Updated with actual scores

The Massey Ratings formula went 20-8 (.714) in Week 1 games.

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It's that time again, and thanks to the USA Today High School Sports site - powered, I should note, by info provided by the Clarion Ledger - we can look to the Massey Ratings for projected scores from the first weekend of high school football.

The USAT prep site has been reworked this fall, and it contains some intersting features - even if I did find it a bit hard to navigate at first. As a USAT alumnus and current Gannett stockholder (sigh) I suggest you give it a look.

We started looking at these projected scores a couple of years ago, and the fact is that Massey's formula does a pretty good job of picking winners - often in the 75% range, which is way better than a coin flip. When all else fails, I say you always take the home team and it seems like this formula tends to follow that notion.

As far as accuracy on the projected scores - every week, there will be a couple that are almost scarily spot-on and a couple that are completely wrongheaded. But it is fun to watch.

Friday

Alcorn Central 32, Biggersville 26 (Actual: Alcorn Central 36-22)

Amory 41, Mooreville 20 (Amory 48-14)

Booneville 28, Walnut 10 (Booneville 35-15)

Bruce 29, Mound Bayou JFK 12 (Bruce 40-8)

Byhalia 28, Tishomingo County 20 (Byhalia 26-14)

Calhoun Academy at Sharkey Issaquena, “too close to call” (Calhoun Academy 20-6)

Calhoun City 41, Coffeeville 0 (Calhoun City 47-14)

Columbus 22, Aberdeen 14 (Columbus 21-0)

Falkner 33, Middleton, Tenn. 7 (Falkner 34-13)

Hamilton 35, Smithville 10 (Smithville won, 21-12)

Hatley 42, East Union 24 (East Union won, 45-20)

Holly Springs 24, Coldwater 21 (Coldwater won, 53-20)

Houston 42, South Pontotoc 8 (Houston 47-13)

Itawamba AHS 40, Saltillo 26 (Itawamba 17-7)

Kossuth 29, Baldwyn 14 (Baldwyn won, 22-6)

Lafayette 35, Tupelo 14 (Lafayette 8-3)

Marshall Academy 37, Magnolia Heights 21 (Marshall Academy 28-10)

Nettleton 28, Caledonia 21 (Caledonia won, 50-7)

New Albany 31, Ripley 7 (New Albany 28-21)

North Pontotoc 48, Mantachie 14 (North Pontotoc 19-16)

Okolona 36, Houlka 0 (Okolona 33-0)

Oxford 34, Grenada 26 (Oxford 28-22)

Pontotoc 28, Velma Jackson 21 (Pontotoc 24-6)

Potts Camp 28, H.W. Byers 20 (Potts Camp 32-6)

Shannon 33, Kosciusko 14 (Kosciusko won 41-30)

Starkville 22, Noxubee County 20 (Noxubee County won, 29-8)

Strayhorn 20, TCPS 14 (Strayhorn 45-0)

Vardaman 20, East Webster 13 (East Webster won, 30-14)

 

Saturday

South Panola 31, West Point 14 (South Panola 12-10)