The selection committee didn't think the Oklahoma Sooners were the best team this year in the NCAA Softball Championship, but obviously Vegas oddsmakers do.
DraftKings this week released betting odds for who has the best chance of getting through the NCAA Softball Championship and Women's College World Series as national champions and gave the Sooners, despite being the third overall seed, the best odds at +200 to prompt another possible championship streak.
Sooners given best chance in shocking odds that boost Texas Tech and bury Alabama
The odds overall were pretty shocking and revealed furthermore that the committee didn't do any favors for top-seeded Alabama. The opposite actually. No. 1 Alabama was tied with No. 2 Texas for the third-best odds at +500.
Even OU head coach Patty Gasso admitted she was glad the Sooners didn't have to deal with Bama's regional. The Tuscaloosa Regional includes Alabama, Southeastern Louisiana, Belmont and USC Upstate. Southeastern Louisiana has the fourth-best pitching staff in the country and Belmont has the fifth-best, based on team ERA, while Bama is No. 2. Gasso also noted, particularly, how dangerous Belmont ace Maya Johnson is.
That early potential disaster likely led oddsmakers to doubt the Crimson Tide's chances, even as the top seed. If Bama does survive, it would likely host LSU for a Super Regional. Bama and LSU haven't met yet this season despite both coming from the SEC.
Surprisingly, 11-seed Texas Tech was second with odds at +300 right behind OU. That's a slap in the face to No. 6 Florida, which will likely host Tech in Super Regionals, but oddsmakers obviously have a lot of belief in Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, who led the Red Raiders to the championship series last year before losing to Texas. The Red Raiders eliminated the Sooners in the semifinals to get there.
College softball fans will love those chances of a highly anticipated matchup between Canady and the Sooners' potent lineup. If Tech does knock off Florida and OU avoids an upset, the two would meet in the first round of the WCWS. It would be the third time that Canady went up against OU at least once during the WCWS between her time with Tech and Stanford.
Read more: How to watch every inning of Oklahoma's journey to Women's College World Series
At least according to DraftKings, that first-round matchup could be the best determination of who wins it all.
Other notable odds included Nebraska, with former Sooner Jordy Frahm (known by OU fans as Jordy Bahl), with the fifth-best odds at +800. Arkansas was next at +1200, followed by Tennessee at +1500 and Florida at +1800, revealing there are insanely strong chances the SEC produces another national champion, but none better than the Sooners.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Add us as a preferred source on Google