Arkansas, LSU co-CWS favorites entering regionals

The road to Omaha begins with the opening games of the 16 regional sites on Friday, and Arkansas and LSU enter as co-favorites to win the College World Series.

The Razorbacks and Tigers are both being offered at +475 by BetMGM ahead of fellow SEC rival Vanderbilt at +650. The Commodores enter the regionals as the top-ranked team in the country after winning the SEC tournament, and each of the top four seeds hail from the conference.

Half of the 16 regional host teams are from the SEC.

Sixth-ranked LSU also spent time atop the rankings this season, and enters its regional as the book's biggest liability. The Tigers opened at +1400 to win the title, and have been backed by the most bets with 12.0 percent. Their regional includes Little Rock, Rhode Island and Dallas Baptist.

The shortest odds for a non-SEC team belong to No. 5 North Carolina at +850, followed by No. 2 Texas at +1000. While the Longhorns spent several weeks ranked No. 1 and won the SEC's regular-season crown, it is the Tar Heels who have been backed by the most title money wagered on any team at 13.2 percent.

North Carolina is BetMGM's third-biggest liability, right behind Texas, which has drawn 8.7 percent of the money while seeing its odds shift significantly from opening at +2500.

Defending champion Tennessee is being offered at +1200. The Volunteers have endured an inconsistent season while seeing their odds lengthen from +900. Thy have still been backed by 8.7 percent of all CWS title bets.

FOUR-TEAM REGIONALS (LOCATION)

NASHVILLE (Vanderbilt)

Location: Hawkins Field | Nashville, Tennessee

Teams: Vanderbilt (1), Wright State, East Tennessee State, Louisville | Dates: May 30 - June 2

AUSTIN (Texas)

Location: UFCU Disch-Falk Field | Austin, Texas

Teams: Texas (2), Houston Christian, Kansas State, UTSA | Dates: May 30 - June 2

FAYETTEVILLE (Arkansas)

Location: Baum-Walker Stadium | Fayetteville, Arkansas

Teams: Arkansas (3), North Dakota State, Creighton, Kansas | Dates: May 30 - June 2

AUBURN (Auburn)

Location: Plainsman Park | Auburn, Alabama

Teams: Auburn (4), Central Connecticut, Stetson, NC State | Dates: May 30 - June 2

CHAPEL HILL (North Carolina)

Location: Boshamer Stadium | Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Teams: North Carolina (5), Holy Cross, Nebraska, Oklahoma | Dates: May 30 - June 2

BATON ROUGE (LSU)

Location: Alex Box Stadium | Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Teams: LSU (6), Little Rock, Rhode Island, Dallas Baptist | Dates: May 30 - June 2

ATHENS (Georgia)

Location: Foley Field | Athens, Georgia

Teams: Georgia (7), Binghamton, Oklahoma State, Duke | Dates: May 30 - June 2

CORVALLIS (Oregon State)

Location: Goss Stadium at Coleman Field | Corvallis, Oregon

Teams: Oregon State (8), Saint Mary's, USC, TCU | Dates: May 30 - June 2

TALLAHASSEE (Florida State)

Location: Dick Howser Stadium | Tallahassee, Florida

Teams: Florida State (9), Bethune-Cookman, Mississippi State, Northeastern | Dates: May 30 - June 2

OXFORD (Ole Miss)

Location: Swayze Field | Oxford, Mississippi

Teams: Ole Miss (10), Murray State, Western Kentucky, Georgia Tech | Dates: May 30 - June 2

CLEMSON (Clemson)

Location: Doug Kinsmore Stadium | Clemson, South Carolina

Teams: Clemson (11), SC Upstate, Kentucky, West Virginia | Dates: May 30 - June 2

EUGENE (Oregon)

Location: PK Park | Eugene, Oregon

Teams: Oregon (12), Utah Valley, Cal Poly, Arizona | Dates: May 30 - June 2

CONWAY (Coastal Carolina)

Location: Springs Brooks Stadium | Conway, South Carolina

Teams: Coastal Carolina (13), Fairfield, East Carolina, Florida | Dates: May 30 - June 2

KNOXVILLE (Tennessee)

Location: Lindsey Nelson Stadium | Knoxville, Tennessee

Teams: Tennessee (14), Miami (OH), Cincinnati, Wake Forest | Dates: May 30 - June 2

LOS ANGELES (UCLA)

Location: Jackie Robinson Stadium | Los Angeles, California

Teams: UCLA (15), Fresno State, Arizona State, UC Irvine | Dates: May 30 - June 2

HATTIESBURG (Southern Miss)

Location: Pete Taylor Park | Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Teams: Southern Miss (16), Columbia, Miami, Alabama | Dates: May 30 - June 2

--Field Level Media