Rice, UNC are tough, but Arizona State is the pick

By Bryan Smith

Friday kicks off a 10-day adventure in Omaha, Neb., known as the College World Series. The field is littered with surprises, from old favorites to new members of the CWS. One familiar team is Rice on top of the bracket. While the Owls are the odds-on favorite to win another championship, things in Omaha never go as expected. Running down the brackets, here's a breakdown of each team in Rosenblatt Stadium this week, followed by a prediction for who will win it all.

Rice

With a 7-2 record, 1.82 ERA and 11 saves, Cole St. Clair has been one of the Owls' most dangerous weapons this season. Bob Levey/WireImage

Best Hitter: Aaron Luna.
Best Pitcher: Joe Savery.
Closer: Cole St. Clair or Bobby Bramhall.

Strengths: The Owls are on a roll. They are 27-1 since April 14 and have the benefit of one of the nation's most accomplished coaches in Wayne Graham, a master at finding a way to win close games. What comes with any great program is depth, and the Owls have plenty of it, combining two closers, at least four more dependable relievers and two aces in Savery and freshman Ryan Berry. The offense has also hit its stride since May, making players such as Tyler Henley (.308) more dangerous than his numbers appear.

Weaknesses: Rice's lack of weaknesses might be its biggest strength, but the Owls aren't invincible. Their offense is only slugging .466 and only has 51 combined stolen bases, so they neither play smallball or longball. A good team will expose that, and Rice must be surer-handed in Omaha -- 81 errors have led to 47 unearned runs.

Louisville

Best Hitter: Isaiah Howes.
Best Pitcher: Zack Pitts.
Closer: Trystan Magnuson.

Strengths: In Omaha, expect the Cardinals to attempt to ride their top five pitchers to glory. Pitts and Justin Marks anchor a solid rotation, while Magnuson leads a three-man bullpen crew with Gavin Logsdon and Kyle Hollander. The staff has other solid arms, but these five all had ERAs under 2.55 in more than 350 combined innings. As a whole, the staff does a good job keeping the ball in the park, with a .309 slugging percentage allowed. The offense counters that with good power in the middle of the lineup coming behind leadoff man Boomer Whiting, who has 73 steals on the season.

Weaknesses: In case you didn't get the picture, depth is a problem with Omaha's Cinderella. The staff gets worse after the big five, the bench has little experience and the bottom of the lineup is shaky. The Cardinals are in uncharted territory, and while the veteran club has made the most out of their shot, they will enter each game with less combined talent than their opponents. At some point, you have to expect guile and heart to come up short.

North Carolina

Best Hitter: Dustin Ackley.
Best Pitcher: Robert Woodard.
Closer: Andrew Carignan.

Strengths: To state the obvious, the Tar Heels will be hungry considering the majority of the team was a part of last year's squad that came within a few outs of a championship. This eam will play off that energy and the experience of their veterans, particularly ace Robert Woodard (3.01 ERA). Coach Mike Fox doesn't hesitate to turn to his bullpen, and for good reason -- the group might be the best in the NCAA. Carignan leads the way, but setup men Rob Wooten and Matt Danford are also sure things, with just one home run allowed in 93.2 combined innings. If the Tar Heels have the lead after six innings, it's doubtful they will lose the game.

Weaknesses: Despite a 53-13 record on the season, North Carolina doesn't feel invincible. The Tar Heels don't have the starting pitching of last season and many of their star offensive performers from last season struggled in 2007. The offense can run cold and their starting pitching wavers behind Woodard, who also hasn't been great recently. It would be shocking for most UNC fans to watch this team win a national championship after last year's team fell short.

Mississippi State

Best hitter: Ed Easley.
Best pitcher: Aaron Weatherford.
Closer: Weatherford.

Strengths: No one counted Mississippi State as contenders before the season, and making it to Omaha defies all preseason expectations. But this team deserves credit for making a fantastic run in the postseason. The Bulldogs are headlined by a gap-power offense, led by the catcher Easley but reinforced by an entire lineup of hitters over .300. The Bulldogs have a good bullpen in Weatherford, utility star Mitch Moreland and John Lalor. The starters have been shaky but look better this postseason. The Bulldogs have a veteran team, led by second baseman Jeffrey Rea, and no one wants to end their collegiate career yet.

Weaknesses: Starting pitching is the big obstacle to overcome; State has no one with an ERA under four to begin games, and two of their most-used starters are above 5.50. The Bulldogs will need to depend on the offense in the first six innings and look to the bullpen from there. Mississippi State also plays station-to-station baseball with only 42 steals on the season.