Only two weekends remain in regular season play, with conference tournaments serving as the penultimate weekend before Regionals. As the schedule shrinks for College Baseball, identifying teams that can downshift into cruise control becomes an easier task. Here is a look at the national Strength of Schedule rank for SEC teams.
The goal of this Futures article is to identify a team with a strong case to be a Super Regional host with an easy future track. Alabama comes with the easiest remaining schedule with travel to South Carolina and a closing home series against Ole Miss. The current number is 50/1 in the market for a Crimson Tide team that is expected to land between 8th and 12th nationally for final overall seeding. A Super Regional host seed is not guaranteed for Alabama.
Texas also comes in with an easier schedule, drawing a road trip to Tennessee before hosting Missouri to end the season. The issue with the Longhorns is not the path to a Super Regional seed, with expectations of the team landing in the top 5. The bigger problem is the number in the market, listed at 10/1 or worse odds at dozens of sports books. Texas is shaping up to have the analytical identity of a national champion, but this current market price should be available after Regional paths are set.
The team for picking is the Florida Gators, currently residing at 50/1 in some shops. Kevin O’Sullivan’s team has the 46th toughest schedule to close the season, third to last in the SEC. The latest national seed projections had Florida 14th, but a road series win at Oklahoma can only push the Gators closer to a Super Regional seeding. Florida will end the regular season first hosting Kentucky. The following week will close the season at Alex Box, as LSU may be all but done for 2026 with a current RPI sitting outside the top 50 and an SEC record of 9-15.
Florida 50/1 is the add for the futures portfolio, bringing the total to six investments. Two more are expected before first pitch of the Regionals. Heavy eyes will be on a Mississippi State team that has third toughest schedule remaining nationally, but could get ace Ryan McPherson back. A #2 Regional seed that lands at hosts such as Nebraska or Kansas will also be considered when the postseason is announced, with Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama all in range for a two-seed.
Futures Pick: Florida 50/1
Previous Tickets in the Futures Portfolio
Oregon 50/1
Georgia 16/1
Georgia Tech 50/1
Virginia 100/1
Kentucky 75/1
Oklahoma 90/1
