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Regionals start tomorrow morning! Do you have a crippling gambling addiction and need help filling out a bracket to make your picks because you don't know anything about PINGYBATS? CRIMSONQUARRY IS HERE TO HELP.
Let's get to it.
REGIONAL PREDICTIONS
ALEX ROBBINS
SUPER REGIONAL 1
Los Angeles, CA Regional: UCLA
Lake Elsinore, CA Regional: USC
Super Regional: UCLA
SUPER REGIONAL 2
Stillwater, OK Regional: Oklahoma State
Springfield, MO Regional: Iowa
Super Regional: Oklahoma State
SUPER REGIONAL 3
Miami, FL Regional: Miami
Dallas TX, Regional: Oregon State
Super Regional: Miami
SUPER REGIONAL 4
Tallahassee, FL Regional: College of Charleston
Gainesville, FL Regional: Florida
Super Regional: College of Charleston
Last year, CofC won the Florida regional as the 4-seed and lost two super regional games 1-0. This year, the Cougars take out Florida again, this time in the super regional, and finally get to Omaha.
SUPER REGIONAL 5
Baton Rouge, LA Regional: LSU
Houston, TX Regional: Houston
Super Regional: LSU
SUPER REGIONAL 6
College Station, TX Regional: Texas A&M
Fort Worth, TX Regional: NC State
Super Regional: Texas A&M
SUPER REGIONAL 7
Champaign, IL Regional: Notre Dame
Nashville, TN Regional: Vanderbilt
Super Regional: Vanderbilt
I keep going back and forth in my mind on this one. I know that Vanderbilt is the best team in the regional on any given day. But Indiana's pitching depth and the experience of this special senior class makes me think that the Commodores won't cakewalk into the super regional. I'm going to pick Vanderbilt, but it will not shock me at all if IU is playing in the super regional. Regardless of whether it's Vanderbilt or Indiana coming out of the Nashville regional, that regional winner will be heading to Omaha. If it's Radford or Lipscomb, give me the Irish.
SUPER REGIONAL 8
Fullerton, CA Regional: Arizona State
Louisville, KY Regional: Louisville
Super Regional: Louisville
KYLE ROBBINS
SUPER REGIONAL 1
Los Angeles, OLE DANG MISS, FINISH YOUR BEER
Lake Elsinore, CA Regional: UCSB
Super Regional:
SUPER REGIONAL 2
Stillwater, OK Regional: Oklahoma State
Springfield, MO Regional: Oregon
Super Regional: Oklahoma State
Think Iowa might be the first team out here, they caught the dreaded Rutgers at the end of the Big Ten season and haven't seemingly recovered. Though I'd loooooove to see more #B1G in Omaha.
SUPER REGIONAL 3
Miami, FL Regional: HOWARD SCHNELLENBERGER
Dallas TX, Regional: Texas
Super Regional: Miami
Canes are too dang good, and I'm picking too many three seeds. Dallas Baptist lost to Indiana State not that long ago, and Texas is hot after winning the Big 12 title (even though the Big 12 is trash this year.) This ends so so so super badly.
SUPER REGIONAL 4
Tallahassee, FL Regional: Florida State
Gainesville, FL Regional: Florida
Super Regional: this vine
SUPER REGIONAL 5
Baton Rouge, LA Regional: ELLLLLESSSSSSYOUUUUU
Houston, TX Regional: Houston
Super Regional: LSU.
baseball bat something something bayou jambalaya bobby jindal
SUPER REGIONAL 6
College Station, TX Regional: Cal
Fort Worth, TX Regional: TCU
Super Regional: TCU
Picking Cal only because they nearly lost their baseball program a few years back due to Title IX issues and I wrote a college thesis about it. It was terrible, and I nearly failed the class. GO BEARS.
SUPER REGIONAL 7
Champaign, IL Regional: NOTRE DAME
Nashville, TN Regional: INDIANA
Super Regional: INDIANA
PLAY IT AT VICTORY FIELD AND SERVE ME BEER AND TAKE ALL MY DANG MONEY
SUPER REGIONAL 8
Fullerton, CA Regional: Arizona State
Louisville, KY Regional: Louisville
Super Regional: Arizona State
Noted CrimsonQuarry dot com reader Tracy Smith stays the weirdest person in college sports, and we still love him here.
DAVID SIEGEL
SUPER REGIONAL 1
Los Angeles, CA Regional: Ole Miss
Lake Elsinore, CA Regional: UCSB
Super Regional: UCSB
Dillon Tate is a name you should get familiar with now, because he will probably be terrorizing your favorite MLB team sooner rather than later.
SUPER REGIONAL 2
Stillwater, OK Regional: Missouri St.
Springfield, MO Regional: Oral Roberts
Super Regional: Oral Roberts
SUPER REGIONAL 3
Miami, FL Regional: Miami
Dallas TX, Regional: Oregon St.
Super Regional: Miami
SUPER REGIONAL 4
Tallahassee, FL Regional: Auburn
Gainesville, FL Regional: Florida
Super Regional: Florida
SUPER REGIONAL 5
Baton Rouge, LA Regional: LSU
Houston, TX Regional: Rice
Super Regional: LSU
Whether it's right or wrong, I strongly believe veteran star power is the key to a championship run, and Alec Bregman is just that. He has been a force for Team USA for years, and has continued that by putting up ridiculous numbers for the #1 ranked team. Bregman will be a top pick in this year's MLB Draft.
SUPER REGIONAL 6
College Station, TX Regional: Coastal Carolina
Fort Worth, TX Regional: TCU
Super Regional: Coastal Carolina
SUPER REGIONAL 7
Champaign, IL Regional: Illinois
Nashville, TN Regional: Indiana
Super Regional: Indiana
Because if you don't believe IU can keep their run going, why even watch in the first place?
In the Champaign regional, it's a personal choice, sure, but I always pick the team whose star (Tyler Jay) looks like the annoyingly sweaty guy at the YMCA.
SUPER REGIONAL 8
Fullerton, CA Regional: Arizona St.
Louisville, KY Regional: Louisville
Super Regional: Louisville
KYLE SWICK
SUPER REGIONAL 1
Los Angeles, CA Regional: UCLA
Lake Elsinore, CA Regional: USC
Super Regional: UCLA
UCLA is, without a doubt, the best team in this thing. But a chance to see a big cross-town rivalry in the Super Regional is too tantalizing to not pick to happen. Seriously: someone get the fix in on the Lake Elsinore Regional.
SUPER REGIONAL 2
Stillwater, OK Regional: Oklahoma State
Springfield, MO Regional: Missouri State
Super Regional: Missouri State
Here is a great example of a couple regionals that have like five schools I didn't know existed. This will happen a couple times throughout this exercise.
SUPER REGIONAL 3
Miami, FL Regional: Miami
Dallas TX, Regional: Oregon State
Super Regional: Miami
Listen, pal, you don't lavish hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition on a school and then -not- pick them to win a Super Regional. Also Miami is a talented, well-dressed baseball team that will hold open doors for people.
SUPER REGIONAL 4
Tallahassee, FL Regional: College of Charleston
Gainesville, FL Regional: Florida
Super Regional: Florida
College of Charleston is a great team you've never heard of. Florida is a great team you've probably heard of.
SUPER REGIONAL 5
Baton Rouge, LA Regional: LSU
Houston, TX Regional: Rice
Super Regional: LSU
Hmmm yes these regionals certainly contain teams.
SUPER REGIONAL 6
College Station, TX Regional: Texas A&M
Fort Worth, TX Regional: North Carolina St.
Super Regional: North Carolina St.
I had a great deep cut of a Matt Adams joke prepared for this regional before I realized that I had gotten Stony Brook confused with Slippery Rock for about the 98th time of my existence and this whole blurb is ruined.
SUPER REGIONAL 7
Champaign, IL Regional: Wright State
Nashville, TN Regional: Vanderbilt Indiana
Super Regional: Vanderbilt Indiana
I wanted to pick Indiana very very badly but Vanderbilt is ridiculously good and playing at home. It'd be great to show up and eliminate them from their regional via a walk-off home run because we're playing as the home team for the second time in three games to exorcise last season's demons. This Indiana squad won't go quietly into the night, but oh hell I'm totally gonna pick them. Not only that, I'm gonna have Wright State win the Champaign Regional so the Super Regional is then up for grabs between IU and WSU, in which Indiana would obviously win the ensuing literal bidding war with far better facilities and DAT BTN MONEY.
SUPER REGIONAL 8
Fullerton, CA Regional: Arizona State
Louisville, KY Regional: Louisville
Super Regional: Arizona State
Tracy Smith, y'all.
BEN RAPHEL
SUPER REGIONAL 1
Los Angeles, CA Regional: UCLA
Lake Elsinore, CA Regional: USC
Super Regional: USC
Trojans upset their crosstown rivals and Bruins Nation goes on another rant about why this means Dan Guerrero should be fired.
SUPER REGIONAL 2
Stillwater, OK Regional: Arkansas
Springfield, MO Regional: Oregon
Super Regional: Arkansas
SUPER REGIONAL 3
Miami, FL Regional: Miami
Dallas TX, Regional: Texas
Super Regional: Miami
SUPER REGIONAL 4
Tallahassee, FL Regional: College of Charleston
Gainesville, FL Regional: Florida
Super Regional: Florida
I predict that a school with "Florida" in its name will win the Gainesville Regional.
SUPER REGIONAL 5
Baton Rouge, LA Regional: LSU
Houston, TX Regional: LA-Lafayette
Super Regional: LSU
Dwight Howard is my least favorite NBA player. This has nothing to do with baseball but that's my justification for not picking any Houston-based team out of the Houston regional. (Thoughts are with everyone dealing with the floods there, though.)
SUPER REGIONAL 6
College Station, TX Regional: Texas A&M
Fort Worth, TX Regional: TCU
Super Regional: Stony Brook
Stony Brook finds a way to win the Super Regional despite not winning their region. Don't ask me how.
SUPER REGIONAL 7
Champaign, IL Regional: Illinois
Nashville, TN Regional: Indiana
Super Regional: CREEEANNNNNN
SUPER REGIONAL 8
Fullerton, CA Regional: Arizona State
Louisville, KY Regional: Louisville
Super Regional: ASU
After playing to a tie in the elimination game and using up the entire pitching staff after 17 innings, Tracy Smith settles the score by defeating Dan McDonnell in Call of Duty, sending the Sun Devils on to Omaha.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES PREDICTIONS
ALEX ROBBINS
Championship Series: UCLA vs. Louisville
National Champion: UCLA
In my opinion, the left side of the bracket (what we've labeled as Super Regionals 1-4) are loaded with the best teams in the tournament while the right side of the bracket (SR 5-8) is a crapshoot. Other than LSU's regional and super, I think each one has more than one team that could win it. Because of that, LSU will be the clear favorite when the CWS starts. But something just tells me that the favorites in that part of the bracket will struggle. So, give me Louisville.
And UCLA is the best team in the country. When a team can't be eliminated with one loss, I'll take the best team more times than not. This is one of those times.
KYLE ROBBINS
Championship Series: INDIANA vs. ARIZONA STATE
National Champion: INDIANA
THIS IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE THEY ARE ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE BRACKET BUT I DONT CARE, I ASSUME THIS GAME WILL BE ON ABC DURING SUNDAY PRIMETIME YES GOTTA DO IT FOR THE TV RATINGS Y'ALL
DAVID SIEGEL
Championship Series: UCSB vs. LSU
National Champion: UCSB
LSU will prove to be too much for IU, but Dillon Tate will steal the show for UCSB in the Championship and will leave a lasting legacy as he finishes up a spectacular college career.
KYLE SWICK
Championship Series: Miami vs. LSU
National Champion: MIIIIIIIIAMI. MIIIIIIIIAMI. MIIIIIIIIAMI. HURR-I-CANES. DRIVE, DRIVE YOU HURRICANES. KEEP RIGHT ON GOIN' UP THAT SCORIN'
Totally agree with what Alex said above about how unbalanced this bracket is. Any team from the proverbial "right side" could show up in Omaha and I would not be shocked. That said, I'm going with the easy pick from that lot and picking Miami to win their fifth national championship, first since 2001. The celebration in Coral Gables will be something to see, sparkling water will flow generously through the restaurants on the Miracle Mile and some middle-aged dude in a suit will smoke a cigar while eating ceviche and ask "Did the Heat win another title?" and then your rent just went up again.
BEN RAPHEL
Championship Series: Miami vs. LSU
National Champion: LSU
I wish I could pick the Hoosiers to go even further, but picking them to make the CWS already seems like a stretch. However, the Tigers seem like the most well-rounded team in the field, finishing 48-10 overall and 21-8 in the SEC, and have the third-best batting average nationally of any team. Their young pitching staff may be a cause for concern, but the cavernous TD Ameritrade Park often favors pitchers with its giant proportions. LSU fans celebrate the victory by engaging in a four-hour debate over Les Miles' job status.
Just like we did with the Big Ten tournament, we invite you to tell us why we're wrong in the comments. Who do you have winning it all?