Cousin Sal likes Andrew Luck and the Colts to keep things close. Getty Images Sal Iacono, a writer for "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and better known in the sports community as "Cousin Sal" on Bill Simmons' podcasts, is ESPN's new NFL gambling expert and he didn't lose a pick on his weekly "SportsCenter" segment in the last six weeks of the regular season.

Things have not gone as well in the playoffs with Sal going 1-2 during last weekend's divisional playoffs. Still, "the cuz," as Simmons affectionately calls him, is now 16-3-3 over the last eight weeks and 20-5-3 over the last ten weeks.

In the sports gambling world that is about as good as it gets. But more importantly, Iacono's regular season SportsCenter segment co-host, Neil Everett, is back.



So let's take a look at who Cousin Sal likes in the conference championship games:

Indianapolis Colts +7 (@ New England Patriots) — " I know it is sacrilegious to pick against the Patriots this late in the year and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but I like the Colts to keep it close. They are no longer the team that is just happy to be there. Andrew Luck plays mistake-free football. They're 12-5-1 against the spread. They have a better running game than the Patriots. They rush the quarterback. Brady is going to be on his heels all game. I'm taking the Colts. I don't know if they win but they keep it tight. "

Here is Sal's "lock of the week." He is 13-4-1 with his "best bet" this season: