Mill Works USA
Major Hoople
'The Fearless Forecaster'
An
11-8 week has the Major shaken (not stirred) going into Championship
Weekend. Can the Sultan of Smack, get his 'mojo' back to end on a
high note before Bowl season?
The
Major can be best described as being no genius. But, he does have an
opinion and wants it to be heard each week! His full name is Major
Amos B. Hoople, considered to be the King of the Grumps and for
outlandish college football predictions. It must have been all the
retro television comeback shows like Murphy Brown, Hawaii Five O,
Magnum PI and McGyver that caused 'the Fearless Forecasters' return
from the trash heap of past comic strips.
The
'Major' first appeared as a cartoon character in 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 each week reading
about games all over the nation in his daily local newspaper sports
section He used the article as a preview for the slate of games that
totaled almost 200 with the small school interest like with the Ivy
Leagues. The people, back then actually read newspapers where ink
most of the time got on your hands from turning the pages! A true
contact sport of sorts...
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.
Last
week was an example of the parity that exists in College Football.
Also, the reason why a Non-Power 5 school like the UCF Knights
deserves to play in a big bowl. Why not them, rather than a mediocre
team from a Power 5 Conference. The truth be told when I go around
the country, some of the major (Arrumph, not mean't to mean me...the
Major or some bird Colonel either) division winners like from the Big
Ten, 8-4 Northwestern and Pac 12 and Utah 9-3 are no world beaters.
Include the ACC's University of Pittsburgh at 7-5 as one has to
wonder at what point do the Panthers revert back to regular season
form and get steamrolled by Clemson this Saturday? So, until either
an expansion of teams in the playoffs or a further separation of
teams by program levels of strength. A team like UCF, undefeated in
the regular season the past two years with a great QB, deserves a
chance to play for the big bowl money.
Last
week was like a nightmare for the Major. I felt like a man of chance
that was in on one bad stretch of luck. No, no, not the kind of luck
where I end up taking money from an organized crime figure or a loan
shark. But, for the life of me, how did Michigan look so bad last
week? Also, include defensive stalwart LSU scoring 72 points...in one
game! It took them 4 games this season to reach that total. But,
wait, the Tigers, also lost by 2 points in the eighth overtime versus
Texas A & M and its incredible 74 score.
The
reasons for all the upsets this past week could have been: The
Holiday travel for some teams and final exams. I know, I know, many of the top
college programs just pass or overlook many a player or two or three
grade scores. Not everyone goes to an Ivy League school or a Notre Dame,
booyah! Sorry to all my Stanford, Cal and Rice fans, we know you do
it right when classroom time expected by student athletes.
I
guess I tried to get too smart for my own good.. I took Nebraska,
WVU, Washington State, UAB and Florida State, mostly all underdogs.
So, when the results came in during the day, I felt like I had been
kicked in the rear end for my bold predictions. I also do take a bad
week personally from my Hoople Selection System, the toss me around
the room one, ….Kaff-Kaff, time to move on. What I did get correct
Clemson, Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas, Northwestern and Boise State to
name a few.
The
Mill Sport Top 25 Poll weekly recap:
The
Georgia Bull Dogs and Ohio State Buckeyes moved up to the fourth and
fifth spots due to State's demolition of Michigan, now #11, down 7
spots. Oklahoma #6 and UCF #7 stayed in the same positions. Penn
State #8, Texas #9 and Washington #10 all advanced in the rankings by
four spots. The rest of the movers went up on average by 3 slots.
The
droppers were Washington State # 12, from #8, West Virginia, only
two down from #18 last week to 20th position, while LSU
#24 and Utah State #25, fell, no they plunged like a rock dropped
into the Atlantic Ocean tied to a sack of potatoes, down 14 spots
each! I have not seen such a drop like this since the Coolidge
Administration approval ratings...oh wait, have to now be the modern
man of picks. So, the experience was just like the Reagan
Administration, on that Black Monday on Wall Street, what a let down.
The
Hoople Heisman Candidates are
Kyler
Murray
QB, Oklahoma, Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama, Dwayne Gaskins, QB, Ohio
State, Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin, and Will Grier, QB, WVU. Me
thinks the Boomer Sooner wins the sports most honored award, other
than that glass rock, passed off as a diamond for the National
Championship winner.
Now
go on with my forecast:
PAC
12 Championship Utah #19 V. Washington #10,
The Utes are without their starting Hoople Stud QB Huntley. The
replacement, Jason Shelley has been adequate. However, in this
contest, running back Zach Moss, with almost 1,100 yards on the
ground with 11 scores may have to carry his team over the goal
line...a lot.
The
Huskies expectations for a stellar top 4 finish were very high in the
off season. They finally found themselves back in the Top 10 rankings
last week with a win over in-state and Pac 10 rival Washington State.
QB Browning and RB Gaskins are what drive this team to victory as
they take a bite out of the Ute, 35-20. The dogs will play in the
Rose Bowl versus either Ohio State or Michigan.
SEC
Championship Georgia #4 V. Alabama #1, Round
3 for these two schools going back to last year, a split so far.
However without further need to give you specific player details, the
Major fully on board for a 45-21, Roll Tide win. The victory sets up
a Playoff first round match versus either the same Georgia team if
close game, if not, Ohio State or a Oklahoma squad get the berth.
Speaking of the Sooners, they better invoke the spirits of past team defensive greats like the Boz,
Atwater and Thomas to show the 'youngins' how to lace them up to lay
the smack down on the Long Horn.
Mountain
West Championship Fresno State #15 @ Boise State #14, Played on that blue field, when I stare at it long enough on my TV
screen, makes me so sea sick on Saturday nights...or was it when I make my 'visits' to the VFW for a few 'sodas' because hard to tell or 'remember' much
from those 'social' calls...but, any how, QB Rypien a force to deal
with because of the 3500 yards in the air with 29 touchdowns thrown.
But,
stud runner Mattison has looked awesome the past two games when the
Broncos needed to ice games. He has over 1200 yards and
16 tds on the ground this year. Move over past great Bronco runners Martin
and Johnson. The team from Boise closes out the series with a 28-24
win.
Big
12 Championship Texas #9 V. Oklahoma #6, Lot's
of points in this game as QB Murray shows the nation why his
attendance required for the Heisman next week,.The Sooner's hog tie
Bevo's team, 48-35.
Here
are the other Top 25 Mill Sport USA poll game score predictions:
American
Athletic Conference C hampionship Memphis State 24 @ # 7 UCF 27
ACC
Championship Pittsburgh 14 @ #2 Clemson 55
Big
10 Championship Northwestern #18 17 @ #5 Ohio State 45
Record
68-29
MILLWORKS USA.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL/TOP 25 POLL Week
14
Rk/Team/Record/LR
Alabama 12-0 1
Clemson 12-0 2
ND 12-0 3
UGA
11-1 5
Ohio
State 11-1 10
Oklahoma 11-1 6
UCF 10-0 7
Penn
State 9-3 12
Texas
9-3 13
Washington 9-3 14
Michigan 10-2 4
Washington
State 10-2 8
Florida 9-3 15
Boise
State 10-2 16
Fresno
State 10-2 17
Army 9-2 19
Kentucky 9-3 20
Northwestern 8-4 21
Utah 9-3 22
WVU 8-3 18
Texas
A & M 8-4 NR
Mississippi
State 8-4 23
Iowa 8-4 24
LSU 9-3 10
Utah
State 10-2 11
Honorable
Mentions: NIU, NC State, FIU, Cincinnati, Temple, Syracuse,
Oregon, Mizzouri and Buffalo.
Gone
this week, and will be forgotten: UAB
