North Carolina Favored to Win First College World Series Title in Game 3 vs. Oklahoma

The 2026 College World Series from Omaha has reached a winner-take-all Game 3 tonight between unseeded Oklahoma of the SEC and national No. 5 North Carolina of the ACC. The Tar Heels are the official home team for the 7 p.m. ET first pitch and my choice to win the title, which would be the first in program history. They are -154 at DraftKings with a total of 10.

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The SEC is looking for its seventh straight title in baseball and that looked quite likely after the Sooners took Game 1 against the Heels on Saturday, 9-3. But the Heels stormed back in Game 2 on Sunday with a 6-2 victory to force tonight's matchup. It's the first Game 3 in the final since 2024 when Tennessee beat Texas A&M. UNC has now won 11 consecutive games after a loss, the longest streak in the nation, last losing back-to-back games in the first week of March.

Will 13 be North Carolina's lucky number? This is the school's 13th all-time appearance in the College World Series yet the Heels are still seeking that first title. The ACC has only produced three winners, most recently Virginia in 2005. The closest UNC got was losing in the 2006 finals to Oregon State.

Righty Nick Wesloski will start for the Sooners, while lefty Jackson Rose could reportedly go for the Tar Heels. Wesloski is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two NCAA Tournament starts but hasn't pitched in this series. Rose is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four NCAA Tournament appearances but also hasn't pitched in this series.

But my main reason for backing UNC is that it is is 29-0 this season when superstar reliever and occasional starter Caden Glauber pitches this season. The freshman righty pitched in relief in Game 2, allowing no runs and one hit with eight strikeouts and two walks on 65 pitches. He is 3-0 with a save and 2.45 ERA in six NCAA Tournament appearances. Glauber has pitched on back-to-back days three times overall this season with the most recent coming May 14-15 at NC State. He threw 39 pitches in the first game and 57 in the second.

Assuming we do see Glauber at some point, it will be strength against strength as OU is a stellar offensive team that has hit 28 homers in 12 total NCAA Tournament games after hitting 61 in 53 regular season games. Star catcher Deiten "Big Maple" Lachance has six total homers in the NCAA Tournament and had two in Game 1 of the finals. That tied the single-game finals record held by a few others.

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Oklahoma, which had won nine straight entering Sunday, is seeking its third national title (1951, 1994). I'd imagine we also see another Sooners star pitcher enter the game, so I'd probably lean the Under 10 as well but I don't often play college baseball totals. OU used seven pitchers on Sunday and UNC used two.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/college-world-series-game-3-odds-back-north-carolina-over-oklahoma-for-first-national-title/)._