The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. - Stanford loves the new best-of-3 championship final format at the College World Series.

Two years ago, the Cardinal went through bracket play unbeaten only to lose 12-1 to Miami in the winner-takes-all championship game.

In the final for the third time in four years, Stanford (50-16) opens the championship series against Rice (56-11) at 7 p.m. today on ESPN.

And this time, one loss doesn't spell doom.

"There are good days and bad days in baseball, and there are those types of games where one team has the upper hand," Stanford right fielder Carlos Quentin said. "All our team loves it. It makes a statement. If you win this, you did it the right way."

Rice coach Wayne Graham said the new format will crown a true champion.

"I don't think any of us particularly liked the idea you could go into the championship game and the team with the single most dominant pitcher in college baseball could be out there and that could be it," Graham said. "At least you have to have two good ones now and some relief, and that's a good thing."

The Owls arguably have the most dominant pitcher in Jeff Niemann (17-0). He will start the first game against either senior Ryan McCally (7-2) or freshman Mark Romanczuk (12-1).

Rice is 3-0 after beating Southwest Missouri State in its opener and then defeating Texas twice.

Stanford is 4-1 after beating South Carolina, losing to Cal State Fullerton, then defeating Fullerton twice. The Cardinal won 7-5 in 10 innings Thursday to advance.

"All through the playoffs, it's been one great pitching staff after another," Stanford catcher Ryan Garko said. "This is going to be our toughest matchup. I guess that's the way it should be. To win the national championship, you should have to beat all the best teams. This is the best team we've faced all season."

Stanford coach Mark Marquess doesn't lament that the best-of-three format wasn't in place when the Cardinal lost championship games to Louisiana State in 2000 and Miami in 2001.

"Everybody knew what the rules were coming in, and you make an adjustment as a coaching staff, as a team, that that's what you have to do to win it," he said.

Stanford won the national championship in 1987 and 1988. Rice is playing for its first national title in any sport.

Since the CWS began in 1948 until 1987, there was a double-elimination format throughout the tournament.

From 1988-2002, the CWS split the tournament into two brackets with a double-elimination format. Those bracket winners, however, played one game for the championship as dictated by the NCAA's contract with CBS.

On four occasions under the old format, a once-beaten team defeated a previously unbeaten team to win the title.

Dennis Poppe, NCAA director of the baseball championship, said the Division I coaches agreed to go along with the winner-takes-all game because of the national television exposure.

"(But) double elimination is the way a baseball tournament should be played," he said.

Poppe said when the NCAA entered into negotiations with CBS for a new contract two years ago, CBS opted out of televising any games. ESPN, which has been covering the CWS since 1980, agreed to accommodate the best-of-3 series.