Monday, June 19, 2006

Eight teams will vie for the national championship when the 60th Men's College World Series gets underway at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium this week. For only the second time since 1991, seven teams have reached the finals in Omaha in 2006 that were not part of the CWS field last year. A new national champion will also be crowned as 2005 champs Texas were eliminated in the regional. With college baseball's championship tournament set to start this week, PinnacleSports.com has released updated odds on which team will win the 2006 College World Series.The largest sports betting site on the Internet, PinnacleSports.com has calculated individual odds on the eight remaining teams capturing this year's College World Series title. The Cal St. Fullerton Titans, which sports the nation's best team ERA, have opened as early favorites at 3/1 odds to capture their fifth national championship despite being seeded fifth in the tournament. Pinnaclesports.com lists the 2003 champion and second-seeded Rice Owls with the second-best odds at 16/5, just slightly behind Fullerton. Although they're the top seed in the eight team tournament, the Clemson Tigers have only been listed with the third best odds to win their first CWS at 9/2. Georgia Tech, who'll face their ACC rival Clemson in the tournament's first game, come in at 6/1, while the only team returning to Omaha, Oregon State, is at 7/1. Despite holding the fourth seed in the tournament, North Carolina has been made a 9/1 long shot to win the national championship, while Miami (13/1) and Georgia (14/1) round out the field.

"Pitching is always at a premium in the College World Series, which is why we've made Cal St. Fullerton, Rice and Clemson, three of the nation's top five in team ERA, as the favorites in Omaha," said Simon Noble of PinnacleSports.com. "With five players totaling double-digit homeruns this year and ranking third nationally in runs scored per game, Georgia Tech's offensive firepower could easily propel them to the school's first baseball championship."

In addition to offering odds on which team will win the College World Series, PinnacleSports.com has also created unique betting propositions on the tournament. Despite half of the participants coming from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the odds that an ACC team wins the national championship are a 8/5 underdog. PinnacleSports.com will accept wagers on every game of the CWS including run lines, money lines and totals.