Mill
Works USA
Major Hoople
'The Fearless Forecaster'
The
Major can be best described as not being a genius. But, he does have
an opinion and wants it to be heard each week! Actually, his full
name is Major Amos B. Hoople, considered to be the King of the Grumps
for outlandish college football predictions. It must have been with
all the retro television comeback shows like Murphy Brown, Will and
Grace, Magnum PI and the Connors that caused the Major's return.
The
'Major' first appeared as a cartoon character in a comic strip called
Our Boarding House. It ran in hundreds of newspapers across the
nation, from 1921 until 1984. The cartoon was so well received by the
public, that a weekly radio show ran for six seasons in the 1940s on
NBC.
The
syndicated college football prediction column started much later in
1968. The current Major Hoople writer remembers the column from his
youth as a must read (before the Internet), or more like a ritual
that arrived every Thursday in his daily local newspaper sports
section He used the column as a preview for that week's slate of
games. The people, actually back then read newspapers where ink most
of the time got on your hands from turning the pages!
The
writer of the column, Tom Peoples, the original Football Prediction
Wizard ended each column with :
Now
go on with my forecast. We will also...and enjoy the read.
I
have never seen so many high ranking teams last week go down the
tubes in defeat at this stage of the season, Um-Kumph! Penn State,
Auburn, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia either went out of
our Top 25 Poll or took a massive ranking hit! “Errr, ah
Har-rumph...felt just like the stars I use to see after I hit an open
field Wing-T runner!” “Egads, if I did not have on my head that
leather helmet, it would have been worse...well maybe..”
However,
enough of that banter it is time to discuss the Top 25 games this
week. I only focus on three of four each week because I have a very
short attention span. And my boss now only pays me up to 750 words.
Psshaw!
The
marque game this week between ACC rivals NC State and Clemson should
deliver some memorable action, believe me. The Major believes the
Wolf Pack's 16 ½ point spread too high, even at Clemson's home
field, Death Valley.
The
key to this game will be when a River does run through Raleigh NC. A
pun and call out to current Pack QB, Ryan Finley who reminds some
people of former Alum and current NFL signal caller, Chargers Phil
Rivers.
Okie
dokie, Tigers fans you're at home with the best D-Line in the nation
all four starters are Hoople All-Americans. The Death Valley crew led
by 6 foot 6 stud QB Trevor Lawrence a true frosh phenom guided by one
of the best coaches in the nation Dabo Sweeney and staff. You think a
walkover game for this top squad.
The
Hoople System predicts a close battle with a few scores from both
teams. In the end, the class of the ACC remains, Clemson 38-30!
The
next slobber knocker of a contest will be Big Ten In state rivals
Michigan at Michigan State. The Wolverines just like me, Amos B.
Hoople are on a comeback tour. Jim Harbaugh needs to keep his team's
momentum going after a recent victory over Penn State. The
expectations have been very high for the ten million dollar a year
man.
Michigan
State has a record of 4-2 as they must outperform rather dismal
offensive numbers to win. However, if anyone can get his team
motivated to play a big game, it's, Spartan Head Coach Mark
Dantonio. His team with a win upgrades to the equivalent of a luxury
car like a BMW from the toilet bowl, played in some backwater mid
American sized city on News Year Eve.
No
pressure here on anyone to win this game....NOT!!! Michigan 35,
Michigan State 27.
“Now
go West young man, as far as you can!” Or at least until you reach
Pullman Washington where the home team the Cougars of Washington
State plays the top 10 and PAC 10 rival Oregon Ducks.
A
hint on what team wins this game, “If it walks like a Duck, quacks
like a Duck and walks like one, it must be a Duck!” Okay the quack
attack rolls as QB Herbert shows why he is a Hoople Heisman
Contender. The final of this tussle a high scoring affair, 48-37!
Booyah!
Here's
a small school, CUSA battle with poll implications, a non-Power 5
game of interest, UAB versus North Texas. On paper North Texas the
better team as QB Fine has already tossed for over 2200 yards, with
16 scores and just one pick.
UAB-the
University of Alabama at Birmingham stands at 5-1. However, they do
have one advantage over North Texas, a 28-7 win over Louisiana Tech,
while the Mean Green of NT lost 29-27! UAB is ranked in my poll at 24
so no surprise here from the 'Fearless Forecaster' 30-14 UAB.
Here
are the other Top 25 Poll game score predictions:
@
Temple 35 (17) Cincinnati 26
@
Iowa (18) 24 Maryland 14
(12)
Oklahoma 38 @ TCU 16
(1)
Alabama 49 @ Tennessee 14
(7)
UCF 41 @ East Carolina 22
@
Washington 31 (20) Colorado 20
(9)
LSU 23 @ Mississippi State 20
(11)
USF 48 @ UCONN 16
(3)
Ohio State 42 @ Purdue 6
@
Kentucky (19) 35 Vanderbilt 21
Houston
38 @ Navy 21
(23)
Utah State 45 @ Wyoming 20
(25)
Fresno State 34 @ New Mexico 22
MILLWORKS
USA.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL/TOP 25 POLL
Week
8
Rank/ Team/ Record/ LR
- Alabama 7-0 1
- Clemson 6-0 3
- Ohio State 7-0 4
- ND 7-0 5
- Michigan 6-1 13
- Texas 6-1 14
- UCF 6-0 7
- Oregon 5-1 15
- LSU 6-1 17
- UGA 6-1 2
- USF 6-0 16
- Oklahoma 5-1 18
- Florida 6-1 19
- Washington State 5-1 20
- NC State 5-0 21
- West Virginia 5-1 8
- Cincinnati 6-0 17
- Iowa 5-1 24
- Kentucky 5-1 25
- Colorado 5-1 11
- Houston 5-1 NR
- Texas A&M 5-2 NR
- Utah State 5-1 NR
- UAB 5-1 NR
- Fresno State 5-1 NR
Honorable
Mentions: North Texas, SDST, Appalachian State, Troy., Buffalo,
Duke,
Michigan
State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Gone
this week, and will be forgotten: Wisconsin, Washington, Penn
State, Miami FL, and Auburn.
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