The Canes, winners of four College World Series, are five wins in a row from a fifth championship.

They have to start with a win tonight at 7 p.m. vs. Georgia on ESPN. Next up would be either Florida State or Stanford. The Canes took 2 out of 3 from the Seminoles this year, winning at FSU in controversial fashion as the last game was shortened by rain and the teams nearly came to blows.

If the Canes win their first two games, they would have to win one more against either Georgia, FSU or Stanford, depending on who survives.

A win there would put the top-ranked Canes at 55-9 and prepare them for a best fo three series for the championship. The opponent could be North Carolina, which is the only team to take a series (2-1) from Miami this year. I think Miami could win that rematch. For sure, they would have extra motivation.

That would also represent an All-ACC final and guarantee the conference its first national baseball title in 53 years. (The Canes were an independent when they won national championships in 1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001.

Under the scenario above, the Canes could also face LSU, Rice or Fresno State in the finals. For me, the scaries opponent would be LSU, which has won 25 out of their past 26 games and can really mash the ball. LSU also has a standout pedigree with 5 national titles since 1990.

Regardless of what happens, this has been a great season for UM. They followed a mediocre (by UM standards) 37-24 season in 2007 with a 52-9 masterpiece this year.

They had a school record 3 Canes get drafted in the first round and six drafted overall.

They have seen numerous players improve significantly from last season, including shortstop Ryan Jackson, set-up relief pitcher Kyle Bellamy, catcher Jason Hagerty, left fielder Dave DiNatale and closer Carlos Gutierrez.

But the time to win it all is now. Next year could be a rebuilding-type season for the Canes, who are expected to lose a ton of talent to the pros, including starting pitcher Kiki Garcia, closer Carlos Gutierrez, first baseman Yonder Alonso, second baseman Jemile Weeks, third baseman Mark Sobolewski, right fielder Dennis Raben and center fielder Blake Tekotte.

The time is now. It starts tonight.