The Oklahoma Sooners looked to have the upper hand heading into the 2022 College World Series finals, but now they face a must-win in Sunday's Game 2 against the Ole Miss Rebels. The Sooners (45-23) sent ace Jake Bennett to the mound on Saturday night, and the Rebels (43-23) countered with Jack Dougherty, a reliever by trade. But Dougherty pitched five perfect innings before getting into trouble and leaving with a 4-1 lead in the sixth. The Rebels broke open a 4-2 game with four runs (including three straight homers) in the eighth inning. They cruised to a 10-3 victory and are now in prime position to win the first CWS title in school history.
First pitch is set for 3 p.m. ET at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. The Rebels are listed as the -130 favorite (risk $130 to win $100) in the latest Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the Sooners are +100 underdogs. The over-under for total runs scored is set at 11. Before making any Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma picks or College World Series bets, you need to see what SportsLine baseball expert John Bollman has to say.
Bollman is on a tremendous run picking baseball games for SportsLine. He is 156-131 with his last 287 MLB picks after he went 380-309-1 in 2021, returning $3,855 and finishing as SportsLine's No. 1 baseball expert.
It's no surprise: In 2018 Bollman, who has a master's degree in biostatistics, worked in the Toronto Blue Jays' analytics department, focusing on high-performance sports science and player development. He combines that MLB front-office experience with a deep statistical background to deliver incredible success on picks.
Bollman has turned his attention to Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma on Sunday at the College World Series 2022, and just locked in his picks and CWS final predictions. You can only see his picks at SportsLine. Here are the CWS odds and betting lines for OU vs. Ole Miss in Game 2:
Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma money line: Rebels -130, Sooners +100Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma run line: Rebels -1.5 (+120) Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma over-under: 11 runs College World Series tickets: See tickets at StubHubMISS: The Rebels have allowed four runs or fewer in eight of their past 10 gamesOKLA: The Sooners had scored at least five runs in seven straight before SaturdayWhy you should back Ole Miss
Ole Miss was one of the nation's top teams early in the season before sinking like a stone. But they are battle-tested after battling in an SEC West that sent four teams to the College World Series. The Rebels hit 103 home runs in the regular season to rank 16th in the nation, and they hit four Saturday night to batter the Sooners bullpen. Tim Elko had one in the third inning, his 24th of the season, and he drove in 74 runs in the regular season. Justin Bench had one of the three in the eighth, and he led the team with a .316 batting average and 17 doubles.
The Rebels will be motivated to join arch-rival Mississippi State as a champion after the Bulldogs took last year's title. They have been playing with an us-against-the-world mentality, and it has paid off. Ole Miss will be without ace Dylan DeLucia unless it goes to a Game 3, but the Rebels had a 4.27 team ERA during the season, which ranked 31st in the nation. Hunter Elliott is scheduled to start, and the freshman was 5-3 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits in 6.1 innings in Monday's 13-5 win against Arkansas.
Why you should back Oklahoma
Oklahoma's starting pitching and bullpen have been carrying the Sooners, but they also are more than capable of scoring. Bennett struck out 10 and allowed three runs before the bullpen imploded in Game 1. They should have the edge in starting pitching again Sunday, with electric freshman Cade Horton expected to get the call. The freshman had a 5.58 ERA in the regular season but pitched just 40.1 innings as he worked back from Tommy John surgery. He hit 98 mph and showed off his wicked slider while striking out 11 in a 6-2 win against Notre Dame on Monday.
The Sooners scored 515 runs (7.7 per game) to rank 11th in the nation in the regular season. They had four players who drove in more than 50, including outfielder Tanner Tredaway and shortstop Peyton Graham. Tredaway hit .379 in the regular season and drove in 65 runs, while Graham hit .344 with 20 homers and 71 RBI.
How to make Oklahoma vs. Ole Miss picks
One of Bollman's picks for Game 2 is under on the total. He also has found a critical X-factor that points to one side of the money line having all of the value. You absolutely need to see his CWS picks before locking in any of your own.
So which team wins Game 2 between Ole Miss and Oklahoma on Sunday? And which wagers bring the best value? Visit SportsLine now to get all of the College World Series best bets from the SportsLine expert who is on a 156-131 run on baseball picks, and find out.
