With the Women's College World Series less than a day away, the anticipation for the Texas Longhorns' title-defending run has only grown.
However, even though the Horns are less than a year removed from their National Championship, they are far from the odds favorite to defend their title. In fact, Texas is tied as the fourth favorite to win it all, out of just eight teams.
Softball national title odds, according to DraftKings:
- UCLA: +360
- Alabama: +370
- Nebraska: +450
- Texas Tech: +500
- Texas: +500
- Tennessee: +800
- Arkansas: +850
- Mississippi State: +2500
Odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are liable to change at any time.
The UCLA Bruins were the No. 1 team in softball according to the final regular-season rankings, and are the odds favorite to win the national title at the end of the WCWS. UCLA is followed closely by the Alabama Crimson Tide, which defeated the Longhorns in their regular-season meeting.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers, who stunned the Bruins in their Big Ten Championship matchup, are the third favorites to win it all.
Texas is tied with the none other than the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the very team the Horns defeated in last year's National Championship series, at +500 odds to win it all.
Three more SEC programs round out the field in this year's Women's College World Series: the Tennessee Volunteers (+800), the Arkansas Razorbacks (+850), and the Mississippi State Bulldogs (+2500).
Texas will face the Volunteers in its first WCWS matchup this week, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT. In their regular-season meeting, the Horns were defeated by the Arkansas Razorbacks in their best-of-three series.
Most recently, Mississippi State shocked the world by knocking out the Texas A&M Aggies in the College Station Regional and then defeating the Oklahoma Sooners in the Norman Super Regional.
The moral of the story is, even though the Vols, Hogs, and Dawgs are far from favorites, they could pull off an upset at any point. Similarly, nobody can truly discredit the Longhorns or the Red Raiders as the two teams that were just in the National Championship series a year ago.
Not to mention, Texas returns with almost the entirety of last year's roster, including star pitcher Teagan Kavan, already-drafted catcher Reese Atwood, and powerhouse hitter Katie Stewart.
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