national champs after surviving Regional and Super Regional play over the last few weeks. This year's edition of the "Greatest Show on Dirt" will run from June 13-23*, with Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona (2 p.m. ET on ESPN) and Oregon State vs. Lousville (7 p.m. ET on ESPN) getting the party started on Friday. *Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-three CWS Championship Series are scheduled for Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22. If a decisive Game 3 is necessary, that will take place Monday, June 23. NCAA College World Series Futures Odds FanDuel DraftKings bet365 Arkansas (Bracket 2) +200 +195 +210 LSU (Bracket 2) +230 +230 +240 Coastal Carolina (Bracket 1) +650 +600 +550 Oregon State (Bracket 1) +650 +650 +600 UCLA (Bracket 2) +850 +900 +800 Arizona (Bracket 1) +1400 +1400 +900 Louisville (Bracket 1) +1600 +1700 +1100 Murray State (Bracket 2) +3500 +4500 +4000 SEC powers Arkansas (the highest remaining seed in the field) and LSU have the shortest odds to win the national championship. Oddsmakers aren't exactly sleeping on Coastal Carolina, Oregon State and UCLA, though. Each of those teams boasts CWS winner odds as short as +800. The longshots entering this year's College World Series are Arizona, Louisville and Murray State. Louisville got to Omaha by taking down conference rival Miami, 3-2, in Game 3 of its home Super Regional. Neither Arizona -- which took down North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Super Regional -- nor Murray State, which upset Duke in the Durham Super Regional, should be written off after both won their super regional matchups as road 'dogs. College World Series Picks, Best Bets Can Arkansas And LSU Maintain SEC's Recent Dominance? The SEC sent four teams to Omaha a year ago, including eventual champ Tennessee and runner-up Texas A&M. The conference's incredible recent CWS track record is a big reason why Arkansas and LSU are this year's betting favorites. In six of the last seven College World Series, the national champ has hailed from the SEC: Tennessee in 2024, LSU in 2023, Ole Miss in 2022, Mississippi State in 2021, Vanderbilt in 2019 and Florida in 2017. Oregon State, in 2018, was the last non-SEC team to win the Men's College World Series. Remarkably, last year marked the fourth all-SEC national title championship series in seven years. The 2023 (LSU over UF), 2021 (Mississippi State over Vanderbilt) and 2017 (Florida over LSU) national titles also were decided by all-SEC affairs in the CWS Championship Series. 2025 College World Series Best Bet: Why LSU Will Win It All With LSU and Arkansas meeting in Bracket 2, we already know that a maximum of one SEC team will reach this year's final. Our money is on LSU, which went 48-15 (19-11 SEC) this year. The Tigers blew out West Virginia 16-9 and 12-5 in two meetings in the Baton Rouge Super Regional last weekend. In six games across Regional and Super Regional Play, the Tigers scored 61 runs total while plating at least seven in all but one of those contests. The biggest reason to fade LSU is probably the fact that it will have to get by familiar foe Arkansas in Bracket 2. These teams will go head-to-head to open play in Omaha on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Tigers took two of three from the Razorbacks when these teams met in Baton Rouge in early May, including a 13-3 mercy rule victory in seven innings on May 10. With that in mind, LSU strikes me as the best bet to make it out of Bracket 2 ahead of not only Arkansas, but also UCLA and Murray State. Another reason to like the Tigers is the strong pitching they've gotten all year from top starters Kade Anderson (11-2, 2.74 ERA) and Anthony Eyanson (10-1, 3.58 ERA). In a hypothetical final against whoever comes out of Bracket 1 -- whether that's Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State or Louisville -- I like LSU's bats and the dominant pitching duo of Anderson and Eyanson to carry the program to its second natty in the last three years. Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
College World Series will feature some Pac-12 nostalgia. 'This is for the West,' UCLA coach says
FILE - UCLA coach John Savage is surrounded by players as he hoists the NCAA College World Series trophy, June 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Eric Francis, File) FILE - UCLA coach John Savage is surrounded by players as he hoists the NCAA College World Series trophy, June 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Eric Francis, File) FILE - UCLA coach John Savage is surrounded by players as he hoists the NCAA College World Series trophy, June 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Eric Francis, File) OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The ghosts of the old Pac-12 will be lurking at Charles Schwab Field this weekend when the College World Series opens. Oregon State, UCLA and Arizona will be back in Omaha, where they combined for seven of the 24 national baseball championships won by the conference. Advertisement 'This is for the West,' UCLA coach John Savage said. The Pac-12 went all but dormant last July when 10 of its members dispersed to other conferences. The Pac-12 will ramp up again in July 2026 with holdovers Oregon State and Washington State joined by five members of the Mountain West Conference and one from the West Coast Conference. No. 8 national seed Oregon State (47-14-1) is in the first of two years as a baseball independent and had only 19 regular-season home games because of scheduling challenges. The Beavers played eight more at home in the NCAA Tournament — the maximum possible — after coming out of the loser's bracket to win their regional and beating Florida State in a three-game super regional. UCLA (47-16) was the Big Ten regular-season co-champion, made it to the conference tournament championship game and was 3-0 in its regional before it swept UTSA in its super regional. Advertisement Arizona (44-19) tied for fourth in the Big 12, won the conference tournament and went 3-0 as the No. 2 regional seed in Eugene, Oregon. The Wildcats had to go to North Carolina for their super regional and lost 18-2 in the opener. They won the next two, beating the Tar Heels 4-3 in the finale after erasing a 3-1 deficit in the eighth inning. Three other former Pac-12 schools — Arizona State, Oregon and Southern California — didn't advance past regionals. Oregon State plays Louisville (40-22) and Arizona meets Coastal Carolina (53-11) on one side of the CWS bracket. UCLA squares off with either Duke (41-20) or Murray State (43-15) and LSU (48-15) takes on Arkansas (48-13), the only remaining SEC teams, on the other side. For LSU coach Jay Johnson, it will be old home week in Omaha. He's a California native who lived his entire life in the West before the Tigers hired him in June 2021. He coached at Nevada and Arizona, leading the Wildcats to the '21 CWS. Advertisement 'I know the brand of baseball out there, something I'm proud of,' Johnson said. "It's where I really cut my teeth against some of those great coaches, and it'll be fun to see them out there' in Omaha. Oregon State coach Mitch Canham was the catcher on the Pat Casey-coached teams that won national championships in 2006 and '07 at Rosenblatt Stadium. Casey and the Beavers also won the title at the current CWS stadium in 2018, when Canham was managing in the minor leagues. 'Omaha is in the Beaver blood, man,' Canham said. 'It'll be the first time stepping in that stadium for me and each and every one of these guys, other than Zak Taylor,' referring to his director of baseball development who played on the 2018 team. Canon Reeder, who hit a three-run homer in the Beavers' 14-10 win over Florida State on Sunday, said he and his teammates formed a unique bond through the challenges of a season spent mostly on the road. Advertisement 'To be in the position where we are, you have to take a step back and appreciate what you've done and where we've come this season," he said. "Job's not finished. There's eight teams left and we want to be the last one standing.' Arizona coach Chip Hale, an infielder on the Wildcats' 1986 championship team and in his fourth season as coach, said he's impressed with how his team responded to the ups and downs of the first year in the Big 12. The Wildcats opened 0-3, won 17 of their next 18 and lost five of six late in the season. 'We hit some real roadblocks along the way and it ended up being a blessing to us because we got hot at the right time,' Hale said. The CWS berth is especially meaningful to Mason White, who leads the Wildcats with a .332 batting average, 19 homers and 72 RBIs. He grew up a fan in Tucson, recalling that he watched every game when Arizona won the 2012 title and in 2016 when it lost to Coastal Carolina in the CWS finals. His father, Ben White, played for Arizona from 1993-96 and his grandfather, Tim White, lettered in 1968. Advertisement 'To be a third-generation guy to go to Omaha, I'm the first one of my dad and grandpa to get to go," he said. 'It's almost like a dream. I just can't believe it.' ___ AP Sports Writer Brett Martell is Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report. ___ AP college sports:
