OMAHA, Neb. — With only five teams left in the College World Series, anticipation is growing to see who is going to take the national title.
Professor Andrew Swift of the University of Nebraska Omaha is an expert in data and statistics and also a sports fan.
"Sports is one of my other interests so anytime I can combine my love of sports and my interests in statistics it's a good thing," Swift said.
He claims his statistical findings may hold the answer everyone wants to know, who wins the College World Series?
"When the teams are announced for the College World Series, we essentially use the data from what we've collected from the regular season to kind of give it a model that kind of predicts what's going to happen over the two weeks that they're in Omaha," Swift said.
He says it's all in the numbers and the top two teams are clear.
"Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, they were kind of separated from all the rest as kind of being clear favorites," he said.
Prior to the College World Series the professor had Vanderbilt winning by 23.99%, Mississippi State winning by 23.15%, Arkansas winning by 13.83%, Louisville winning by 11.46%, Michigan winning by 7.52% and Florida State and Auburn in last place with just a little over 4% chance of winning it all.
"Whether what ends up happening is in line with what we predict is just down to chance really. We just think these teams have more chance of winning than some of the others," Swift said.
So if the numbers add up Professor Andrew Swift says that Vanderbilt is the likely winner, so what do fans think?
Grant Thompson
"I think they're wrong. I think Mississippi State is the first and the best and have the best odds to win it all," Grant Thompson said.
"I think Vanderbilt is for sure going to take it home." "I'm all for Michigan, I think they're kind of the underdog," Nikki Johnson and Zoe Barnes said.
"I hope Mississippi State beats Vanderbilt, cause I don't like Vanderbilt," another fan said.
"I think Vanderbilt might get it but Michigan, they beat number one UCLA so I think they have a big chance of winning," Ethan Kylie said.
At the end of the day, it may be about the statistics, but luck and heart may also have a little something to do with it too.
"Mississippi State is very opportunistic, I don't know if they're lucky but they're very talented. I think Vanderbilt is a little more talented I just think the cream of the crop rise to the top," a fan said.
"I'm not a big numbers guy. I think if a team's playing well it's hard to beat them," a Michigan fan said.
"Go Bulldogs, hail state," Thompson said.
"Go Michigan," another fan exclaimed.
