Virginia vs Florida Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for College World Series Game (Back the Underdog in Omaha)

The 2023 College World Series gets underway on Friday with an exciting showdown between the Virginia Cavaliers and Florida Gators in Omaha, Nebraska.

Virginia vs Florida Game Info

• Date: Friday, June 16, 2023
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Venue: Charles Schwab Field – Omaha, NE
• Coverage: ESPN, ESPN+

Two teams ranked among the top 10 in the country meet head-to-head at the College World Series on Friday. Virginia took down Duke in the Super Regionals to advance to Omaha for the second time in three years while Florida defeated South Carolina to secure its first spot since the 2018 season.

Virginia vs Florida Odds & Spread

• All College Baseball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: UVA: (+112) | FLA: (-142)
• Spread: UVA: +1.5 (-192) | FLA: -1.5 (+146)
• Total: 10.5 -- Over: (-114) | Under: (-114)

Florida enters this contest as the favorite on the spread and moneyline per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. The over/under is set at 10.5 runs with both sides available at -114 odds.

Virginia vs Florida Betting Trends

• Virginia is 15-2 straight up in its last 17 games.
• Florida is 15-3 straight up in its last 18 games.
• Virginia is scoring an average of 9.0 runs in its last 10 games.
• Florida is scoring an average of 5.6 runs in its last 10 games.
• Florida is 5-3 straight up in its last eight matchups against Virginia.

Virginia vs Florida Prediction & Pick

No team has lost its first College World Series game and gone on to win the title since Virginia in 2015. That means it's safe to assume that each side's best starter will be on the mound here. That would be Nick Parker (8-0, 3.81 ERA) for the Cavaliers and Brandon Sproat (8-3, 4.69 ERA) for the Gators.

Sproat has faltered a bit at times, which is dangerous considering that the Virginia lineup has put up double-digit runs in four of its last eight contests. Not only that, but the Cavaliers also lead the nation with a dazzling .335 batting average. They are fully capable of grabbing an early lead and never giving it up on Friday.

I'll back an upset in this matchup as the Gators get things started on the wrong foot in Omaha.

Final Score Prediction: Virginia: 6 | Florida: 5

Virginia vs Florida Best Bet

With Virginia getting plus odds on the moneyline, I'll take the Cavaliers winning outright as the best bet. The strength of Virginia was highlighted above in its relentless offense, but keep in mind that the team also ranks fourth in team ERA (3.77). Meanwhile, Florida ranks just 35th in that category (4.52). The Cavaliers are a surprising underdog, so back them at plus odds while the opportunity still exists.

Bet: Virginia Cavaliers ML (+112)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.