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Welcome to Against All Odds: NCAA/NFL Picks Week 9! 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?
Eight weeks in the book and I have yet to post a losing record yet! For the year, I hold a 44-26 record, which is good for a nine game lead over my dad, who is stuck on .500 at 35-35. The NFL games seem to get more difficult as the season progresses, as parity has taken ahold of the league like a python. Hopefully, within a few week, the dust will begin to settle and teams will begin to assert themselves as contenders or pretenders.
This week, my dad is either brilliant, or insane, as he is going against my picks six times! That nine game lead could significantly increase or decrease in a hurry by the end of Sunday night!
Lines as of 10/27/2017
NCAA Football
Saturday, October 28th
#11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-1) at #22 West Virginia Mountaineers (5-2)
12:00 pm | Line: Oklahoma St -7.5
Pick- PSN: Oklahoma St | MJD: West Virginia
The Mountaineers are a decent team, but they are not going to be contending for Top 10 status this year. Mountaineer Field is a hostile environment, but that won’t make a lick of difference to Oklahoma State, who brings the superior team to the field. It’ll be a typical high scoring Big 12 affair, but when the clocks strikes zero, and the hoopie faithful head off into the night to find Busch Light on tap somewhere, the Cowboys will have turned this once loud crowd dead silent.
Virginia Cavaliers (5-2) at Pitt Panthers (3-5)
12:30 pm | Line: Pitt -2.5
Pick- PSN: Pitt | MJD: Pitt
On paper, looking at the records, it looks like a mismatch. If you take a closer look at who the Cavaliers built their five wins upon, they don’t seem as scary anymore. Boston College buried them last week. Pitt’s rushing game finally awakened last week at Duke, as Darrin Hall (as suggested by yours truly) was given the ball over 20 times and he responded with 254 yards and three touchdowns. If the young Panthers follow that same game plan and can get anything out of the passing game, they could make it two in a row and give the home crowd a happy walk back to their tailgates. Specifically my tailgate…
#2 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0) at #6 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1)
3:30 pm | Line: Ohio St -6.5
Pick- PSN: Ohio St | MJD: Ohio St
Penn State passed their first of three big tests in a row last week vs Michigan, dismantling the Wolverines 42-13. That one was at Happy Valley. This one will be at the Horseshoe. If the Nittany Lions get past this one, they may have clear sailing until the Big Ten Championship Game. This is Ohio State’s chance to vault back into playoff talk with a big victory at home. I can only imagine how smug and arrogant James Franklin would be with a win Saturday afternoon… so with that, I shout in the direction of my cousin Danny in Columbus: “O-H”
#4 TCU Horned Frogs (7-0) at #25 Iowa State Cyclones (5-2)
3:30 pm | Line: TCU -6.5
Pick- PSN: TCU | MJD: TCU
TCU has barged their way into championship territory, but the journey is far from over. This week they’ll face a tough road test at Iowa State. I’m confident in the Horned Frogs to make the cover.
#14 North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-1) at #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1)
3:30 pm | Line: Notre Dame -7.5
Pick- PSN: Notre Dame | MJD: North Carolina St
The Fighting Irish have another battle this week when the Wolfpack venture into South Bend. Notre Dame squashed USC last week, and with another win here, the Irish will start making waves for National Title hopes.
NFL
Sunday, October 29th
Minnesota Vikings (5-2) at Cleveland Browns (0-7)
9:30 am | Line: Minnesota -10.5 (In London, England)
Pick- PSN: Minnesota | MJD: Cleveland
The Browns finally found a way to make the cover last week. It didn’t aid them in getting their first win of 2017, but it’s something, right? Word is that James Bond, Prince Harry, Otto, and my good friend Bendo will be in attendance to watch the hapless Brownies get slapped around while they chow down on fish, chips, and a 24 ounce Fuller’s Vintage Ale in hand.
LA Chargers (3-4) at New England Patriots (5-2)
1:00 pm | Line: New England -9.5
Pick- PSN: LA Chargers | MJD: New England
The Chargers have battled back from an 0-4 start with a chance to get back to .500. My guess, at the earliest, they’re gonna have to go on a two game winning streak after this week to accomplish that. I can’t see the Patriots losing this one, but I can see San Diego keeping this closer than the 9.5 points they are getting.
San Francisco 49ers (0-7) at Philadelphia Eagles (6-1)
1:00 pm | Line: Philadelphia -13.5
Pick- PSN: Philadelphia | MJD: San Francisco
Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense are on fire. That spells doom for a struggling 49ers defense.
Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at Washington Redskins (3-3)
4:05 pm | Line: Dallas -1.5
Pick- PSN: Dallas | MJD: Washington
They should get John McEnroe to announce the weekly status of Ezekiel Elliot. This rivalry game could go either way, but I like the Cowboys in this one, who possess the better offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Detroit Lions (3-3)
8:30 pm | Line: Pittsburgh -2.5
Pick- PSN: Pittsburgh | MJD: Pittsburgh
Big road test for the Steelers who have had their road struggles against teams they should beat. Matt Stafford and the Lions will present a nice challenge for the leagues #1 rated pass defense. This could also be a breakout game for the Steeler offense in converting those field goals to touchdowns. Detroit’s defense is as soft as a down pillow.
Pick Results
PSN: Last Week: 6-4 | Overall: 44-26 — .633
MJD: Last Week: 5-5 | Overall: 35-35 -9 .500
Author Profile
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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!
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