0
0
Welcome to Against All Odds: NCAA/NFL Picks Week 5! 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 EVERY Bowl Game 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 2018-19 Against All Odds Champion?
Last week I managed a 3-2 record to even my season total at 10-10… which is pretty pathetic by my standards. Dad is on a hot streak, going 4-1 again, leapfrogging me into 1st place with an 11-9 record on the year.
This week we have some pretty good games, including Ohio State invading Happy Valley, and the hated Ravens coming into the Steel City to face the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
Some tough picks, but I’m confident I can get the ball rolling as I did last season when I was 30 plus games over .500!
Lines as of 9/27/2018
NCAA Football
Saturday, September 29th
#12 West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0) at #25 Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-1), 12:00 pm
Line: WVU -3.5
Pick: PSN: West Virginia | MJD: Texas Tech
Big road test for the Mountaineers as they face the Red Raiders. This should be a good barometer to see if WVU is for real or not. I love the way their offense is humming right now, so I think they’ll do just enough to escape Texas with their 4th victory of the year. Dad thinks Texas Tech will pull the mild upset at home.
Pitt Panthers (2-2) at #13 Central Florida Knights (3-0), 3:30 pm
Line: UCF -13.5
Pick: PSN: Central Florida | MJD: Pitt
My heart wants to go with Pitt here, but I have my doubts about this team after the debacle of losing to UNC last week for the 6th time in a row. UNC could barely register 17 points per game… UCF is averaging 50! UCF’s weakness is their run defense, and one of Pitt’s strengths is it’s running game. If they play their cards right, they could steal this game as they have in the past when they were large underdogs… remember Clemson and Miami?
#4 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) at #9 Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0), 7:30 pm
Line: Ohio State -3.5
Pick: PSN: Ohio State | MJD: Ohio State
James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have enjoyed kicking their opponents while they were down in 2018. 35 points in the 4th quarter last week vs Illinois. Throwing the ball deep, up 25+ with around four minutes to play. I’m guessing they won’t get that chance this week when Thee Ohio State comes to town. O-H…
NFL
Sunday, September 30th
Seattle Seahawks (1-2) at Arizona Cardinals (0-3), 4:05 pm
Line: Seattle -3.5
Pick: PSN: Seattle | MJD: Seattle
Arizona is just plain awful. Seattle should have no problem having their way with the Cardinals. Perhaps rookie QB Josh Rosen will breathe some life into this stagnant offense for Arizona.
Baltimore Ravens (2-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1-1), 8:20 pm
Line: Pittsburgh -3.5
Pick: PSN: Pittsburgh | MJD: Pittsburgh
The Steelers love to play their best when the lights come on. That doubles when the opposing team happens to be the Ravens. The Steelers have some defensive issues to work out, no doubt, but it’s hard to imagine Pittsburgh playing two straight bad games at home. The Ravens pass defense is ranked pretty high, but they haven’t faced the likes of Ben Roethlisberger and this offense yet.
After all the turmoil this team has faced to start the year, they have a very good chance of being in 1st place alone when this game ends Sunday night.
Pick Results
MJD: Last Week: 4-1 | Overall: 11-9 — .555
PSN: Last Week: 3-2 | Overall: 10-10 -1 .500
2017 Champion: PSN
2016 Champion: MJD
2015 Champion: MJD
2014 Champion: PSN
2013 Champion: PSN
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