The importance of winning Game 1

Which way will Mo go? And does it even matter?

These were the questions posed to the head coaches of Florida and South Carolina on Monday night, after a crisply played, did-you-see-that nail-biter of a College World Series championship series game. It was a contest during which the two SEC East rivals played tug-o-war with momentum for more than three and a half hours. The slugfest finally ended with a gigantic swing in the direction of the Gamecocks, a bizarre double-error that gave up the winning run in the top of the 11th.

The team in white was left staring in disbelief, heads hung low as it watched the team in gray lined up for chest bumps and high fives following a 2-1 victory. It all seemed pretty obvious. At least to everyone but the coaches, neither of whom wanted to hear any talk about the advantages and disadvantages of being the Game 1 winner or loser, and both of whom all but rolled their eyes at talk of Big Mo.

If you want to see why history is heavily on South Carolina's side, become an ESPN Insider today.

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Ryan McGee | email

ESPN The Magazine, NASCAR

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• ESPN The Magazine senior writer
• 2-time Sports Emmy winner
• 2010 NMPA Writer of the Year