[Hman]

Best bets for the 2019 College World Series

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The College World Series gets underway Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska.


Betting the tournament can be a tricky proposition given the format of the event, during which a team can lose twice and still win the national championship.


As long as a team keeps winning, it can get by with three starters and a couple of quality arms out of the bullpen. For teams that fall into the losers bracket, the tournament becomes a test of pitching depth.


Given the format, it's no surprise that six of the eight champions since the CWS moved to TD Ameritrade Park were in the top 30 in Division I in ERA. Only three teams in this year's field rank in the top 30 in ERA: Michigan (10th), Mississippi State (12th) and Louisville (18th).


So where is the betting value in this year's College World Series?

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Mississippi State (7-2)

The three favorites to win are all from the SEC, and Mississippi State is the best value of that group.


CWS Championship Odds

Team	Odds
Arkansas	3-1
Vanderbilt	3-1
Mississippi State	7-2
Louisville	8-1
Texas Tech	8-1
Auburn	10-1
Florida State	10-1
Michigan	15-1
Caesars Sportsbook

Mississippi State is the only team in this year's College World Series field that ranks in the top 15 in both ERA and runs per game. It is less dependent on the home run than most of the other high-scoring attacks -- a big advantage given the prevailing wind blowing in at TD Ameritrade Park at this time of year.


The Bulldogs also have College World Series experience, winning two games last season before being eliminated by eventual champion Oregon State. Three of the past four CWS champions played in Omaha the previous season.


They also have the best pitcher of the teams there in Ethan Small, who ranks 10th in Division I with a 1.76 ERA and leads the nation with 168 strikeouts.


Before committing to the Bulldogs, keep an eye on the status of freshman JT Ginn. The team's No. 2 starter was pulled after three innings on May 31 because of shoulder discomfort and did not pitch last weekend.



SEC wins title (-300)

The SEC has had a great deal of success in Omaha recently, sending at least one team to the CWS finals in 10 of the past 11 seasons and winning five of the last 10 titles.


The conference has three of the four schools on one side of the bracket (Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Auburn). On the side with only one SEC school, Arkansas is the favorite to advance to the CWS finals.


The SEC has been the deepest conference all season, with 10 of the 14 teams reaching the NCAA tournament. Surviving that kind of depth -- Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Mississippi State all won at least 20 of 30 conference games -- prepares the teams well for the grind of the College World Series.


While -300 seems a bit high based on the public's perception of the SEC's dominance, it's still a safe bet that the conference will leave Omaha with another national title.



Louisville (8-1)

Don't be afraid to bet against the favorite. Oregon State's title last season at 3-2 odds snapped a three-year run where big underdogs left Omaha with the title: Florida was 15-2 in 2017, Coastal Carolina 8-1 in 2016 and Virginia 12-1 in 2015.


If you don't want to jump on the SEC bandwagon, Louisville is the type of team poised to make a run in Omaha.



Like Mississippi State, the Cardinals rank in the top 20 in Division I in both ERA and scoring and aren't overly dependent on home runs to score.


Though Mississippi State has the best pitcher in Omaha, Louisville's Reid Detmers is a close second. He ranks second in Division I with 162 strikeouts and gives up less than a baserunner per inning.


The Cardinals drew a tough opening test in Vanderbilt, which ranks fifth in Division I with 8.5 runs per game. That doesn't mean the Commodores can't be shut down by good pitching. In the SEC tournament, Vanderbilt eked out a 1-0 win over Mississippi State after Ethan Small struck out 11 and held the Commodores to one run in seven innings.


Jeremy Mills is an ESPN Stats & Information senior researcher who covers college baseball.

[jjgold]

I would not follow or even watch a college baseball game if you paid me

A non sport

[Hman]

I would not follow or even watch a college baseball game if you paid me

A non sport

Same here JJ but some have a different opinion

[Outhouse Tim]

CWS one of the greatest live events out there. Been to Omaha three times, including last year. Drama in OSU (Beavers)-Arkansas series was unsurpassed. Beats MLB by leaps and bounds.

[BeatTheJerk]

FSU 10-1 they finally get it done for the old coach. 0-17 in his career as a coach in the CWS & this is his last season.