Grip on Sports: College football’s weekend gets off to a roaring start around the area

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s Saturday morning. College football’s big day. Let’s get right to it. Read on.

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• The day begins with one of the Inland Northwest’s teams already in the win column.

Eastern Washington went to Portland yesterday and dominated Portland State 74-23 to win at least a share of the Big Sky Conference title. How much of the crown will be decided today when Weber State travels to Idaho State and UC Davis faces Sacramento State in Nevada (to avoid the smoke in their area).

No matter. The Eagles will be one of the top-ranked teams in the FCS playoffs after a regular season that included nine wins and losses at Washington State, ranked eighth in the nation in the FBS ranks, and Weber.

It’s about as good a resume as is available for an FCS school.

• Speaking of the Cougars, they have revenge on their mind when they host Arizona in the quintessential Pac-12 After Dark matchup in Pullman. Last season the Wildcats pulled off eight plays of more than 40 yards in a 58-37 win in Tucson.

It was one of the worst losses of the season for the Cougars.

On the surface, a win tonight probably does nothing more than keep Washington State’s momentum alive headed into Friday’s Apple Cup. After all, if the Huskies defeat Oregon State today – UW is a prohibitive favorite – then the Pac-12 North title will come down to the rivalry game again. That’s no matter what the outcome of tonight’s contest.

But there is a little more riding on it, actually. The Cougars still have an outside shot of playing in the four-team college football playoffs. And Gardner Minshew has a decent shot at being invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York as one of the finalists. A loss tonight destroys the first of those possibilities and makes the second that much tougher.

• Whitworth hosts a first-round NCAA Division III playoff game this afternoon in the Pine Bowl. It will be cold, at least colder than where the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team has been practicing the past week. That makes the Pirates happy.

So does being in the playoffs with an undefeated record.

The nicest part about Division III, the academic, non-scholarship segment of the NCAA? There are 16 teams with a chance to win a football title, not just four. Funny how that works. The lower levels, including the one that is all about academics, can find a way to have a true postseason tournament while the highest level of competition can’t. And academics are used as the excuse.

• I have to apologize for the bare-bones nature of today’s report. A problem connecting with The Spokesman-Review’s website forced a work-around that took up the available time this morning. So we were only able to link the S-R stories and a few from outside sources. Sorry.

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WSU: Last year’s loss at Arizona is the subject of this Theo Lawson preview, which touches base with Tracy Claeys, the first-year defensive coordinator. … Theo also has his pick – he thinks the Cougars will win – and the keys to the outcome. … I missed this yesterday but you shouldn’t. It’s a story from Jayson Jenks on Minshew and how he quickly became part of the WSU culture. There is a subscription required. … The women’s basketball team won for the first time under new coach Katie Ethridge. … The soccer team’s successful season ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Washington, D.C.

Gonzaga: Jim Meehan takes a look back at the win over Texas A&M, and has some observations about the rout. … Former Gonzaga assistant Leon Rice is enjoying everything about being in Boise.

EWU: Ryan Collingwood was in Hillsboro to document the Eagles’ Big Sky-clinching win. … The Eagles opened their home basketball schedule with an 82-78 overtime loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay. Justin Reed has the game story and Dan Pelle the photo report. … A CFL semifinal game will feature two former Eastern quarterbacks in starring roles. Ryan has that story. … Ryan also had his Big Sky football picks.

Idaho: The Vandals are headed to Florida to finish out their season. It may not be pretty.

Whitworth: As we said, the Pirates will host a Division III first-round playoff game today. Dan Thompson has a preview as well as another story on the next steps if the Whits win. … The sixth-ranked men’s basketball team won its opener.

CCS: The volleyball team advanced to the final rounds of the NWAC championships.

Chiefs: Spokane handled Seattle in the Arena last night. Kevin Dudley has the story from the 4-2 victory.

Preps: Washington’s state volleyball titles will be decided today. We have a roundup of yesterday’s action. We also have roundups from soccer and football.

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• We will be back late tonight with our TV Take following the Washington State game. The broadcast crew on ESPN will feature the same voices from last week’s Colorado game. Until later …