This upcoming series also culminates one of the main themes we have stressed while handicapping the college baseball postseason. This is a favorite heavy market where chalk tends to hold and bettors must be willing to lay a lot of juice. Favorites went 10-1 in Omaha.

No.1 nationally seeded Tennessee now plays No.3 seeded Texas A&M, so the bettors who adhered to this philosophy likely see a profit on the near horizon. For those late to the party and looking to get some late Omaha action, Jello shots might provide more of a return than any wager can. Tennessee opens at -176 as the series favorite over A&M at +142. At some books, the Vols have even eclipsed the -200 threshold.

This line demonstrates another key college baseball theme we have emphasized this season – get your futures early and often instead of finally turning your attention to the sport come NCAA tournament time. Both teams were deemed favorites from the start and prices were still out there near 20-1 for both of them. Those high-odds “favorites” allow for some maneuverability in conjunction with longer-odds teams that can then be monetized during a double-elimination tournament.

Why Tennessee?
Tennessee blitzed right through Bracket 1 in Omaha. Yes, there are those like Matt Youmans who will point out the Vols could have—make that should have—lost to Florida State in their opening game if Blake Burke’s check swing had been called a strike. Instead, it was deemed a ball, and Tennessee came out with a 12-11 victory. After that though, they weren’t challenged during a 6-1 win over North Carolina and a 7-2 victory in a rematch with FSU.

During those three Omaha games, Tennessee demonstrated all its strengths. Its top players produced: Christian Moore hit for the cycle against FSU; Billy Amick had four hits and three runs scored in 13 at-bats; Dylan Dreiling had six hits and four RBIs; and Burke homered in the second game against FSU to give the Vols five players with more than 20 HRs this season.

On the mound, ace Drew Beam looked on track in his win over UNC and Zander Sechrist allowed just two earned runs in 6.1 innings during the elimination win over the Seminoles. In the opening game of the championship series, Vitello could go with Beam or the combination of Chris Stamos as an opener backed by reliever AJ Causey.

Whoever starts won’t impact DraftKings’ opening game line (Tennessee -154, A&M +120) because of what the Vols can do with the bats.

The Case Against Tennessee

Hard to find a reason to go against this current juggernaut other than Vitello and friends have the pressure to win by being the No.1 overall seed. The Vols have stumbled previously with high expectations and 1999 Miami is the only team to win a title after starting the tournament as the top overall seed.

Why Texas A&M?

They too, other than a close opening game, had a relatively easy time through the bracket. The pitching was outstanding, led by Ryan Prager, Justin Lamkin, and Evan Aschenbeck, the best late-inning arm in Omaha.

The offense was also solid, especially at the top of the lineup with Gavin Grahovac and Jace LaViolette. Kaeden Kent also has lengthened the Aggies lineup with five College World Series hits.

The Cast Against Texas A&M

When facing the best team in the country, the injuries the Aggies have fought through should finally catch up with them. Star Braden Montgomery has been out of action with a broken ankle and No.2 starter Shane Sdao is also on the shelf. LaViolette is now limping around with a hamstring problem. Jackson Appel and Hayden Schott are contributing but also dealing with health issues.

History Lesson

These two conference rivals only faced each other once this season. That came in Hoover during the SEC tournament on May 24th when Tennessee won 7-4.

While I tend to look past regular season games when handicapping the college baseball tournament, this one does have meaning. Both teams were in postseason form, and in that game, Texas A&M was relatively healthy with Montgomery in the starting lineup. The Vols pitching combo of Stamos and Causey combined to give up just three runs over 7.1 innings. That win over A&M put Tennessee on its current blistering pace of 12 wins over its last 13 contests.

College Baseball World Series Game 1 betting at BetMGM

Vols open -145, now -185
▪️ 74% of bets, 92% of money on Tennessee

Aggies open +110, now +140
▪️ 26% of bets, 8% of money on Texas A&M

Odds to win College Baseball World Series Final at BetMGM

Open
▪️ Tennessee -210
▪️ Texas A&M +170

Before Game 1
▪️ Tennessee -225
▪️ Texas A&M +180