On Friday, the Nebraska softball team will see the first pitch of what many expect to be the first trip to the Women’s College World Series in over a decade. While the Huskers have seen some detractors of late, including a selection committee that not only didn’t make them the No. 1 overall seed, but bumped them all the way to No. 4, it’s clear they are real contenders to go a long way. However, adding insult to injury are the latest odds on the likelihood of each team in the NCAA Tournament winning the whole thing.
Rhonda Revelle has Nebraska softball facing another dose of postseason doubt
As it turns out, even some Vegas oddsmakers think the Huskers are plenty good, but not quite good enough to beat out the powers of the SEC. In particular, DraftKings recently released its odds for every team and the most likely to take home the WCWS crown. NU finished No. 5 behind a bevy of SEC squads.
To some degree, Nebraska being just +800 is a nod to how good the Jordy Frahm-led squad has been this season. It doesn’t hurt that the Huskers have won 21 in a row and just romped through the Big Ten Tournament. On the other hand, it’s clear that even winning the regular season and tournament title hasn’t won the Cornhuskers enough respect to believe they’ve got a better shot of winning the Women’s College World Series than teams like Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, and Alabama.
Clearly, based on these odds, DraftKings believes the Sooners will regroup from an early SEC Tournament exit. Oklahoma has the best odds according to its oddsmakers at just +200 or 2-to-1 odds. The Texas Tech Red Raiders are a bit of a surprise to be in the top group. At +300, the Big 12 squad has 3-to-1 odds to win the whole thing.
Texas and Alabama are tied for the third-best odds to win the WCWS at +500 (5-to-1), and then comes Nebraska at 8-to-1. The Cornhuskers can also take some solace in the fact that, after them, the teams expected to win the whole thing are much longer shots. The next closest team with the best odds is Arkansas at 12-to-1 odds, followed by Tennessee (15-to-1) and Florida (18-to-1). The Huskers should also take a bit of pride in being the only Big Ten team with the top eight odds. UCLA is ninth but is quite a ways behind NU at 22-to-1.
Jordy Frahm and Nebraska softball can answer every slight on the field now
Nebraska has already had to fight a bit of an uphill climb this year, having to absolutely dominate to convince people the team is more than just Jordy Frahm. While only getting a No. 4 overall seed, that does mean NU will host a regional and, should they take care of business, a super regional. The key now will be to take care of business and not worry about how many people believe in them.
One of the best teams in the country all year, Nebraska reached the No. 1 ranking several times this past regular season. Starting Friday afternoon, they’ll get to prove those rankings weren’t a mirage.
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