A Grip on Sports: The Cougars return home, so does Idaho and the Seahawks travel to the Bay Area in the fun weekend ahead

A GRIP ON SPORTS • What a weird weekend ahead. How’s this for strange: The Seahawks are in first in the NFC West. The Mariners are tied for first in the American League wild-card standings. The Cougars are going for a perfect nonconference season. So is Washington. And Idaho? It’s expected to be playing before a sellout crowd as it welcomes Drake – no, not that Drake – to the Kibbie Dome.

•••••••

• At least if you want to watch Seattle in their rivalry game Sunday at the 49ers, you don’t have to buy a subscription to Amazon Prime. Unlike last night. Anyone watch? Hotels don’t have the capability on their televisions and we weren’t about to sit in front of our laptop (we are too old for that), so we missed it.

In other words, we didn’t get to see Jaylen Watson do stuff we saw him do the past couple years in Pullman. But his old school will be available tomorrow for all who have access to the Pac-12 Networks, So, not us again. Hotels are weird that way. As are relatives looking to save a few bucks.

Anyhow, the Cougars host winless Colorado State at 2 p.m. If you really love Palouse football, you can probably catch the first half of the Vandals’ game in Moscow and then high-tail it across the border – not too fast, especially if you take the back way by the airport – and watch WSU as well. Or, you can sit in your living room and watch UI on SWX (starting at noon) and then switch over to the Cougs at your leisure.

Washington has a big-time, inter-sectional (is that the right term anymore?) battle with 11th-ranked Michigan State at 4:30 tomorrow, with ABC showing the game to everyone from Montana to Montlake. And other, less-sophisticated, places.

Speaking of those places, if this were the 1970s, we would be glued to the TV set at 9 a.m. Oklahoma invades Nebraska but this isn’t the game, or rivalry, it once was. Heck, the two schools aren’t in the same conference, they both lost coaches in the past nine months and neither have Billy Sims nor Johnny Rodgers in the backfield anymore.

What is really weird, the best games of the day may include Pac-12 schools. California is at Notre Dame (NBC, 11:30 a.m.) with one of the two winless and the other undefeated. Just not who you might think. Also, 12th-ranked BYU travels to No. 25 Oregon for a 12:30 p.m. game on Fox. That seems more interesting, to us anyway, than No. 22 Penn State at Auburn (also 12:30 on CBS).

The Seahawks may actually have an advantage in Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon. It is supposed to rain. Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers haven’t traditionally handled rain well, including last week’s midwestern monsoon in Chicago. If you like to play the “if-the-season-ended-today” game, then you’re in luck. The Hawks would be champions in their first post-Russell Wilson season. In reality, they are wounded, with Jamal Adams out for the season, the ground game suspect and San Francisco angry after the loss to the Bears.

What else is there? Well, baseball of course. The M’s are in Anaheim for a four-game set. It could be interesting as Seattle-killer Mike Trout is healthy again – he recently had a home run in seven consecutive games and none of them were against the Mariners – and Shohei Ohtani will start on the mound this weekend.

• A quick note about the end of an era. Roger Federer retired from tennis yesterday. The first question that comes to everyone is whether he’s the best of all-time at his sport. We’re not sure. He certainly was among the best, what with his 20 Grand Slam titles spread rather evenly over three of the major events (though he won just once, 2009, at the French). He won Wimbledon a record eight times. He was No. 1 in the world a record 237 consecutive weeks. He won at Wimbledon as a 21-year-old and in Australia at 36. Pretty good.

It really doesn’t matter if he is the best ever. His demeanor, his class and his competitiveness put him on a level above many who came before him. He was more of a throwback to tennis’ golden age and helped usher in a new one, in which his rivalry with Rafael Nadal allowed tennis to reach worldwide levels of popularity not seen before.

Federer was special. And will be missed.

•••

WSU: Colorado State looks a lot like Washington State. At least that’s how Jake Dickert sees it. And how he described the Rams to Colton Clark for this preview of Saturday’s game. … The Pac-12 released the final basketball schedule and we have the Cougars’ perspective to pass along. … The soccer team routed Northern Colorado 6-0. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, we passed along Jon Wilner’s picks yesterday. Today we add those of John Canzano. … Wilner has some thoughts on the weekend in the Mercury News. … Washington would love to turn Husky Stadium into a huge home-field advantage again. Michigan State really doesn’t want that, or to see Michael Penix Jr. again. … BYU couldn’t run the ball against Baylor last week. Can the Ducks learn anything from that game plan? It starts with Oregon containing the Cougars’ quarterback. … The offensive line needs to play better for Oregon State … Yes, California is playing a guarantee game at Notre Dame. The Bears need the money. … Colorado has been better early in games thus far. … Cam Rising burst on the scene for Utah last year against San Diego State. … USC and Fresno State should put on an offensive show Saturday night in the Coliseum. … The Sun Belt was tough last week. This one, UCLA hosts South Alabama from that conference. Are the Bruins ripe for an upset? … North Dakota State might be the best team Arizona has faced this season.

Gonzaga: Jalen Suggs is ready for year No. 2 in the NBA. Are the Orlando Magic ready to give him a big role?

Idaho: The Vandal defense has been keyed by takeaways. Wait, that word has another meaning in a sports context. OK, then we’ll use turnovers to be more precise. Ignore the bakery meaning please. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, could the conference lose its commissioner to the Mountain West? … USD heads up to UC Davis this week. … Idaho State is trying hard to improve its defense before facing Central Arkansas. … Northern Colorado travels to Lamar. … A Montana linebacker has really stepped up.

Whitworth: The Pirates welcome Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the three-headed Southern California school, to the Pine Bowl on Saturday. Jason Shoot has a preview. Three on one does not seem fair.

Preps: It’s Friday so Dave Nichols helps gets you ready for the high school weekend with a story on Rogers’ big win last week. … He then adds in coverage of last night’s GSL game, a win for Mead. Tyler Tjomsland has a photo gallery from the contest. … Finally, he throws a roundup of Thursday’s other action your way.

MMA: Charlotte McKinley has a story on Spokane siblings fighting on the same card in Auburn this weekend.  

Mariners: Seattle had another day off prior to the weekend wraparound series in Anaheim. They are still in the wild-card driver’s seat. Just how is that determined? … What trade was key to the rebuild? The one with San Diego.

Seahawks: We linked Matt Calkins thoughts on Jamal Adams yesterday when the story was in the Times. It ran in the S-R this morning. … With Adams out for the year, who will replace him? … Cody Barton made a K.J. Wright-type play against the Broncos. … Shaun Alexander is headed to the Ring of Honor Oct. 16. … Can the Hawks stop the 49ers’ running game?

Storm: Breanna Stewart was not only an all-WNBA pick, she was a unanimous choice.

•••       

• Thanks for tuning in this morning. Remember, we won’t be here tomorrow. We’re off early for a college football game in the most storied stadium on the West Coast. Which one is that? Here’s a hint. It’s a place we covered our first bowl game – wrote a feature about Jacque Robinson. OK, another hint. One year, we played our high school baseball games next door. It’s also next to the place we learned how to play golf. Give up? Then you haven’t been paying attention the past decade. That is on you. Catch up. Figure it out by our return Sunday. Until later …