Texas and TCU's Highlander Problem: There Can Be Only One

Both Texas and TCU are better that some of the teams that will make it to the College World Series. But because the NCAA chooses the top seeds for its baseball tournament based on a regional model, the neighboring Longhorns and Horned Frogs are left to battle it out this weekend for a ticket to Omaha. It's almost enough to make you switch conferences.

As it stands, No. 3 Texas and No. 6 TCU will play a best-of-three super regional series beginning at 2 pm today at Disch-Falk Field. Game 2 is set for noon on Saturday, with the final game, if necessary, scheduled for 3 pm Sunday. Tickets are sold out, but the games will be shown on ESPN and ESPN2 throughout the weekend.

Both teams are 49-11 this year and are carried by powerful pitching. For the Longhorns, that means starters Cole Green, Taylor Jungmann, and Brandon Workman, along with closer Chance Ruffin, who was picked 48th overall by the Detroit Tigers in this week's Major League Baseball draft. After a hiccup in the Big 12 Tournament, Texas' arms got back on track in the regional round, allowing only three runs in three games.

Green appears to be the Game 1 starter for Texas, where he'll most likely face national Freshman Pitcher of the Year Matt Purke (13-0, 122 strikeouts in 95.1 innings). TCU boasts a pair of other solid starters in Steven Maxwell and Kyle Winkler (both with 11-1 records). On offense, the Horned Frogs have slammed 90 home runs this season, led by Matt Curry's 17.