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Welcome to Against All Odds: NCAA Bowls/NFL Picks Week 16! 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, to be quite honest, sucked. I had a stellar record of 3-7, yet was able to gain another game in the standings on my dad, who somehow placed a 2-8 record for week 15.
Now, I’m back under .500 at 62-63, good enough for a two game lead heading into Bowl Season.
This week we have just eight Bowl Games through next Thursday… we even out the slate with two NFL games to make it a ten pick week.
Lines as of 12/13/2018
NCAA Football
Saturday, December 15th
Cure Bowl
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL.
Tulane Green Wave (7-6) at LA Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (7-6), 1:30 pm
Line: Tulane -3.5
Pick: PSN: Tulane | MJD: LA Lafayette
The Cure Bowl… cure for what? Footballitis? The Bowl Season kicks off at the home of Disney where I believe Tulane will wave good-bye to Louisiana Lafayette’s hopes of finishing above .500!
New Mexico Bowl
Dreamstyle Stadium Stadium, Albuquerque, NM.
Utah State Aggies (10-2) at North Texas Mean Green (9-3), 2:00 pm
Line: Utah St -7.5
Pick: PSN: Utah St | MJD: North Texas
Utah State is so impressive to me that I’ve chosen to take them, and the heat, for picking them over Mean Joe Greene’s alma mater! As long as Bugs Bunny doesn’t take a wrong turn at Albuquerque, I’m fairly confident the Aggies will cover.
Las Vegas Bowl
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV.
Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5) at #21 Fresno State Bulldogs (11-2), 3:30 pm
Line: Fresno St -4.5
Pick: PSN: Fresno St | MJD: Fresno St
Arizona State is still reeling from the Fraud Graham Effect. Good. Fresno should be itching to pound on a PAC-12 team that is there for the taking. I’m betting the Sun Devils are in for a long afternoon. Betting… get it? Las Vegas…?
Camellia Bowl
Crampton Bowl, Montgomery, AL.
Georgia Southern Eagles (9-3) at Eastern Michigan Eagles (7-5), 5:30 pm
Line: Georgia Southern -2.5
Pick: PSN: Georgia Southern | MJD: Eastern Michigan
Georgia Southern has a pretty solid program, and though Eastern Michigan isn’t too bad either, my gut feeling is telling me the Eagles will win in this game dedicated to Bill Cosby’s wife in the Cosby Show.
New Orleans Bowl
Superdome, New Orleans, LA.
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (8-5) at Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-2), 9:00 pm
Line: Appalachian St -6.5
Pick: PSN: Appalachian St | MJD: Appalachian St
Two very tough teams meet up in New Orleans for a little partyin’ and pigskin. Appalachian State always seems to shine in these games.
Tuesday, December 18th
Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL.
UAB Blazers (10-3) at Northern Illinois Huskies (8-5), 7:00 pm
Line: UAB -2.5
Pick: PSN: UAB | MJD: Northern Illinois
It’s Florida, where the sun may or may not be blazing hot, but regardless of the weather, I’m all in with the Blazers of UAB who have come back from death to fielding one helluva team.
Wednesday, December 19th
Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX.
San Diego State Aztecs (7-5) at Ohio Bobcats (8-4), 8:00 pm
Line: Ohio -2.5
Pick: PSN: Ohio | MJD: Ohio
I was thinking this game had something to do with San Francisco, but I was a half a country off as this one is played in Texas. San Diego State is, well, blah, so I’m going with the Bobcats of Ohio here.
Thursday, December 20th
Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL.
Marshall Thundering Herd (8-4) at South Florida Bulls (7-5), 8:00 pm
Line: Marshall -2.5
Pick: PSN: Marshall | MJD: South Florida
Marshall continues to pump out quality teams year in and year out… they will finish 2018 on a high note after taking care of South Florida.
NFL
Sunday, December 9th
Oakland Raiders (3-10) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-8), 1:00 pm
Line: Cincinnati -2.5
Pick: PSN: Cincinnati | MJD: Cincinnati
Seems Oakland can’t beat anyone consistently except for…. Pittsburgh. Cincinnati is reeling from A.J. Green being out, but they should be able to bury Oakland at the friendly confines of Paul Brown Stadium.
New England Patriots (9-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5-1), 4:25 pm
Line: New England -1.5
Pick: PSN: Pittsburgh | MJD: Pittsburgh Ride or Die!
Here we go again… how many games is this freaking Steelers team going to cost both me and my dad this year in Against All Odds? We’re both all in again…as my dad wrote to me for the picks, “Ride or die.”
Pick Results
PSN: Last Week: 3-7 | Overall: 62-63 — .513
MJD: Last Week: 2-8 | Overall: 60-65 -2 .504
2017 Champion: PSN
2016 Champion: MJD
2015 Champion: MJD
2014 Champion: PSN
2013 Champion: PSN
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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