The College World Series begins Friday at 2 p.m. ET with Troy taking on West Virginia in a battle of Omaha first-timers.

The field includes five SEC teams, including No. 3 overall seed Georgia, No. 6 seed Texas and No. 7 seed Alabama, as well as Ole Miss and Oklahoma, who both advanced to the CWS by winning Super Regionals on the road.

North Carolina, the No. 5 overall seed, rounds out the field.

Here are some predictions from our staff.

Daniel Shirley’s pick: Georgia over West Virginia in the finals

I am a little worried about Georgia’s pitching staff after it gave up 21 runs in its Super Regional win against Mississippi State. But a lot of those home runs will be flyouts in Omaha. So will the big park hurt Georgia’s offense, as well? I can’t see that happening.

There are just too many weapons on the Bulldogs offense, led by Daniel Jackson, who is batting .396 with 31 home runs and 86 RBIs. Georgia has two more players with at least 20 home runs (Brennan Hudson and Michael O’Shaughnessy) and two with 19 (Tre Phelps and Kolby Branch). And there are five players, in addition to Jackson, who have at least 45 RBIs: Branch (58), Phelps (58), O’Shaughnessy (55), Hudson (50) and Rylan Lujo (45).

In short, this offense is ridiculous enough to overcome any pitching issues.

West Virginia has something special going on, right? Come on, we’ve all seen the “Country Roads” videos from the last two weekends, and that will carry over … until it faces Georgia.

Most Outstanding Player pick: Jackson has been one of the best players in the country all season, and there is no reason to believe that will stop in Omaha the next week-and-a-half.

He’s 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 ⭐️@Djackson2100 has been named a finalist for the @USAGoldenSpikes. Congrats to our guy!#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/M2UBJFghST

— Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) June 10, 2026

Lindsay Schnell’s pick: Georgia over North Carolina in the finals

I’m picking Georgia to win it over North Carolina, and while I suspect the championship series will go three games, I also won’t be surprised if UGA rolls through Omaha.

The Bulldogs have the best batting average (.326) of anyone in the CWS, and last weekend, I watched wide-eyed as they smashed big hit after big hit — five home runs in Game 1 and four in Game 2 — on their way to sweeping Mississippi State in the Athens Super Regional. That brings UGA’s home run total for the season to 174 and counting; the next closest team in the field is Ole Miss, with 107. A part of me wonders if Georgia’s magic at the plate is going to run out in Omaha, but a bigger part of me figures the Bulldogs will just keep knocking it out of the park. They’re not just going to win, but put on a show in the process.

Also, statistically speaking, with five SEC teams left, one from the “it just means more” conference is going to win it all. With that in mind, I might as well go with the group that won the SEC tournament last month.

MOP pick: Jackson, who hits .396 and is a finalist for national player (and catcher) of the year, loves the big moment and seems primed for a hero’s run through the CWS.

Mitch Light’s pick: Georgia over Ole Miss in the finals

Georgia was my pick once the brackets were released, and while I don’t love that Daniel, Lindsay and I are all picking the same team, I can’t pivot just because my colleagues are jumping on the bandwagon.

Everyone knows about Georgia’s offensive prowess — the numbers are incredible. What I want to focus on is this team’s success away from home. The Bulldogs went 11-4 in SEC road games with series wins at Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Auburn. All five of those teams made the NCAA Tournament; one was a top-eight national seed and two others were Regional hosts. They also swept through the SEC tournament on a neutral site, beating Mississippi State, Florida and Arkansas.

Yes, Georgia was great at home — most good teams are — but the Dawgs were also great when they left the very friendly confines of Foley Field. They are built to win at any venue.

MOP pick: There are a lot of viable candidates to choose from in the Georgia lineup. I’ll go with third baseman Tre Phelps, who is hitting .364 with a 1.149 OPS and 19 home runs.

Mitch Sherman’s pick: Texas over North Carolina in the finals

No way is this going to be unanimous. I do believe that the Saturday night game between the Longhorns and Georgia will set one team on a path to win it all. And I believe that team is Texas. In Omaha for a record 39th appearance, Texas last won a championship in 2005.

Coach Jim Schlossnagle, in his second season with UT, is taking his third program to the CWS. His experience in this spot rates as invaluable. Schlossnagle will properly prep the Longhorns for the spotlight at Charles Schwab Field. And their pitching, behind lefty ace Dylan Volantis, will neutralize the Georgia bats and take care of business to reach the championship series. North Carolina, another team stocked with standout arms, will be waiting. But Texas has allowed fewer runs than any other team still standing.

Texas and Georgia waited through 10 weeks of SEC play, the league tournament and two rounds of the NCAA postseason to finally get together. When it happens, the stakes are even higher than for a typical opening-round CWS game.

MOP pick: Texas will go offensively as outfielder Aiden Robbins goes. The SEC Newcomer of the Year and Seton Hall transfer leads Texas with 24 homers and has a .342/.435/.720 slash line.