A Grip on Sports: What happens tonight in Dallas is important, though so was what happened in our area Wednesday night

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is always a decision to be made in this space. And it’s a lot like driving down the interstate on a sunny day in July, headed to Seattle to watch the Mariners. Should we just sit back, scan the road ahead and trust the cruise control to take us where we want to go? Or do we let our eyes dart back and forth from the road ahead to the rearview mirror, as not to be surprised by some wahoo from Virginia blowing past us at 97 miles per hour?

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• Analytics tell us a lot. One is baseball isn’t the only place that term is used – and cursed. The more important truth, at least while writing an Internet-based column, is readers are more interested in stories that set a stage, not those that focus on what just happened.

Fine. The Seahawks are in Dallas tonight. It’s the most-important game in their season. Their Rubicon. Stumble, face plant and they can forget about taking control of an NFC playoff spot. Defy expectations – and the oddsmakers – and they not only win Berta in Bellevue a boatload of cash on some betting app, they also rocket up the playoff expectation boards. And have extra time to prep for a return matchup with division leader San Francisco. With the 49ers coming off an emotional and physical showdown with the Eagles.

Sounds like tonight is pretty important, no? And it’s not on Fox or NBC or, heck, even CBS. If you want to watch, in Spokane at least, you have to stream Amazon Prime. We know. Those of us near Pete Carroll’s age aren’t happy. But we’ll make do, right?

• OK, we made sure to scan the road ahead.

Now, what went on Wednesday night? Quite a bit, actually, with much of it revolving around Eastern Washington. The university, not the geographic area.

Out in Cheney there was one of two college women’s games in the region last night, the only one matching two local teams. And, with the preseason favorites in the West Coast Conference – that would be Gonzaga – visiting the favorites from the Big Sky – uh, Eastern, of course – it was billed as showdown of sorts.

Not sure about that but it certainly was a great game. Back and forth. No one pulling away, no one giving any quarter. And, as should have been expected, it came down to the final possession.

The Eagles (4-2) had a chance to tie or win. The ball was in the hands of the Big Sky’s preseason player of the year, Jamie Loera, whose sister happened to play four productive years at, you guessed it, GU. She probed, was cut off but found an open teammate. The game was on the line. But the shot didn’t fall. And the 7-2 Zags were able to leave Cheney with an 82-80 victory.

The Bulldogs played 22nd-ranked Louisville last weekend. Third-ranked Stanford visits Sunday. But anyone thinking they would overlook the Eagles doesn’t understand the game – at least as it is played in Spokane.

The two programs intermingle in the offseason. The players know each other. Their games interact not just in November but also in the warm months when school isn’t in session. And no one wants to lose to a local peer.

Both have talent. Both have goals. Hence a two-point battle in front of crowd which was split between supporters of both. And those who just love the game.

• Down the roads – Cheney-Spangle to U.S. Highway 195 and straight on until morning is our preferred route – Washington State’s women welcomed in overmatched Texas A&M – Commerce. It wasn’t supposed to be close. It wasn’t. In fact, the Cougars’ 111 points were the third-most they have ever scored. They set records for assists and field goals. And the 61-point margin of victory was among their best ever.

For some reason the 8-1 Cougs aren’t ranked. Even if they are among the frontrunners for a Pac-12 title that, in its final year, features second-ranked UCLA, the aforementioned third-ranked Stanford Cardinal, No. 6 USC, No. 7 Colorado and No. 12 Utah. Maybe there’s some sort of unwritten quota for Pac-12 schools?

Or maybe those who haven’t found a home somewhere else next year are ineligible.

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WSU: As we just finished relaying, the women won not just big last night but massively. … It looks as if the next football season is coming into focus. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has a preview of the football title game in the Mercury News. The Pac-12 Networks won’t be involved in any way. He also communicated with former Arizona AD Greg Byrne to get his thoughts on the conference’s breakup. … Who will win the conference championships this weekend? … It may behoove Washington to find as many ways as possible to get Rome Odunze the ball this Friday. To do that, of course, the Huskies may need to make sure Michael Penix Jr. stays upright. It’s obvious Oregon’s game plan is to try to knock him around. The Ducks have the same issues though. … Trent Bray is like Harry Potter in one way. He’s the boy who stayed. Stayed loyal to his alma mater, Oregon State. Now he’s also the guy in charge. John Canzano has the story behind the hire as well as some thoughts on college football overall. By the way, next year will be different. … Deion Sanders is Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year. The computers must love him. Recruits? Not so much right now. … Utah had the oddest season at quarterback. … Is USC a destination these days? … Will Arizona State add a quarterback from the portal? … Expect Arizona in the Alamo Bowl. … In basketball news, Wilner has his most recent power rankings. … The biggest game in the Rocky Mountain region didn’t go Colorado’s way, as the Buffs lost to No. 20 Colorado State. … Utah is playing as well as expected. … Arizona State won again last night. … Arizona is defending better this season. … Oregon needs another player. Now. … Oregon State’s women picked up a win, a big one for coach Scott Rueck. … The conference has always been one of the women’s best.

Gonzaga: We link Greg Lee’s story from the Zag-Eagles game in the GU section, using the to-the-winner-goes-the-spoils test. … On the heels of his 32-point outburst against UCLA in Hawaii, Anton Watson reverted to his do-what’s-needed-to-win form against Cal State Bakersfield. And that caught Theo Lawson’s eye. He delves into the senior-year Watson in this story. … Around the WCC, Saint Mary’s issues may cause their opponents, like Utah, issues in March.  

EWU: We wrote in this space yesterday the Eagles had to beware USC’s Boogie Ellis. They probably had a plan. But it didn’t work. The USC guard hit a career-high eight 3-pointers, scored 28 points and led the host Trojans to an easy 106-78 victory. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the biggest news comes from UC Davis, where football coach Dan Hawkins resigned. He turned the program around in his seven years. … Montana is an FCS school through and through. This week’s opponent, Delaware, is leaving. … Montana State has its hands full with North Dakota State. … Same for Sacramento State, except on the road against North Dakota. … In basketball, Nevada defeated Montana in Reno. … The Weber State women have yet to win. … Northern Arizona lost for the first time in a while.

Idaho: Hey, there is one local school still playing football. For the Vandals, this Saturday’s FCS playoff game with Southern Illinois is their first in 30 years. OK, most of those years UI was playing at the FBS level but, still. Colton Clark has a look at the Salukis and the importance of the home, ESPN2-televised playoff game. … The men’s basketball team fell at home to Denver 67-65 in a nonconference game.

Chiefs: Despite sharp goaltending from Dawson Cowan, Spokane fell 2-0 to first-place Saskatoon at the Arena. Dave Nichols was there and has this story.

Preps: When a mostly rural community makes a change in one of the important coaching spots, there is often push back. That happened last night at Freeman’s school board meeting after the recent dismissal of the Scotties football coach. Garrett Cabeza has the story. … We can pass along a roundup of Wednesday’s basketball action. … Former Shadle Park High standout Jake Groves battled through a battered eye and helped Virginia handle No. 14 Texas A&M last night.

Seahawks: Don’t expect to see Kenneth Walker III in prime time tonight. … Here’s what else you should be looking to see.

Sounders: The purchase of the OL Reign is getting closer.

Kraken: The biggest issue Seattle has currently is with its netminders.

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• We are ready for tonight. All we have to do is buy some Texas-style barbecue. Luckily, that is possible in Spokane. … By the way, we finally were able to fix a mistake we had near the top. It concerned next week’s opponent. We got ahead of ourself a bit. Until later …