Ole Miss’ selection into the field of 64 is a no-brainer for Vegas oddsmakers

OXFORD, Miss. — Now that the NCAA has selected its college baseball teams for the 2022 baseball tournament, we look to the real experts to further sort things out — folks whose livings depend on their collective foresight, knowledge and experience in such ventures. That’s right — the good folks in Vegas.

It turns out they disagree with the sports writers and analysts who told us Ole Miss wouldn’t make the tournament. Imagine that?

According to the consensus of the top oddsmakers in the world, it appears the Rebels — who seemingly barely made it in  as the No. 3 seed in the Coral Gables, Florida Regional — couldn’t possibly have been in jeopardy of making the field of 64 as the “experts” all indicated.

Vegas actually opens with Ole Miss “ranked” in the Top 25 odds-wise, which is a far cry from where the NCAA would have us believe the Rebs landed. Of course the lines can and likely will change, but the point is the Rebels are held in much higher esteem by Vegas sportsbooks than they are sports writers.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CURRENT 2022 NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT ODDS

Now, true, the oddsmakers aren’t predicting a College World Series winner coming out of Oxford, as that pre-tourney honor goes to the Volunteers of Tennessee, but the Rebels are certainly in better stead in respect to 40 or so other teams playing this weekend.

Vegas also isn’t concerned with automatic qualifiers and “bid stealers.” They are simply giving the odds of who they think are the teams most likely to win the College World Series.

With the smaller odds representing the top favorites from a wagering standpoint, Tennessee opens at 4-to-1, while Oregon State ranks second with 9-to-1 odds to win the College World Series. Stanford is third at 12-to-1, while Texas comes in fourth at 15-to-1.

LSU and Virginia Tech are 5th at 18-to-1, Miami 7th at 20-to-1, and tied for 8th are Arkansas, A&M, Virginia and Oklahoma State at 25-to-1.

The Rebels open the week at 65-to-1 — odds that rank them 24th overall. No doubt their big finish raised their profile, ultimately giving them a shot at proving their worth on the field as an otherwise highly underrated team.

Of the 23 teams who have better odds than Ole Miss, 14 of them are hosting regionals and a 15th, East Carolina, opens at 65-to-1, as does Ole Miss. The outlier host, Georgia Southern, is going off at 200-to-1, a true long shot for a No. 1 seed.

So, You’re Saying There’s a Chance…

Basically what all this means is that while many believe Ole Miss was one of the “last four in” the postseason tourney, the Vegas experts disagree.

Ole Miss legend Tim Elko has thoughts on his team’s chances:

Don’t let the Rebs get hot… 🤫

— Tim Elko (@TimElko) May 30, 2022

You heard the man. pic.twitter.com/9JR9Yh4FBI

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 9, 2022

Coral Gables Regional Teams and Schedule

Here’s the info on the Coral Gables Regional where the Rebels are the No. 3 seed:

No. 1 seed: Miami Hurricanes (39-18)
No. 2 seed: Arizona Wildcats (37-23)
No. 3 seed: Ole Miss Rebels (32-22)
No. 4 seed: Canisius Golden Griffins (29-23)

FRIDAY GAMES:

Game 1: Arizona vs. Ole Miss at 6:00 p.m. on ESPNU
Game 2 Miami vs. Canisius (ESPN+)

SATURDAY GAMES:

Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 4: Game 1 winners vs. Game 2 winner

SUNDAY GAMES:

Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner

MONDAY GAMES (IF NECESSARY)

Game 7 (if needed): Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser.

(Feature image credit: Reed Jones, Ole Miss)

David Walker

David is the consummate true-freshman quarterback, first pioneering the position only a year after college freshmen were given varsity eligibility by the NCAA in 1972. In 1973, the left-handed all-state gunslinger from Sulphur, Louisiana started for the Texas A&M Aggies and earned the All-Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year award as selected by the league’s coaches. David is the first college quarterback ever awarded Freshman of the Year in the NCAA. He was only 17, and still holds the NCAA record as the youngest starting quarterback in college football history. He wore No. 8 at A&M in honor of one of his football heroes, Archie Manning.

In becoming the winningest quarterback ever at A&M, David was converted from a dual-threat QB to a triple option trailblazer. The two-time team captain led three record-breaking offenses that changed the direction of football at A&M forever, establishing once and for all the winning tradition that the Aggies had so-long desired.

As a high school head coach in Houston in the late ‘80s, David stationed his quarterback in the shotgun formation, having him reading defenses and throwing hot routes at a time when such offensive schemes were frowned upon by traditional fans and coaches. One of his quarterbacks tossed 57 passes in a single game, which stood as the all-time Greater Houston Area record for many years. 

As you can tell from his bona fides, David is extremely qualified as our expert on all things Quarterback at Ole Miss. Enjoy his exclusive analysis only here at The Rebel Walk!