College World Series 2016: Predictions for NCAA Baseball Bracket

Eight teams know they are only a few wins away from a College World Series title. While there are favorites and underdogs, every remaining squad has a chance to raise the trophy.

Upsets have been a major theme throughout the NCAA tournament. Although some teams have been dominant all year long, that won't necessarily help them in a double-elimination bracket.

Meanwhile, those who are riding a hot streak to this stage of the postseason know they have what it takes to keep it up just a little longer.

The tournament hasn't necessarily gone as expected to this point, but here are some predictions about how it will end.

Game	Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
1	June 18	UC Santa Barbara vs. Oklahoma State	3 p.m.	ESPN2
2	June 18	Arizona vs. Miami	8 p.m.	ESPN2
3	June 19	TCU vs. Texas Tech	3 p.m.	ESPNU
4	June 19	Coastal Carolina vs. Florida	8 p.m.	ESPN2
5	June 20	Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser	2 p.m.	ESPNU
6	June 20	Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner	7 p.m.	ESPN
7	June 21	Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser	5 p.m.	ESPN2
8	June 21	Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner	8 p.m.	ESPN
9	June 22	Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser	7 p.m.	ESPN
10	June 23	Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser	8 p.m.	ESPN2
11	June 24	Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner	3 p.m.	ESPN2
12	June 24	Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner	8 p.m.	ESPN
13	June 25	Game 11 Rematch (If Necessary)	TBD	TBD
14	June 25	Game 12 Rematch (If Necessary)	TBD	TBD
15	June 27	CWS Finals Game 1	7 p.m.	ESPN
16	June 28	CWS Finals Game 2	8 p.m.	ESPN
17	June 29	CWS Finals Game 3 (If Necessary)	8 p.m.	ESPN

College World Series bracket available at NCAA.com. 

Predictions

Ron Irby/Associated Press

Not only is Miami the only seeded team remaining on its side of the bracket, but it was also the home team to win in the super regionals and the only one to even win at home in the regionals.

UC Santa Barbara, Oklahoma State and Arizona were all No. 2 seeds to kick off the tournament but have played like some of the best squads in the country. All of them won their super regionals in just two games.

On first glance this makes Miami—with its consistency and dominance during the regular season—the favorite to advance out of this bracket.

The Hurricanes have a lot of talent, especially with their offense. This lineup is one of the deepest in the country with Zack Collins leading the way. Almost everyone who comes to the plate has either a .300 batting average or .400 on-base percentage, and this group just wears down an opposing pitching staff.

However, it's not always the best team that wins in the postseason but often the hottest team. That honor goes to Oklahoma State, which has won all five of its NCAA tournament games in impressive fashion.

The Cowboys pitching staff has been almost unhittable lately, allowing just six runs in this stretch with exactly a 1.00 ERA. Meanwhile, the offense has upheld its end of the bargain with an average of seven runs per game.

Even after a week off, Oklahoma State should keep up its momentum and advance to the finals.

The other side of the bracket is all about Florida, although Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball provides reason to worry:

The Big 12 has exceeded expectations with all three of its NCAA tournament teams advancing through to the CWS. This should give both Texas Tech and TCU a lot of confidence, especially considering how poor the SEC and ACC have done after being named the best conferences in the country. Only two teams remain from the 17 that began in this tournament, including 13 that hosted regionals.

Texas Tech and TCU aren't afraid of the competition and will come ready to play in Omaha, Nebraska.

Meanwhile, we can't count out Coastal Carolina after the Chanticleers found different ways to win over the past couple of weeks. They have won in pitchers' duels as well as high-scoring battles and have nothing to lose in their first appearance at this level.

Still, Florida is the favorite for a reason and has the pitching necessary to be a threat in every game.

SEC Player of the Year Logan Shore summed up the strength of the staff, per ESPN.com's Derek Tyson:

"

I think the fact that our whole rotation and half our relievers have pitched in Omaha before gives us a lot of confidence going into the College World Series. The depth of our staff is really good, and it showed this weekend against FSU. We lose the first [game] and we have more than enough arms to shutout FSU twice in a row. Is a great feeling knowing we have so many arms that can get the job done. We are ready to get back to Omaha and finish the job that we came so close to achieving last year.

"

Between Shore and first-round draft picks A.J. Puk and Dane Dunning, the Gators always have an elite pitcher on the mound. When you add in a quality lineup led by Peter Alonso, this team just doesn't have any holes.

Upsets happen all the time, but Florida is built to avoid off days. It's too great of a challenge to beat this team twice, and the Gators should use their talent and experience to bring home a title.

Prediction: Florida over Oklahoma State

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