A Grip on Sports: The break is over … in more ways than one

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh, yes, waiting for Santa. That happened. But we also were on a handful of other wait lists. We were waiting for the Seahawks to get going, waiting for the last real Pac-12 bowl season to get in gear and waiting for college basketball’s conference season to get off the bench. Seems as if our patience is about to be answered.

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• The wait for the Hawks to fly went on interminably Christmas Eve. Heck, it didn’t happen until the afternoon, even on the Best Coast. The fourth quarter if you were keeping score, as we’re sure you were. But, thanks to his keep-it-close-against-bad-teams defense (patent pending), Pete Carroll was able to have another locker-room rant about winning in the final 15 minutes.

Talk about pushing the edge of the envelope.

In the end, though, Geno Smith led a scoring drive, the Titans were unable to do anything after and the Seahawks had another 20-17 victory. A victory that lifted them into seventh in the NFC playoff picture. So what, you say. Well, if they defeat Pittsburgh at home Sunday and win at Arizona the final week of the regular season, seventh is where they will stay. At least.

Fate control and all that.

Of course, who here believes the Hawks will win those two games? A show of hands, please. OK, those of you who put them up, good on ya. How many of you think they’ll do it handily? You know, not wait until the fourth quarter to get it done?

Ya, just what we thought too. Better break out the Tums. They’ll be needed.

• No need for stomach medicine today. Not unless you decided to bet your Christmas money on the First Responder Bowl or something. (We have Rice, by the way.)

But you better have the antacids ready for Wednesday and beyond. That’s when we really get to experience the full bowl experience, circa 2023. If you are like us and make sure to tune in when Pac-12 schools are playing, then the bowl season really begins in San Diego, with USC – or a bunch of guys in the uniforms – taking on Louisville. The guys in Arizona colors face Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday and Pac-2-member Oregon State puts its new-look group into the coaching boxes and on the field against Notre Dame on Friday in El Paso’s Sun Bowl.

The weekend is free. And then 2024 kicks off with Washington vs. Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns in the playoffs. Oh, and Oregon has a Fiesta Bowl date with undefeated Liberty.

• The 2024 NCAA basketball tournament begins this week as well. If you want to stretch the definition a bit.

Conference games in the Big Sky and Pac-12 get really going Thursday and, for almost all of the members, they will determine who gets to play in March Madness.

Sure, there is one team, Arizona, in those two conferences that will make the tournament unless it posts an epic collapse. Everyone else, from Washington State to Stanford, from Portland State to Eastern Washington, are playing for seeding. Conference-tournament seeding. And it is the play in those tournaments that will determine March. A few Pac-12 schools, such as Colorado or Utah, Washington or USC, heck even the Cougars, who could assure themselves an NCAA berth with a strong conference regular season showing. And even those schools will need to avoid an early flame out in the conference tournament. That’s what the awful nonconference showing has done.

Of course, the Big Sky schools are playing for one bid. Always.

• While those conferences get going, the WCC continues nonconference play, highlighted by Kent State visiting Saint Mary’s on Friday. Just kidding. San Diego State at the Kennel against 13th-ranked Gonzaga that night is the marquee matchup. Then again, as the only ranked school this year, the Zags’ game is pretty much going to be the top one each time. Until March.

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WSU: Hey, just spit-balling here. But the Cougars could use an experienced quarterback. And Jayden de Laura just hit the portal again. A reunion? Hey, stop laughing. Or cussing. We said we were just spit-balling. Greg Woods has the particulars of de Laura’s decision. And there is more from Tucson. … We also want to pass along this Kyle Manzardo story. … Myles Rice is starting to get national acclaim. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, what’s up with Washington and its machinations? Not just on the field, but as this Seattle Times story illuminates, off the field as well. … A former USC player (and big-time recruiter) is on a new team, one that has real-world implications. … California is trying to lure Brock Purdy’s brother Chubba from the transfer portal. … Man, Colorado is hitting the portal hard again. … Micah Bernard was so happy to play again for Utah. He can’t wait for next season. … Even if this year is still in bloom, Arizona State is planting seeds for the Big 12. … In basketball news, we linked Jon Wilner’s conference preview a couple days ago when it appeared in the Mercury News. It was in the S-R today. As was the one covering the women. … We have more news about the women to pass along as well. … How did Colorado’s men do in the nonconference? … Fourth-ranked Arizona scheduled a nonconference gantlet – and no matter what you read elsewhere, that’s the accepted AP style for the term, not gauntlet – and Tommy Lloyd is still happy he did.

Gonzaga: The Zags rose two spots in the latest A.P. basketball poll. Jim Meehan has that story. … The women remained in the 20th spot. … ESPN analyst Jay Bilas keeps ups with the GU program as well as anyone in the nation outside the 509 area code. And he has some thoughts, which Justin Reed shares here.

Idaho: Kaden Ellis had a great game Sunday. And the former UI linebacker helped the Falcons defeat Gardner Minshew’s Colts. That news leads off Taylor Newquist’s weekly look at locals in the NFL. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, just how did Montana make the FCS finals? … Northern Arizona’s athletic department underwent some change in 2023.

Preps: A former Mt. Spokane volleyball player, Lielani Ama, was the freshman of the year in the Division II ranks. That news kicks off the S-R’s latest local brief column.  

Seahawks: Dave Boling watched the Hawks’ game Sunday and was once again witness to a near-miracle comeback. … Smith had to lead a game-winning drive. He just wanted to keep up with Drew Lock. And keep the playoff hopes alive. … Julian Love delivered big Sunday. … There are always grades. And things to learn.

Mariners: While we were lollygagging yesterday, we missed passing along big M’s news. Well, big for the Mariners. They signed a free agent. A hitter.

Kraken: Tomas Tatar is settling in with Seattle.

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• Another day of wearing shorts. It’s what we do when the temp is above 60. And where we are today, it is above 60. Or will be. Until later …