The College World Series field has been narrowed to the final eight.
After one last super regional matchup on Monday night, eight teams punched their tickets to Omaha, Nebraska, for a double-elimination final bracket in the NCAA baseball tournament. They are the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Kentucky Wildcats, NC State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies and Virginia Cavaliers.
Of these teams, two have already won national baseball titles: Florida and Virginia. Florida State (23), North Carolina (11) and Texas A&M (7) are among the teams with the most trips to Omaha without a championship. The Seminoles have been runners-up three times, most recently in 1999.
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This year’s Omaha field also includes a team making its Omaha debut. Kentucky will play in the College World Series for the first time in program history despite eight previous appearances in college baseball’s postseason tournament.
See how all eight teams stack up according to their betting odds to win a title, courtesy of BetMGM.
College World Series power rankings: Odds for eight Omaha teams
1. Tennessee Volunteers (+250)
Tennessee, which owns the best record in all of college baseball during the regular season, is still the favorite to win its first national title in program history. The Vols got a scare during the super regionals when underdog Evansville forced a Game 3 with a 10-8 victory in the second game of the best-of-3 series. But the SEC champions put to rest any doubts with a dominant 12- 1 to guarantee a ticket to Omaha. The Vols are one of four SEC teams in the final eight and will look to continue their run of dominance to a championship.
2. Texas A&M Aggies (+300)
Texas A&M is one of the other SEC teams in the tournament at the top of the power rankings. They showed how potent their offense can be in Game 2 of their super regional against Oregon to clinch a spot in Omaha. Trailing 7-3 after the third inning and 8-4 after the sixth, the Aggies put together a nine-run seventh inning to turn the game around and take a 13-8 lead heading into the final two frames. The SEC regular-season runners-up hope to give their fellow SEC competitors a run for their money when the Omaha bracket begins.
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3. Kentucky Wild Cats (+500)
For the first time, Kentucky will play in the College World Series in Omaha. After finishing the season ranked second in the latest USA TODAY coaches poll, the Wildcats maintained their momentum in the early rounds of the tournament. They now finally have the chance to play in Omaha and do so among the favorites as one of the best teams in the SEC and the country. Kentucky gained its position in dramatic fashion when closer Johnny Hummel entered the game against Oregon State in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and runners on the corners. He proceeded to strike out Beavers outfielder Micah McDowell – owner of a .403 batting average entering the super regional – on three pitches.
4. North Carolina Tar Heels (+700)
North Carolina played in back-to-back CWS finals in 2006 and 2007. The Tar Heels lost to Oregon State both times. Now that the Beavers are out of the tournament (thanks to Kentucky), will this be the year for North Carolina? This season is the first return to Omaha since the 2018 tournament — in which Oregon State also eliminated the Tar Heels en route to the national title. The ACC regular-season champions defeated West Virginia in the super regionals with an 8-6 victory in Game 1 and a pitcher’s duel, 2-1 victory in Game 2.
5. Florida State Seminoles (+800)
Will this finally be the year for Florida State? No other program has more than 12 appearances without a CWS championship. The Seminoles have 23, including three years as runners-up. After 2023 brought the team’s first losing season (23-31) in program history, Florida State is back in Omaha for the first time since 2019 thanks to an extra-inning victory in Game 2 of its super regional showdown with UConn.
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6. Virginia Cavaliers (+1000)
7. Florida Gators (+1400)
8. North Carolina State Wolfpack (+1500)
How to watch the 2024 College World Series
ESPN will provide live broadcast and streaming coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 during the Men’s College World Series.
Streaming coverage is available on ESPN+.
HOW TO WATCH:Watch the men’s College World Series with an ESPN+ subscription
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