It’s the SEC’s world, but 54 other teams are about to try to invade it.

On a historic Selection Monday, the SEC placed 10 teams in the NCAA field (no surprises) and had a record 8 Regional hosts (which had already been announced, but might have been a tiny bit surprising). But as is the case in any NCAA field, every fan base could quickly find reason for optimism and then reason to believe that they had been seeded in a region with the 1927 Yankees, the Big Red Machine and a squad made of characters from that cartoon with Bo Jackson, Mike Tyson and Wayne Gretzky.

The bottom line of any NCAA field is that if teams weren’t good, they wouldn’t be there. That said, all NCAA draws aren’t created equal. Here is a key takeaway on each SEC team’s NCAA Tournament path …

Alabama

The Tide landed the 16th and final Regional hosting spot, much to the chagrin of smaller teams with nice resumes (ahem, Campbell). This was a little surprising, as Bama’s late-season success might have jumped them over, say, higher seeds South Carolina or Kentucky. The big picture story here is that Bama is slated to face Wake Forrest in a Super Regional. But they have to win the Regional first, which means taking on a hungry Boston College team led by lefty slugger Joe Vetrano (18 homers, 55 RBIs) and/or local spoiler Troy, which looks more dangerous with slugger Shane Lewis (27 homers, 76 RBIs) and starting ace Grayson Stewart (9-2, 3.55 ERA, 88 Ks in 83 2/3 IP). The Super Regional showdown is the story, but don’t sleep on Troy.

Arkansas

The Razorbacks couldn’t nab the SEC Tournament title in Hoover, but they have grabbed the No. 3 overall seed and a nice NCAA bracket. Indiana State as a potential Super Regional matchup is less than daunting, and while Arkansas gets some talented Regional foes, they’re flawed teams with long trips to come. Arizona hit .320 but also has a 5.87 team ERA and went 12-18 in the Pac-12. TCU stole 129 bases, but doesn’t have bat-dodging pitchers, which is why they barely went .500 in their league. Love this draw for the Hogs.

Auburn

The Tigers are also hosting, taking the No. 13 overall seed. Like Bama, this means a potential tough Super Regional showdown, in this case, likely at Clemson. But again, the Region has enough trouble. Sonny DiChiara’s old team, Samford, heads to The Plains. Massive junior right-hander Jacob Cravey (9-2, 3.19 ERA, 121 Ks in 98 2/3 IP) makes Samford a threat, but Southern Miss’ Tanner Hall (12-3, 2.23, 109 Ks in 97 IP) might be even more dangerous. Southern Miss held opposing hitters to a .240 average and 53 homers. The Tigers better bring the bats if they want to worry about facing Clemson.

Florida

The Gators ended up as the No. 2 overall seed, and have a pretty favorable situation. Regional opponents UConn and Texas Tech have a more than fair amount of travel coming. The Red Raiders have 4 10+ homer bats and a potential bullpen key in Brandon Beckel (5-2, 2.01 ERA, 64 Ks in 44 2/3 IP). UConn, on the other hand, hit .305 and stole 86 bases. They lack pitching depth or power, but will try to small-ball the Gators. Meanwhile, if UF wins the Region, they are looking at hosting a slumping South Carolina team in the Super Regionals. It’s a draw worthy of a No. 2 overall team, and UF has plenty of reason to be optimistic about getting back to the College World Series.

Kentucky

Despite a late-season slump, UK grabbed its 3rd Regional hosting nod. That’s the good news. The bad news is that LSU awaits as a potential Super Regional foe, and few in the sport would willingly choose any part of that. West Virginia is talented (particularly .443 hitting JJ Wetherholt) but comes in ice-cold off a sweep loss to Texas and a thumping in the Big 12 Tournament. Indiana is a balanced and dangerous team, with a big arm in Luke Sinnard (109 Ks) and an offensive approach that favors contact. Kentucky will need to be sharp to advance, but hosting baseball in June is a successful season already for the Wildcats.

LSU

After spending much of the season dominating, LSU’s weaknesses are obvious, but they’re still the national No. 5 seed. Kentucky isn’t exactly a daunting potential Super Regional matchup, and the Tigers could well use the pre-Omaha games to get back to being the SEC’s bully. But Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana would love to play spoiler (.379, 10 homers, 36 steals in 39 attempts). Sam Houston State has two .400 hitters and 6 guys with 10+ stolen bases. After ace Paul Skenes, LSU’s pitching staff needs to get right in a hurry — but if they do, the Tigers could keep going and going.

South Carolina

The Gamecocks limped into a No. 15 seed, drawing a Regional nod but also a potential matchup with Florida in the Super Regional. That’s assuming Carolina gets past NC State, which struggled through a ho-hum regular season but has impressive pitching depth. With 5 10+ homer hitters, the Wolfpack could be trouble. And don’t sleep on Campbell, which would be hosting if they were from a power conference. All they did in the regular season was hit .318 with 116 homers while holding opponents to .224 and 37 homers. Can Carolina outscore Campbell and outpitch NC State? This is a tough, tough draw.

Tennessee

The Vols are 1 of 2 SEC non-Regional hosts, and they’re headed to Clemson for Regional play. The Tigers are obviously a legitimate foe, carrying a 16-game winning streak and playing as well as anybody in the nation. Can UT’s arms slow Clemson’s red-hot Caden Grice (16 homers, 63 RBI)? Even if so, Grice may have the last word on the mound, where he’s 8-1 with a 3.25 ERA and 91 Ks in 69 1/3 IP. On first glance, it’s hard to see UT outlasting Clemson.

Texas A&M

A&M is the SEC’s other non-hosting school, and they face a long trip to Stanford. The other 3 Regional teams are in-state, so it won’t make life easy for the Aggies. Cal State Fullerton only has 34 homers and was outhit by opponents .281 to .274. Stanford had some bullpen issues in the Pac-12 Tournament, but with a .317 team batting average and 6 10+ homer bats, they have enough pop to make life difficult. The bullpen is weak, but A&M will have plenty to do to keep games close enough to snag them late.

Vanderbilt

The Vandy Boys ended up as the No. 6 overall seed and got a pretty solid NCAA draw. Xavier presents a nice 1-2 pitching duo in Ethan Bosacker (7-3, 3.84, 95 Ks in 89 IP) and Brant Alazaus (9-3, 3.87, 98 Ks in 100 IP), but isn’t especially daunting at the plate. Oregon is solid at the plate and has a nice bullpen. But nobody in Nashville should be too much trouble for Vandy, and a Super Regional matchup with Oklahoma State looks like a nice path to Omaha from here.