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Welcome to Against All Odds: NCAA/NFL Picks Week 14! 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 40 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?
Last week featured tons of food, family, friends…and wins! I posted a 7-3 record while my dad went 6-4 on the week. For the year, I am now at 74-46, which is good enough for a 20 game lead over my dad who sports a 54-66 record. This week we will choose all of the Conference Championship games of importance, which will only leave us with four NFL games to choose from.
This could be a week where my dad makes a little charge at me, or where I bury him for good, as we differ on four games.
Next week all we have left in NCAA Football till the Bowls begin is the Army-Navy game, so we’ll have nine NFL games on the docket next weekend!
Lines as of 12/1/2017
NCAA Football
Friday, December 1st
PAC-12 Championship
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA.
#12 Stanford Cardinal (9-3) at #10 USC Trojans (10-2)
8:00 pm | Line: USC -3.5
Pick- PSN: USC | MJD: USC
The PAC-12 will be dark again come the College Football Playoffs, and even though none of the teams look like Top 4 material, one just never knows when it comes down to a 60 minute game. There is no doubt in my mind that the Playoffs should be a minimum of 8 teams, if not 12.
Stanford has played well of late, but I still like what I see in USC. Sam Darnold hasn’t lived up to the hype this year for the Trojans, so look for him to return for his junior season. Like last year’s Bowl game vs Penn State, this could be a good spot to play great and lay the foundation for next year. USC clobbered Stanford 42-24 in September.
Saturday, December 2nd
American Athletic Championship
Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, FL.
#20 Memphis Tigers (10-1) at #14 Central Florida Golden Knights (11-0)
12:00 pm | Line: UCF -7.5
Pick- PSN: UCF | MJD: UCF
Central Florida has had a great season and looks to snag a major bowl with one more win in it’s conference championship game. UCF is one of the reasons the playoffs should be 8-12 teams. Everyone loves an underdog come March Madness, so who wouldn’t love to see the Golden Knights face off against a Clemson or an Alabama and see what they can accomplish?
I do believe UCF will win this game, but I’ve seen enough of Memphis to think they will keep this a close game until the end, not to mention, the Tigers will be looking to erase the beating they took from the earlier match-up this season, when UCF won 40-13.
Big 12 Championship
AT&T Stadium, Dallas, TX.
#11 TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) at #3 Oklahoma Sooners (11-1)
12:30 pm | Line: Oklahoma -6.5
Pick- PSN: Oklahoma | MJD: Oklahoma
TCU stands in the way of Oklahoma being included in the playoffs. The Horned Frogs are definitely capable of the upset if the Sooners commit any dumb turnovers, but it looks to me as if Oklahoma is really rolling along right now and I would be shocked if the Sooners don’t tar and feather TCU by ten or more, just as they did November 11th when they won 38-20.
SEC Championship
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA.
#6 Georgia Bulldogs (11-1) at #2 Auburn Tigers (10-2)
4:00 pm | Line: Auburn -2.5
Pick- PSN: Auburn | MJD: Georgia
The Tigers destroyed Georgia 40-17 on November 11th. Now the Bulldogs have a chance to exact a painful revenge by returning the favor and hopefully leapfrogging their way into the playoffs if the dust settles right. I personally think Auburn is going to tan Georgia’s hides again, but my dad like the fact that the game will be played in Atlanta and is going with the Dawgs.
ACC Championship
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC.
#7 Miami Hurricanes (10-1) at #1 Clemson Tigers (11-1)
8:00 pm | Line: Clemson -9.5
Pick- PSN: Miami | MJD: Clemson
Miami is stinging from the beat-down they received at the hands of my Pitt Panthers… of which yours truly called in last week’s column. I think The U will have enough pride to summon up a great performance in the ACC Championship Game, but in the end, will fall just short of the upset. 9.5 points is a lot here!
Big Ten Championship
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN.
#8 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) at #3 Wisconsin Badgers (12-0)
8:00 pm | Line: Ohio St -6.5
Pick- PSN: Wisconsin | MJD: Wisconsin
Well, well, well, here we go for Wisconsin. Just like Alabama, they have yet to face a top quality opponent, but they’ve still made the most of their schedule by remaining undefeated, unlike the Crimson Tide. A win over Ohio State gets them into the playoffs. A loss gets them a “We told you so” from their critics.
I’m going against the grain here in this one. I think Ohio State is a better team, but for some reason, I think the Buckeyes will choke in this game, just as they did when Clemson strangled the life out of them in the playoffs last hear 42-0.
NFL
Sunday, December 3rd
New England Patriots (9-2) at Buffalo Bills (6-5)
1:00 pm | Line: New England -10.5
Pick- PSN: New England | MJD: Buffalo
I was thinking of going with Buffalo in this one since they are at home, then I remembered that the Saints crushed them here just a few weeks ago. The Patriots continue to roll until the Game of the Year vs Pittsburgh on December 17th. My dad thinks the Patriots get caught looking ahead in a trap game.
Cleveland Browns (0-11) at LA Chargers (5-6)
4:05 pm | Line: LA Chargers -14.5
Pick- PSN: LA Chargers | MJD: LA Chargers
Oh those pesky Browns. Almost always good for a guaranteed victory every week in my column. Now the oddsmakers are catching on making it harder each week for the opposing team to make the cover. This week it’s the suddenly hot Charger offense needing to cover 14.5 points. I’m in.
Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) at Seattle Seahawks (7-4)
8:30 pm | Line: Philadelphia -6.5
Pick- PSN: Philadelphia | MJD: Seattle
Everyone thinks that Philadelphia is pretty good based on what we’ve seen so far in 2017. Seattle believes they are still pretty good despite a so-so record of 7-4. At the end of the day, we’re going to have a pretty good idea of what both teams are made of. I like Carson Wentz the the Eagle offense to continue their assault on every defense they face, especially this wounded Seahawks unit.
Monday, December 4th
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-6)
8:30 pm | Line: Pittsburgh -4.5
Pick- PSN: Pittsburgh | MJD: Pittsburgh
The Steelers defense keeps getting torched on splash plays the past month. Perhaps the team wasn’t as focused as they needed to be against the Brett Hundley led Packers last week. This Monday night, I see no such lapses against a division rival the Steelers would like nothing more than to bury for good in the AFC North Title race. Look for Ben Roethlisberger and the offense to have this game in hand by the start of the 4th quarter.
Pick Results
PSN: Last Week: 7-3 | Overall: 74-46 — .616
MJD: Last Week: 6-4 | Overall: 54-66 -20 .450
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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