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The Florida Gators take on the LSU Tigers in Game 2 of the College World Series Finals. Our College World Series odds package has our Florida LSU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Florida LSU.
The College World Series could be decided on Sunday afternoon in Omaha. Ole Miss won on a Sunday afternoon one year ago, and LSU will try to do the same thing here. The Tigers, who won in 11 innings in the semifinals against Wake Forest, pulled off yet another 11-inning win in Game 1 of this finals series against Florida on Saturday night. LSU figured to be in trouble for Game 1, given that ace Paul Skenes had to pitch in the semifinal versus Wake Forest. Florida was able to send staff ace Brandon Sproat to the mound. The Gators had the edge on paper.
Ty Floyd didn't care for what the odds suggested, or for how the matchup looked on paper. Floyd, who had not pitched past the seventh inning all season long for LSU, delivered the performance of a lifetime with an eight-inning, 17-strikeout gem to keep LSU in the hunt. The Tigers and Gators went to extra innings tied at 3-3. LSU's Cade Beloso belted a go-ahead homer in the top of the 11th to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead. The LSU bullpen held the fort in the bottom of the 11th and secured an impressive win to move the Tigers one victory from a national championship.
LSU beat Wake Forest on an 11th-inning home run in the semis. Now the Tigers replicated their 11th-inning home-run magic against Florida. Memo to the Gators: Don't get into the 11th inning against this LSU team. Florida has to win today to set up a winner-take-all Game 3 on Monday night in Nebraska. If the Gators fail, LSU will capture a seventh college baseball national championship, which would vault the Bayou Bengals into sole possession of second place on the list of all-time college baseball national champions. LSU is currently tied with Texas with six.
Here are the Florida-LSU Game 2 College World Series odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College World Series Odds: Florida-LSU Game 2 Odds
Florida: -1.5 (+140)
LSU: +1.5 (-184)
Over: 9.5 (-106)
Under: 9.5 (-125)
How To Watch Florida vs LSU Game 2
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Florida-LSU Game 2 LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Florida Could Cover The Spread
The Gators were not very good at the plate against LSU's Ty Floyd. Florida kept chasing pitches out of the strike zone. More precisely, Gator hitters were going after the high fastball and trying to tomahawk it out of the ballpark. Florida was the much more rested team entering Game 1 of this three-game series on Saturday. Florida played three games to make the CWS finals, whereas LSU had to play five games. Yet, LSU seemed to be sharper and more battle-tested. Florida's rest turned into rust.
So, you might ask, why pick Florida? It seems LSU is the better team riding the hot streak. The answer is not that complicated: LSU still doesn't have staff ace Paul Skenes for this game; he won't be available until Monday. Second, Florida — after seeing how LSU pitchers attacked the Gators on Saturday — should have a much better approach at the plate and should produce far better at-bats in this game.
Why LSU Could Cover The Spread
LSU is simply riding the wave the way national championship baseball teams seem to do. Everyone is contributing. The pitching staff is clearly deeper and better than just Paul Skenes. Ty Floyd was the man on Saturday. Expect more pitchers to stand out and stand up in this game. LSU is also getting huge late-game homers from various players. Again, it's not just one guy. The balance and depth of this LSU team has been on full display in Omaha, and that's very hard for Florida or anyone else to counter.
Final Florida-LSU Prediction & Pick
LSU is a remarkable story, but the Tigers might be a little exhausted after playing multiple extra-inning games. Florida hit very poorly in Game 1 and is likely to hit better in Game 2. Take the Gators.
Final Florida-LSU Prediction & Pick: Florida -1.5