The championship series is set at the Men’s College World Series, with LSU advancing to face Florida after a dramatic 2-0 win in 11 innings over Wake Forest on Thursday night. If the oddsmakers are correct, we could see more classic games over the weekend, with the Tigers and Gators nearly given equal odds at major sportsbooks.
Florida is a -120 favorite to win the series at Caesars Sportsbook with LSU only a very slight underdog at even money. FanDuel Sportsbook has the same odds, while at DraftKings, the odds are even closer, with both teams listed at -110 to win the championship series.
LSU has been rated higher on odds boards for the entire season — spending the first half of the year as the national title favorite — but Florida has an advantage in that the Gators have only had to play three games in Omaha. Meanwhile, the Tigers have played five. That includes the epic Thursday game, in which LSU used ace pitcher Paul Skenes and had to cover 11 innings of pitching.
Florida has had longer odds to win the CWS than the Tigers for most of the season. However, the No. 2 team swept its side of the bracket in Omaha, and the Gators have been rewarded with rest. Oddsmakers are drawing a line in the sand in the “rest vs. rust” debate as they believe the days off will help Florida get right. The Tigers are no pushovers, though, after beating the only other team to hold the No. 1 ranking twice in as many days to make it to this point.
Nevertheless, the fact that LSU has lost a CWS game and the Gators haven’t no longer matters, as the tournament resets for the championship series. The true best-of-three series is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, with Game 2 at 3 p.m. Sunday and Game 3, if necessary, at 7 p.m. Monday.
