A Grip on Sports: There are more problems at Washington State than just dealing with Holiday Bowl opponent Syracuse

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh, right. Wondering how the decimated Cougars will do in their bowl game. And whether new leadership in the school’s Office of the President will be a game-changer for Washington State.

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• The latter will not have anything to do with the former will it? But John Canzano’s Christmas Eve column on his website seemed to open a floodgate of emotion among the WSU faithful.

Canzano has been delving deeply into Washington State’s athletic department for the past few years. Basically, ever since the rest of the Pac-12 left the Cougars and Oregon State behind. From the legal battle the schools fought against their former classmates, to the coaching and player defections that have become the norm for collegiate sports, Canzano has made sure to highlight the Beavers’ and Cougs’ struggles to stay relevant.

And financially secure.

It’s the money aspect that’s hit hard lately, especially around Bohler. And Canzano’s Christmas Eve column identified a Grinch: Soon-to-be retired President Kirk Schulz. Seems the school’s Board of Regents, grappling with a school in need of more funding and an athletic department that’s hemorrhaged cash over the past decade or so, still decided in November to give the athletic department an end-of-the-year bonus.

“Schulz’s bosses told him to work with Leslie Brunelli, the school’s chief financial officer, to find an additional $2 million in institutional support for athletics,” Canzano wrote. “The president was instructed to get the funds and report back. Per a source close to the board: ‘That didn’t happen.’ ”

Well, eventually it did. The bigger problem, as identified in the column, was “Schulz failed to inform (Anne) McCoy, his (athletic director), that new money was coming. McCoy confirmed that she first learned about the money in an email exchange with the regents on Sunday, several days after (football coach Jake) Dickert was introduced at Wake Forest.”

The insinuation? If McCoy knew the money was in the pipeline, and known the regents were also looking for another $4 million to also send the department’s way, she could have made Dickert a better offer. Maybe he would have stayed.

That’s unknowable, right? But we do know there has been tension between the president’s office and the athletic department since Schulz took over from Elson Floyd in 2016.

That tension led to then-football coach Mike Leach agreeing to become Tennessee’s coach in November of 2017, a deal that fell apart when the Vols’ fired their athletic director. And then Leach departing for Mississippi State in 2020. It also was a driving force behind athletic director Bill Moos’ leaving his alma mater for Nebraska after serving under Schulz for a little more than a year.

Schulz’s choice to run the athletic department after Moos left? Pat Chun, a well-regard fundraiser who alienated much of the department’s staff before doing the unforgiveable – in many if not most Cougar alums’ eyes – and taking the same position at the University of Washington.

All the while, the athletic department spent more money than it had, a practice that began under Floyd and continues to be a concern – and consistent with the rest of the university, which has been dealing with a cash crunch since pandemic days, fueled by rising costs and falling enrollment.

The football program’s budget has been trimmed recently. Coaches took pay cuts. More cuts were on the way for 2025 – cuts that will also occur on other parts of campus. And yet, according to Canzano, that $2 million is still available for McCoy to use while rebuilding the football coaching staff. Enough? No. There is never enough money in Pullman. Not these days. Not with the cost of chasing the dream of being one of the NCAA’s chosen few includes more scholarships, more investment in players, more outside-the-department-funded name, image and likeness money. And fewer media dollars to pay for it.

WSU will play football Friday night in San Diego. Put a team on Snapdragon Stadium’s much-maligned grass for the Holiday Bowl that has 28 players in the transfer portal, about half starters – though some may play. Quarterback John Mateer, the driving force behind the 8-4 regular season, won’t. Neither will star linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah or running back Wayshawn Parker or receiver Kris Hutson.

It won’t be easy. Syracuse, which finished the regular season 9-3 and hasn’t been hit by portal defections nearly as hard (and still has its head coach), would have been a tough opponent even if the Cougs were whole. They aren’t. And may not be. Ever again.

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WSU: One last thought about Schulz and whomever Washington State hires to take his place. The financial problems in higher education make the WSU job almost impossible right now. Athletics are just a part of the iceberg. The most visible part, sure, but only a part. If whoever the Cougars pick to replace Schulz can actually fix all the university’s funding problems, they should earn a statue. Right next to Butch’s. But only if someone will donate the cost of having it cast. … Greg Woods has a little on the Canzano column in this notebook. … Greg’s main story for today? A look at starting quarterback Zevi Eckhaus’ month. It’s been an eventful one. … There is also a guest column in the S-R with some thoughts on the transfer losses and how the school should deal with them in the future. … Greg still has his portal tracker. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner looks at the football season in terms of the media that covers it. … Canzano returned Christmas Day with a column about one of his readers. … It’s a transition year for bowl games. … The same can be said about Oregon State’s athletics. … Oregon’s play caller Will Stein will be in the spotlight during the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal. So will Ohio State’s. … The Ducks and Buckeyes have already met once this season. … Part of the reason Arizona State went from being picked to finish last in the Big 12 to a bye in the CFP is the emergence of running back Cam Skattebo. … Former California quarterback Fernando Mendoza is reportedly headed to Indiana. … Colorado hasn’t won a bowl game in 20 years. Will the Alamo Bowl be different? … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, though San Jose State isn’t one of them, the Spartans’ Christmas Eve bowl loss in Hawaii deserves some recognition. The 41-39 defeat against South Florida took five overtimes. … Colorado State is back in a bowl for the first time since 2017. … Boise State has a tough assignment in the Fiesta Bowl. Stop Penn State’s All-American tight end. … ESPN had an explanation for the Bulldongs screwup. … In basketball news, we can pass along the West Coast women’s rankings from the Mercury News’ Jeff Metcalfe. Portland and Oregon are the only Northwest schools mentioned. … Oregon State’s men came up short yesterday in the Diamond Head Classic final against Nebraska.

Gonzaga: The West Coast Conference men’s schedule hits hard this weekend, though the Zags are playing UCLA in a key nonconference showdown Saturday in Los Angeles. Jim Meehan highlights the best players in the conference as the WCC, which includes Washington State this season, gets set to begin. … There was a Christmas story as well, with Justin Reed delving into Ben Gregg’s good works around town. … A basketball story? Sure. Theo Lawson looks at the Bulldogs’ outstanding free throw shooting.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana has recruited a USC transfer quarterback out of the portal, hoping he will give the offense a spark. … Idaho State’s best defensive lineman entered the portal and ended up at Ohio State. … The Bengals and everyone else will be dealing next year with an NCAA ruling concerning JC athletes.

Jiujitsu: Charlotte McKinley has a story you won’t want to miss. And not your usual martial arts piece. It covers Rachel Burns’ journey in the sport of jiujitsu.

Seahawks: The Hawks are in Chicago for tonight’s must-win game against the Bears. They won’t have their top running back. … There are always grades. Even season ones. Sometimes they are not easy to hand out. … Could Pete Carroll actually be coaching in the NFL again? … Netflix had the NFL’s Christmas broadcasts, with two games yesterday. I had issues but think it was more of an “us” thing than the channel’s. … Michael Penix looked like a competent NFL quarterback in his first start.

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• Yesterday was special. Not just because it was Christmas and all that entails. But also because with the day off, the dogs let me sleep until after 8 p.m. Wow. Not sure the last time that happened. It was really nice. Until later …