The Curse of the No. 1 College World Series: Why History Isn’t on Tennessee’s Side in 2024

June 22, 2024

The best team in the NBA won the NBA Finals a few days ago. In no sport is it a surprise for the number 1 team to win a championship – except perhaps in college baseball.

Since seeding began in 1999, No. 1 seeds have had an ugly track record in the College World Series, a trend that continued last season when Wake Forest missed the finals entirely. Tennessee, which failed in the Super Regionals as a No. 1 seed two years ago, is the latest challenger of that curse.

To be fair, it might not be entirely accurate to say that college baseball is the only sport with a curse when you’re a No. 1 seed. NHL fans rarely celebrate when their team wins the Presidents’ Trophy, as in the last 16 years, only one Presidents’ Trophy winner has also won the Stanley Cup.

College baseball’s dry spell for the top spots has been going on for a long time, but that could change once Tennessee’s series against Texas A&M ends.

Here’s a look at the history of No. 1 seeds in the College World Series, from the seedings’ beginning in 1999 to Tennessee’s challenge for the title.

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College World Series results as number 1

The national seedings for the NCAA baseball tournament were introduced in 1999. Here are the results of all the first-place finishers during that period:

Year	Number 1 in the seeding list	Finish
1999	Miami	Championship won
2000	South Carolina	Supra-regional loss
2001	Cal State Fullerton	CWS semi-final defeat
2002	State of Florida	Supra-regional loss
2003	State of Florida	Supra-regional loss
2004	Texas	CWS final defeat
2005	Tulane	CWS defeat in the second round
2006	Clemson	CWS defeat in the second round
2007	Vanderbilt	Regional loss
2008	Miami	CWS defeat in the second round
2009	Texas	CWS final defeat
2010	State of Arizona	CWS defeat in the first round
2011	Virginia	CWS semi-final defeat
2012	Florida	CWS defeat in the first round
2013	North Carolina	CWS semi-final defeat
2014	State of Oregon	Regional loss
2015	University of California	Regional loss
2016	Florida	CWS defeat in the first round
2017	State of Oregon	CWS semi-final defeat
2018	Florida	CWS semi-final defeat
2019	University of California	Supra-regional loss
2021	Arkansas	Supra-regional loss
2022	Tennessee	Supra-regional loss
2023	Forest in Wake Forest	CWS semi-final defeat
2024	Tennessee	To be announced (in the CWS final)

Miami won the 1999 College World Series as the first number 1 seed. Surely they would be the first of many, right?

The last 23 seasons have proven otherwise, as no No. 1 seed has won the College World Series since the Hurricanes won the title in 1999. In fact, just playing for the championship has been a challenge. Tennessee is the first top-seeded team to reach the finals since 2009 and only the third to do so since Miami’s 1999 championship.

The No. 1 seed failed to reach the College World Series in three consecutive tournaments from 2019 to 2022. UCLA lost in the Super Regionals in the last tournament before the pandemic, while Arkansas (2021) and Tennessee (2022) failed to make it to Omaha in the two tournaments after that.

The Volunteers have a chance to make history themselves against Texas A&M, having never won a national championship, and a title could break a curse that has derailed many elite teams over the years.

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CWS wins after national ranking

Seeds	Championships
1	1
2	3
3	3
4	1
5	3
6	0
7	1
8th	0
Unrated	12

Since seeding began in 1999, the College World Series has been a place of parity. Exactly half of the 24 national champions crowned during that time were seeded in the top eight, while the other half were unranked. That’s about to change.

Tennessee is ranked No. 1 overall, while Texas A&M is ranked No. 3 nationally. One of those SEC teams will win its first title in Omaha.

No nationally seed has won the College World Series more than three times. The Nos. 2 and 3 seeds have each won three times, and LSU’s victory in 2023 gave the No. 5 seed a third title.

The No. 1 seeds just haven’t had the same success. Whether it’s just bad luck or a true curse, this is highly unusual. A Tennessee loss to Texas A&M would only reinforce the notion that the top seeds are victims of a curse that remains unbroken. A Tennessee win, however, would give all No. 1 seeds hope for future tournaments.