I Never Said It Was Good Advice

So tonight, the Oracle made four picks and went 4-0. I made two picks and went 0-2. I don't have an exact count, but I believe my personal record since around Dec 1 of last year is: 4-1,023-2. Not exactly the road to riches. Nevertheless, it's my obligation to post some picks for the Championship games this Sunday, if for no other reason than to give my faitful reader(s) the opportunity to go opposite my picks and make a bundle.

Denver -3 vs Pittsburgh. There really is only one compelling reason to pick Denver and that is that Denver just doesn't lose at home. The Terrible Towels may have been able to invade Indianapolis, but I just don't see that happening in Denver. Last week, Edgerrin James averaged 4.3 yard/carry against the Pit defense, but the Colts abandoned the run early and quickly became one dimensional, allowing the Steelers to blitz at will. I think Shanahan will stick with the run and pound away with a combination of Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell, and use play action to keep the linebackers from blitzing too much. As for the Broncos defense, Champ Bailey can contain Hines Ward and the linebackers are fast enough to stay with Heath Miller. That means it's up to Randle-El and Willie Parker to beat the Broncos. I like the Broncos chances in that one. Still, I think this comes down to the last possession, with Denver needing to make a stand to win it. It won't be easy, but at the end of the day, Broncos fans will be sending their team off to Detroit.
Denver 20, Pittsburgh 13.

Carolina +3.5 at Seattle. If there's any team that could legitimately play the "no respect" card throughout the playoffs, it's the Seattle Seahawks. Even tho' the Seahawks are favored to win, just about every analyst I listen to has Carolina winning the game. If DeShaun Foster were healthy, I'd probably agree with them. Nick Goings is Ok, but he doesn't bring enough to keep the Seahawks defense honest. They should be double-teaming Steve Smith like he was a 19 year old auditioning for an Anabolic Video. For the Seattle offense, Shaun Alexander may very well be playing for his contract in this game. The jury is still out as to whether Alexander is the kind of player that folds under that kind of pressure. But money is a pretty good motivator, so I think he ends up in the endzone twice, including the game winner.
Seattle 24 Carolina 23.