I'd much rather listen to the average fan's opinion than Stephen A Smith, so I wouldn't be surprised if normal people were able to make better predictions, too.
What I'd like to see is an ESPN where the predictions have some consequence to them - you're gonna call yourself an expert? Prove it.
I almost feel like the great performance in picking winners (against the spread, too) buries the lede that UNU amplifies the intelligence of any collection of individuals.