Sports Handicapper Matt Fargo's Picks & Predictions

Portland is off to a 2-0 start with blowout wins over Phoenix and Indiana as its accumulated lead total through the two games is 91 points, but we cannot take these victories too serious. Both the Suns and Pacers are in rebuild mode and now the Blazers take on their first real opponent and one that is looking for some redemption. The Bucks opened their season with a win over the Celtics but last night, they were clobbered at home against Cleveland which gave a sign that they are not close to where they want to be. Milwaukee caught Cleveland at a bad time as the Cavaliers shot 54.3 percent from the floor while going a perfect 17-17 from the free throw line. The Bucks are a better team than what was on display last night and while they still shot a solid 46.3 percent from the floor, they could not get the pace that they wanted as they had only 82 shots, but they will be able to pick up the tempo tonight. The Rockets are the only other team that is 2-0 on the road and winning three straight road games to start the season is not easy in this league, especially for a non-elite team. Milwaukee covered seven of its last eight games last season in the second game of a back-to-back and looks to rebound tonight in the second game of a four-game homestand. 10* (516) Milwaukee Bucks

It is hard to believe but this is the first time since 2009 that Notre Dame and USC face each other as ranked teams. The Trojans are the higher ranked team but they could be the most overrated team in the country right now. We played them in their first two games of the season, losing against Western Michigan and winning against Stanford and even in the win over the Cardinal, something seemed off and since then, it has been off. It took overtime to defeat Texas, they were tied in the fourth quarter at California, lost outright to Washington St. which got destroyed by Cal last week, and was within a successful two-point conversion of falling to Utah last week. The only impressive game came against Oregon St. and the Beavers are the worst team in the Pac 12 at 1-6. Notre Dame is a one-point loss against Georgia from being undefeated and that is a good indication of how good the Irish have been as the rest of the schedule has been soft. A victory over Michigan St. was good even though it was outgained but Notre Dame has dominated every other team which is what great teams are supposed to do. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush is back as he missed the last game against North Carolina and Notre Dame is also coming off a bye week which is big for him and big for the team as a whole considering USC is playing for the eighth consecutive week. The Rushing offense is ranked No. 5 in the nation behind a stout offensive line and will be facing a pretty average Trojans defense. The Trojans are 7-17 ATS in their last 24 road games against teams with a winning home record while the Irish are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a bye week. 10* (402) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

South Alabama picked up a big win for us last week against Troy as it won outright as an 18-point underdog but that was a rivalry situation and now the Jaguars come in as a missed price favorite. They are 2-4 on the season and they have been dominated in all but one game this season as they have been outgained in five of six games. The lone game South Alabama won the yardage battle came against Alabama A&M of the FCS, a team that is ranked No. 227 out of 255 teams in the country. The offense continues to struggle as it managed only 236 yards last week against the Trojans and on the season, the Jaguars are ranked No. 120 in total offense. No make matters worse, their best running back Xavier Johnson was injured last week and is questionable this week. The fact they are favored is surprising as going back, the Jaguars are 5-14-1 ATS as home favorites since 2012. UL-Monroe is coming off an awful effort last week against Georgia Southern after opening Sun Belt Conference action with a 3-0 record. The Warhawks went 4-8 last season but brought back 15 starters this season so the good start is not a big surprise. They are 2-1 on the road and they have been solid in all three games as they have outgained all three opponents including Memphis where they lost by just eight points in their season opener. UL-Monroe has struggled with its defense but this is the second worst offense it has faced with the first being Texas St. and it allowed just 386 yards in that game. The Warhawks have covered five straight road games while the Jaguars are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS win. 10* (399) UL-Monroe Warhawks

Wake Forest opened the season with a 4-0 record but then lost it last two games against Florida St. and Clemson but both of those defeats were respectable efforts. The Demon Deacons lost to the Seminoles late as they won the yardage battle by 97 yards and against Clemson, they lost by 14 points with a couple late scores but holding the Tigers to 28 points was impressive. The defense is solid once again as they are allowing just 339.5 ypg and 16.7 ppg and facing a one-dimensional offense is no issue as they have shut down Army and Tulane over the last two seasons. Coming off two physical games would normally be a concern but Wake Forest had a bye last week which also benefits for an extra week of preparation for the Georgia Tech option offense. The rushing defense is allowing only 3.5 ypc on the season. The Yellow Jackets are just 3-2 on the season but those two losses have come by a single point each including a one-point setback at Miami last week. They looked as though they were going to pull off the upset but gave up the final 12 points of the game including allowing the game winning field goal with just four seconds remaining. That is a difficult loss to recover from but it was a misleading final score to begin with as Georgia Tech was outgained by 200 yards against the Hurricanes. The Yellow Jackets are one of five teams that has yet to lose a game against the spread which is a favorite go against play at this stage in the season. The Demon Deacons are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games while the Yellow Jackets are 9-21-2 ATS in their last 32 home games against teams with a winning road record. 10* (351) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This is a play on the MICHIGAN ST. SPARTANS for our CFB Saturday Star Attraction. Michigan St. has won three straight games following a pair of big road wins at Michigan and Minnesota and after a dreadful 2016 season, the Spartans are 5-1 including a 3-0 record in the Big Ten. They have a long way to go to think about winning the East Division with games against Ohio St. and Penn St. upcoming but they need to take care of business before that. The lone defeat came against Notre Dame but that was a game it could have won if it was played normally as the Spartans lost the turnover battle 3-0 as they outgained the Irish by 141 total yards which went for naught. Indiana is coming off a tough loss in overtime against Michigan and that has to be a deflating defeat as they were close to knocking off a top team but fell short. Those are the type of losses that can linger and the Hoosiers are going into a difficult environment this week. They are 1-1 on the road with a fortunate win over Virginia that was sealed with a late punt return touchdown and while the talent of this Indiana team is stronger than normal, winning on the road against ranked opponents has not been their strength as they have not defeated a Big Ten ranked team on the road since 2001. The Hoosiers struggled to run the ball against Michigan and now faces the No. 8 ranked rushing defense in the nation. Michigan St. lost in overtime at Indiana last season to fall to 2-2 and that was the beginning of the end as it was the second loss in a six-game slide. Payback is in order as Michigan St. has covered seven straight Big Ten revenge games. 10* (336) Michigan St. Spartans

This is a play on the VIRGINIA CAVALIERS for our CFB Saturday Supreme Annihilator. We played on Virginia a few weeks back when it went to Boise St. and defeated the Broncos and it is now 5-1 on the season following its fourth consecutive victory last week. The Cavaliers have had a great turnaround season following a 2-10 record last year in the first year under head coach Bronco Mendenhall and they are poised to make their first bowl game since 2011. The only loss came against Indiana and it was a game it should have won as the Cavaliers were outgained by only four yards while the Hoosiers returned a punt for a late touchdown to seal the game. Virginia has played a tame schedule but its defense is ranked No. 20 in the country and Boston College is not going to have the same success it has last week. The Eagles went to Louisville last week and hung 45 points on the Cardinals which was by far their highest point total of the season. As a matter of fact, it is their highest point total against a team from the FBS since 2013 when they scored 48 points against Army. The offense has not suddenly found its stride but faced a porous Louisville defense that has been torched most of the season. Boston College is still a dismal No. 114 in scoring and No. 102 in total offense and while its defense has been a force the last few years, it is No. 107 this season in total defense. The Eagles are allowing 131 ypg more than last season and close to 200 ypg more than in 2015 so it is a shell of what it used to be. A great system is to go against a team that won outright as a double-digit dog and it is now a single-digit dog as the lines are typically adjusted wrong. 10* (362) Virginia Cavaliers

This is a play on the NAVY MIDSHIPMEN for our CFB Saturday Enforcer. Navy was unable to sustain its winning streak at it lost by a field goal against Memphis, putting an end to its five-game run. it was a game the Midshipmen had every chance to win as they controlled the clock by more than 14 minutes but they committed five turnovers that led to 13 points all of which were deep in their own territory so mistakes were costly. They head back home where they covered all three games last season as home underdogs and they won all of those outright. Additionally, Navy has gone 6-0 since 2014 following a regular season loss. UCF has been a money-maker this season as it has rolled to a 5-0 start and has covered all those games although the contest against Cincinnati was officially a no-action game as 55 minutes were not played. The Knights have won those five games by 34, 28, 27, 28 and 42 points so they have not even been challenged and that is not a good thing as they get into the meat of their schedule. Three of the next four games are on the road and they have USF at home so we are going to see what this team is made of. So far, UCF has played the No. 130 ranked schedule in the country and has not seen anything on either side of the ball and this matchup is going to be a problem for the defense that has never played this option offense. Because of the blowouts to start the season, linesmakers have no choice but to make UCF a big road favorite because the public loves riding these streaks while we love going against them because of the value we are receiving. 10* (372) Navy Midshipmen

This is a play on the DUKE BLUE DEVILS for our CFB October Game of the Month. This is a great scheduling setup for Duke as after a 4-0 start, it has lost three straight games but those were against Miami, resurgent Virginia and Florida St. with the last two coming by a touchdown each. Now the Blue Devils catch a break as they take a step down in competition but they will be fully focused based on the current streak they are on. To no surprise, Duke lost the yardage battle each of these last three games while winning the yardage battle in all four victories. Pittsburgh is in the midst of a horrible season as it is 2-5 with the victories coming against Youngstown St. of the FCS in overtime and Rice which is 1-5 on the season. The highlight of the season could be that the Panthers outgained Penn St. in their 33-14 loss but the Nittany Lions revealed after they were not going close to full throttle. Pittsburgh has been outgained by an average of 208.8 ypg in its last four losses and making matters worse, the Panthers are without USC transfer starting quarterback Max Browne who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Overall, Pittsburgh is No. 103 in total offense and No. 109 in total defense so the inexperience coming into the season where it was ranked No. 123 in the nation in experience has carried forward. Duke should not have issues taking its foot off the pedal here as last season, Pittsburgh ran up the score in a 56-14 victory and the Blue Devils were not happy about it. Going back, the Panthers are 1-6-2 ATS in their last nine games overall while the Blue Devils are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight home games. 10* (346) Duke Blue Devils