0
0
Welcome to Against All Odds: NCAA/NFL Picks Week 6! From the opening weekend of the NCAA football season through Super Bowl LII, Mike Drakulich (PSN), the man behind Pittsburgh SportsNation, takes on his father, Michael J. Drakulich (MJD), in picking NCAA and NFL games against the Vegas spread.
Mike Drakulich covers both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers during the season for NGSCSports.com!
To appease the taste buds of Pittsburgh’s local coverage area, Pitt, Penn State, and West Virginia, when they are playing, will always be on the docket among the NCAA games chosen, as will the Pittsburgh Steelers for NFL games.
Once Bowl Season arrives, we’ll bring you ALL 42 games and then continue throughout the conclusion of the NFL Playoffs.
Itchy vs Scratchy. Black Spy vs White Spy. Cheers vs Gary’s Old Towne Tavern. History is full of rivalries, but none are better than father vs son! Who will rise above the other this season and become the 2017-18 Against All Odds Champion?
It was a solid week for both my dad and I, as we posted identical 6-4 records. For the year, my dad has now worked his way back to .500 at 20-20, and trails me in the standing by five games. It’s hard to believe we are a month and a half into the season already, but here we are! Have a great weekend and catch you next Friday!
Lines as of 10/6/2017
NCAA Football
Saturday, October 7th
#4 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0) at Northwestern Wildcats (2-2), 12:00 pm | Line: Penn State -14.5
Pick- PSN: Penn St | MJD: Northwestern
Tough one to choose. Which Northwestern team shows up? The one that got crushed by Duke, or took Wisconsin to the last possession?
Pitt Panthers (2-3) at Syracuse Orange (2-3), 12:30 pm | Line: Syracuse -4.5
Pick- PSN: Pitt | MJD: Pitt
Last year’s game was one of the most insane scoring games in NCAA history. Pitt defeated Syracuse 76-61. I doubt these teams will come anywhere near that score this time around, but it could be set up for another shoot-out type game. Eric Dungey is a do all threat at QB for the Orange. The biggest question for Pitt is if Max Browne can emulate what he did last week against Rice, in which he threw for over 400 yards, four touchdowns, and his only two incompletions were blatant drops.
#23 West Virginia Mountaineers (3-1) at #8 TCU Horned Frogs (4-0), 3:30 pm | Line: TCU -13.5
Pick- PSN: West Virginia | MJD: TCU
TCU made me a believer when they handed Oklahoma State their hats last week. They should win at home again vs WVU, but the Mountaineers will hang tough till the end.
Michigan State Spartans (3-1) at #7 Michigan Wolverines (4-0), 7:30 pm | Line: Michigan -10.5
Pick- PSN: Michigan | MJD: Michigan State
Michigan’s offense is slowly starting to heat up. What better time for it to get it humming vs their in-state rivals in the Spartans?
#11 Washington State Cougars (5-0) at Oregon Ducks (4-1), 8:00 pm | Line: Oregon -2.5
Pick- PSN: Washington St | MJD: Oregon
Big time game for Washington State to show it belongs in the Playoff talk. If they can manage to pull off a victory in Oregon, they will certainly open some eyes. The Cougars Luke Falk is rumored to be a Steelers target as a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger if he retires.
NFL
Sunday, October 8th
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1), 1:00 pm | Line: Pittsburgh -9.5
Pick- PSN: Pittsburgh | MJD: Pittsburgh
Ben Roethlisberger has yet to have the Steeler offense living up to the lofty standards set in the preseason. Jacksonville’s defense is not bad, but being this game is at Heinz Field, this could be the week the O gets it rolling big time in front of the home crowd. Word is Water Coolers are in talks to hire protection from Pittsburgh athletes from past abuse. Sean Rodriguez and Antonio Brown, you have been put on notice!
Buffalo Bills (3-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-3), 1:00 pm | Line: Cincinnati -2.5
Pick- PSN: Buffalo | MJD: Buffalo
Buffalo is one of those teams that make your head spin. Are they as good as their 3-1 record, or are they a pretender? The Bengals finally got their first win of the season courtesy of the Browns. Andy Dalton has played well the past two games, but I think the Bills will have Bungle fans leaving in disgust once again.
NY Jets (2-2) at Cleveland Browns (0-4), 1:00 pm | Line: Cleveland -1.5
Pick- PSN: NY Jets | MJD: NY Jets
If there was a team I thought was thoroughly worse than the Browns, it was the Jets. I’m still not convinced they are even an average team, but they have managed to win two straight over Jacksonville and Miami. Seeing Cleveland favored is almost as rare as seeing a virgin in a maternity ward. J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS for three in a row?
Tennessee Titans (2-2) at Miami Dolphins (1-2), 1:00 pm | Line: Tennessee -1.5
Pick- PSN: Tennessee | MJD: Miami
Miami is back to sucking, as Jay Cutler has found a new fan base to frustrate. Tennessee? Honestly, I don’t know what to make of the Titans. They have been a major disappointment so far.
LA Chargers (0-4) at NY Giants (0-4), 1:00 pm | Line: NY Giants -3.5
Pick- PSN: NY Giants | MJD: LA Chargers
The O-fer Bowl features two teams that have some pretty good talent on their respective teams, but just can’t figure out a way to put together a winning effort. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ended in a tie… Eli will get the best of Phillip in this one.
Pick Results
PSN: Last Week: 6-4 | Overall: 25-15 — .625
MJD: Last Week: 6-4 | Overall: 20-20 -5 .500
Author Profile
- Your source for Pittsburgh sports!
-
From Midland, "The Basketball Capital of Pennsylvania", located 35 miles NW of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. This former steel town was home to storied athletes such as Dave Alston, Norm Van Lier, Simmie Hill, and the legendary 1965 Midland High School Basketball Team.
There's nowhere on earth that is more dedicated to its sports teams like Western Pennsylvania and the city of Pittsburgh. The passion and pride of Pittsburgh's fan base is second to no one. From the NFL, NHL, MLB, NCAA football and basketball, to W.P.I.A.L. high school sports, "The City of Champions" has it all!
As Editor of Pittsburgh SportsNation, Mike Drakulich provides top notch opinions and coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pitt Panthers football & basketball, Robert Morris Colonials basketball, and Duquesne Dukes basketball, as well as all sports teams that represent Western Pennsylvania, including WPIAL High School Football.
For a refreshing view of sports, mixed with humor and uncensored opinions, check out Pittsburgh SportsNation today on Facebook, Twitter @PghSportsNation and videos with over 1,000,000 views on YouTube!
Latest entries
FeaturesMarch 18, 2024The DraX-Files: This Week in Pittsburgh Sports
FeaturesMarch 12, 2024The DraX-Files: This Week in Pittsburgh Sports
FeaturesMarch 3, 2024The DraX-Files: This Week in Pittsburgh Sports
FeaturesFebruary 25, 2024The DraX-Files: This Week in Pittsburgh Sports