Eight teams have descended upon Omaha, Nebraska in search of a College World Series championship. Eight fanbases will soon descend upon Rocco’s Pizza to drink a whole bunch of mostly bad Jell-O shots.
Rocco’s, fully understanding the opportunity it faces for two weeks each June, capitalized with racks of premade (and room temperature!) gelatin shots tinged with a hint of booze. The bar and restaurant’s Jell-O shot challenge (not made with actual Jell-O) pits fans from across the country, united by their love for college baseball in the heart of America, against each other in an effort to see who can spike their glucose the highest while getting kinda, sorta buzzed. Behold, the 2023 shot leaderboard:
Last but certainly not least @Vol_Baseball rounds out this year's field. The count starts Thursday y'all, come prepared. #cws2023 #RoccosOmaha pic.twitter.com/HuOOpj7sop
— CWS Jello Shot Challenge (@CWSShotBoard) June 13, 2023
While this may pervert the vision the great Tom Lehrer had so long ago when he used the dessert to sneak booze onto an Naval base, it’s become a sensation nonetheless. And while the in the past those shots have been relatively expensive ($4.50 per last year) and light on both booze and taste, Rocco’s is promising a new supplier for 2023. Of course, the cheapest and best tasting solution would just be to make them in-house, but apparently that ship has sailed.
Anyway, this white board is a big deal. Lots of down time between games and unpredictable schedules leave fans with the chance to explore Omaha. And this leads to plenty of opportunities to booze. Last year, Ole Miss fans celebrated their first baseball title with nearly 19,000 sugary shots.
Ladies and Gentlemen your OFFICIAL 2022 Rocco's Jello Shot Challenge. Congrats to @OleMissBSB for their victory on the field and their fans for the victory across the street at Rocco's. It was a special year and we couldn't be more thankful for y'all. #CWS2022 #CWSS #RoccosOmaha pic.twitter.com/XuloBnXmDM
— CWS Jello Shot Challenge (@CWSShotBoard) June 27, 2022
That ran six laps around the record Mississippi State put up the year prior. And the Bulldogs title quest tripled up Arkansas’ previous Jell-O shot best, set in 2019.
The College Baseball National Championship wasn’t the only thing Mississippi State won last night. #CWS #HailState pic.twitter.com/eIgcyXj3h3
— Tyler Jones (@TylerJonesLive) July 1, 2021
So here’s what we know about the challenge:
a) getting further in the bracket is going to lead to more shots
b) SEC teams are going to show out, because they care deeply about bragging rights regardless of how stupid the competition is
c) teams making a run to their first title have something to prove
d) Stanford will be a competitor in name only.
While you can’t find official odds for this contest at any sportsbook — since, you know, anyone can alter the outcome with enough money and insulin — you can find them here at BetFTW. Based on past results, here are your 2023 Rocco’s Jell-O Shot Challenge odds, followed by a few key breakout candidates.
- LSU: +300
- Tennessee: +400
- Florida: +400
- TCU: +500
- Wake Forest: +800
- Oral Roberts: +1200
- Virginia: +1500
- Stanford: +4000
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The favorite: LSU (+300)
SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK
LSU isn’t just loaded with future pro talent set to dominate the upcoming MLB Draft. The Tigers are also backed by a fanbase whose tailgating excellence is rivaled by only a select few schools. And since this is the program’s first College World Series since 2017 — and flights from Baton Rouge to Omaha start at under $300 — you can expect those diehards to show out in Nebraska.
The only concern? LSU fans have standards. Their tailgates are dotted with crawfish boils and eight-hour gumbos. Choking down a pre-made pina colada Jell-O shot will not be on the top of their to-do list.
On the other hand, I’ve seen straight-up chandeliers at tailgates in The Grove and Ole Miss still drank nearly 19k of those things. So the Tigers remain the favorite.
The value play: TCU (+500)
Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Fort Worth is 650 miles from Omaha. That’s not exactly driving distance, but doable in a single day. And, like the Tigers, this is the team’s first invitation back to the College World Series since 2017.
But unlike LSU, the Horned Frogs five previous CWS appearances — all since 2010 — have resulted in an 11-10 record, a bunch of semifinals appearances and zero games in the Finals. These fans are thirsty for a title and, thus, thirsty for Jell-O.
TCU also has some team of destiny vibes in its favor. After an arduous regular season, the Horned Frogs won the Big 12 Conference Tournament, then upended Arkansas and Indiana State en route to Omaha. That’s an 11-game win streak on their side — and the opportunity for a long, boozy run in Nebraska.
The longshot who might pay off: Oral Roberts (+1200)
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Sure, ORU alums probably won’t do much drinking this weekend. And as an underdog on the diamond they may not be in for a long trip.
But! What casual fan is going to take a look at the leaderboard and waste an opportunity to put a drink on Oral Roberts’ tab? Even if you don’t know what the evangelist stood for (and, hooooo buddy, it’s a lot that we’re not gonna get into here), this is a prime Norm-MacDonald-as-Burt-Reynolds opportunity to say “heh, funny name” and then slurp down some premade booze-gel.
Do not buy: Stanford (+4000)
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Stanford fans have consumed 255 shots their last two World Series’ combined. Stanford baseball is 1-4 over those two visits. Stanford is in the 2023 College World Series because Texas lost a fly ball in the lights.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
STANFORD IS HEADED BACK TO OMAHA!!!!!!!!!!!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/lOPLVhxcPY
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) June 13, 2023
Do not waste your theoretical money on Stanford.
