Omaha

As we wait for Whitey to hand down his College World Series predictions from above I present the Professor's Punctual Power Rankings based on exhaustive research and, well, my gut:

1. Arizona State
2. Rice
3. North Carolina
4. UC Irvine
5. Louisville
6. Oregon State
7. Mississippi State
8. Cal State Fullerton

My pick? Louisville, as they are the only one of these teams I have seen play live and I'm a Big East type o' guy. But more than that, I think Zack Pitts is the real deal and the Cardinals lineup presents a challenge top to bottom (ask Oklahoma State who had 20 runs come across in their final match-up). Regardless, this is one of the best sporting events you can find and I highly recommend catching as many of the games as you can. Don't let the ping of aluminum dissuade you...you won't see intensity like this on a baseball field until October and even that doesn't quite compare. For the majority of these guys it will be the last baseball they ever play. And it shows. Louisville over ASU in 3!