The 2022 College World Series begins June 17 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. It holds a unique place in sports, taking place during a typically-dead time of year and doesn’t see much competition on television. While not as popular as the College Football Playoff or March Madness, the CWS tournament garners some of sports’ most dedicated fans and explosive fan environments. This page will provide a comprehensive rundown on the College World Series odds for 2022, including odds, teams to watch, tournament format, and FAQs.
College World Series Odds 2022
College World Series Final: Ole Miss Vs. Oklahoma
A promise may soon be fulfilled. Ole Miss senior Tim Elko said back in the preseason that if the Rebels made Omaha they would win it. Now, Ole Miss is the favorite (-115) to win the College World Series in the final against Oklahoma. Oklahoma is looking to become the first team ever to win a baseball and softball national championship in the same season.
The Sooners rode hot bats to the CWS and through their first game, but pitching has stepped up, where they’ve allowed just three runs in their last two games to reach the final. Ole Miss has been the top pitching staff in Omaha so far, even allowing only three runs in their sole CWS loss.
While both teams have capable hitters, expect this series to look more akin to the MLB than college baseball.
To reach the final, Oklahoma dialed up ace Cade Horton, who rung up 11 batters and allowed two runs. In four postseason appearances, Horton has struck out 29 batters and has a 1.75 ERA. Expect to see him on the bump Sunday.
Ole Miss counters with an ace of their own– Dylan DeLucia. DeLucia has similarly-gaudy numbers in the NCAA Tournament: 38 strikeouts and a 1.25 ERA (including just one run allowed total in his last three outings).
College World Series Schedule
The College World Series final begins June 25 and is a best-of-three series. All games will be broadcast on ESPN.
- Game 1: Ole Miss 10, Oklahoma 3
- Game 2: Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss, June 26, 3:00 p.m.
- Game 3 (if necessary): Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss, June 27, 7:00 p.m.
Basics Of College World Series Futures
Like many other tournaments, the most common future bets surround outright winners. Each matchup and series will have their own price, commonly bet on the moneyline. Moneyline betting refers to prices set by oddsmakers on each team to determine an outright winner.
For example, Ole Miss had a price of -130 to win Game 1 of the 2022 College World Series over Oklahoma (+105). A successful $10 bet on Ole Miss would yield $7.69 in earnings plus the initial bet amount back.
Another common futures bet example would be Oklahoma to win the College World Series (+110). If Oklahoma wins the series at +110, a $10 bet would have paid out $9.09 in winnings plus the initial $10 bet back. Other team futures may include odds to reach the Super Regionals or the College World Series.
Futures can also revolve around player performance like home runs hit in a particular series or runs allowed. They can also revolve around awards like the National Player of the Year or the Golden Spikes award. Betting on player futures is more common in professional sports than it is in college due to the brief time a player plays for a certain college.
College World Series Format
The College World Series refers to an eight-team tournament played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. (formerly TD Ameritrade Park), each year to crown a champion in college baseball. The tournament is double-elimination, single-game series until the final, which is a best-of-three series.
Prior to the College World Series is the Division-I Baseball Tournament. The first round of the tournament is the NCAA Regionals, a group-stage made up of 16 four-team pods. They play a round-robin double-elimination tournament where the top team from each group advances to the next round. The second round, the Super Regionals, is a best-of-three series where the winner advances to the final eight in Omaha.
The top 16 teams in the Division-I Baseball Tournament receive seeds. The rest of the field is unranked officially, and teams carry that ranking throughout the remainder of the postseason. While the seeding is ordered based on the best teams to least, the top 16 seeds aren’t always those who make the final eight. For example in 2021, unranked NC State upset top-ranked Arkansas in the Super Regionals to advance to the CWS. Similarly, unranked Virginia knocked off #11 Old Dominion in the Regionals and unranked Dallas Baptist dethroned #6 TCU. Virginia advanced to the CWS.
History And Favorites
Historically, college baseball lacked parity. Between 1958 and 1974, Southern California captured nine titles– including five straight from 1970-74– and was a runner-up once. Between 1975 and 1988; Arizona, Arizona State, Miami, Texas, and Stanford won 11 of 13 championships. However, since 2000, there have been 15 different schools that have won championships and only two schools (South Carolina and Oregon State) won back-to-back championships.
Southern California leads college baseball with 12 CWS championships, LSU and Texas are tied for second with six apiece, and Arizona State sits fourth with five championships. Florida State leads the nation in NCAA Tournament appearances without a championship (a whopping 58), followed by Clemson (44). East Carolina leads in NCAA Tournament appearances without a CWS berth (31), followed by South Alabama (28).
With the longest collegiate schedule (56 regular season games), the league has opened up in terms of contenders and favorites. There are a handful of regular residents in the CWS like Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Texas, and Ole Miss. The sport is potentially the most regionally-skewed in terms of success, with the SEC standing as far and away the dominant conference recently. The ACC, Big-12, and Pac-12 place multiple contenders each season, as well.
Here is a list of CWS Finals results since 2000.
| Year | Winner | Series Result | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2021 | Mississippi State | 2-1 | Vanderbilt |
| 2020 | No CWS -- COVID-19 | ||
| 2019 | Vanderbilt | 2-1 | Michigan |
| 2018 | Oregon State | 2-1 | Arkansas |
| 2017 | Florida | 2-0 | LSU |
| 2016 | Coastal Carolina | 2-1 | Arizona |
| 2015 | Virginia | 2-1 | Vanderbilt |
| 2014 | Vanderbilt | 2-1 | Virginia |
| 2013 | UCLA | 2-0 | Mississippi State |
| 2012 | Arizona | 2-0 | South Carolina |
| 2011 | South Carolina | 2-0 | Florida |
| 2010 | South Carolina | 2-0 | UCLA |
| 2009 | LSU | 2-1 | Texas |
| 2008 | Fresno State | 2-1 | Georgia |
| 2007 | Oregon State | 2-0 | North Carolina |
| 2006 | Oregon State | 2-1 | North Carolina |
| 2005 | Texas | 2-0 | Florida |
| 2004 | Cal State Fullerton | 2-0 | Texas |
| 2003 | Rice | 2-1 | Stanford |
| 2002 | Texas | 1-0 | South Carolina |
| 2001 | Miami | 1-0 | Stanford |
| 2000 | LSU | 1-0 | Stanford |
Note: The CWS moved to a best-of-three series for the 2003 tournament.
