Welcome back to the ACC/SEC Pick’em League for the 2023 season!

For the first time in a long time, we have momentum! A strong, STRONG week of picks has us moving up the charts, and poised to make another big leap moving forward this week. A small step is still a step, and those steps are going to be the path forward the rest of this season.

If you missed the setup for this league last year, here’s the cliffs notes version: pick games featuring an ACC or SEC team, straight up, for a full season. Add in a 2pt bonus national game every week. Whoever has the most points at the end of the season wins. If you want the full narrative, click the link below:

And with that, let’s dive into the week that was, and look ahead to this upcoming weekend.

Week 4 Recap

Entering the week, I had 63 points. There were 22 points on the table in Week 4. As I now have 84 points that means I earned 21 points for correct picks last week. That’s HUGE!! Only missed one game, made up a point on the leaders, and finally, FINALLY got things going in the right direction.

What singular game did I miss? Let’s recap:

1. Georgia Tech beating Wake Forest. This game really reframes my view of both teams as we move forward this year. But kudos to GT on the win. Just didn’t see it coming.

That’s it! That’s the only game I missed! After 3 weeks dropping 6 points each time, this is such a welcomed sight. Time to keep it going.

League Standings

There are 58 competitors for MY title this season. And, even more stratification. There’s still a lot of season left, but with weeks like last week — where my picks hit and we take steps back toward the top — there’s a chance I can fight back further between now and the end of the year.

Another week, another new group of leaders. Things have been topsy turvy at the top of the standings this year, and that didn’t stop this week.

Your new leader in sole possession of first place with 88 points: Stephanie Michaelson! Been a couple weeks, but Steph has charged back up to the top of the list. Behind her is a trio tied at 87 points: Tori Winston, Dustin Chambers, and Zack Wallace. Tori and Dustin are at their season-high ranking, but we’ll see if they can hold it.

Where am I? Tied for 15th with 84 points with a big group of competitors including Commissioner Tyler, The Playmaker, and Steven Simmons. There are 8 of us tied on that number of points, so we have plenty of company at this point of the season. Still, our focus is on ourself, and we’re gonna keep doing what we need to do to move up the list.

Week 5 Games and Picks

Last week, there were 20 games to pick for an available total of 22 points (since there were a pair of 2pt bonus games). This week, as conference play starts, as well as bye weeks begin to hit in both the ACC and SEC — including your Miami Hurricanes — there are fewer games and points up for grabs.

Up for grabs this week is the fewest amount of games and points to this point of the season: 14 games for a total of 15 points. With that dearth of points, we need to be pinpoint accurate. Every point counts, and the precious few we can earn this week are invaluable. Gotta dial in here.

Picks are here, IN BOLD WITH AN ASTERISK for each game. And, reminder, picks in this league are always straight up “who’s gonna win the game” picks. But, while we pick winners straight up in this league, the lines listed on the games (you’re welcome) come from our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

1. LOUISVILLE* (-3.5) at North Carolina State
2. CLEMSON* (6.5) at Syracuse
3. Virginia at BOSTON COLLEGE* (-3.5)
4. Bowling Green at GEORGIA TECH* (-22)
5. NOTRE DAME *(-5.5) at Duke
6. PITTSBURGH* (-2.5) at Virginia Tech
7. South Carolina at TENNESSEE* (-12.5)
8. Florida at KENTUCKY* (-1.5)
9. TEXAS A&M* (-6) at Arkansas (in Dallas at JerryWorld)
10. GEORGIA* (-14) at Auburn
11. MIZZOU* (-13.5) at Vanderbilt
12. LSU* (-2.5) at Ole Miss
13. ALABAMA* (-14.5) at Mississippi State
14. 2pt bonus game: West Virginia at TCU* (-14.5)

Those are my picks this week. I don’t love the fact that I picked all favorites, but I like where we’re at. The one that I considered flipping was UF-UK....but nah. Stoops has had the gators’ number recently, so I feel find sticking with that pick. I also debated taking Cuse over Clemson...but I’m still siding with the Tigers bouncing back...at least for this weekend. HINT HINT HINT HINT

That’s it for this week. Hop in the comments and leave your picks and tell me how you’re doing so far this season. The march to the top continues!!

Go Canes

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.