A Grip on Sports: This Black Friday, and through the weekend, the best deals are actually on your TV set

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It wasn’t that long ago getting up at zero dark thirty, scraping the ice off the windshield and heading out to Shopko or K-Mart was mandatory for the Friday after Thanksgiving. That is if you wanted an $11 Cabbage Patch doll for your daughter’s Christmas. If not? You did then what you’ll do today. Watch football on TV.

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• Or is it the day you collect everything you’re owed before hitting the road? Sorry, but sometimes, after reeling in all the years, I confuse real life with 1970’s Steely Dan lyrics. Makes it hard not to hum the band’s Black Friday tune today.

At least until the games hit.

College football. NFL. College hoop. NHL. Heck, if you are adventurous (or lose your cable connection), and have a nice warm coat and heated socks, heading outside to take in a high school playoff game in person. That last one, though is going to necessitate a long drive as the local games are mainly on Saturday.

Not up to it? Settle in. It’s a busy weekend.

As has been tradition on this tradition-laden holiday, Friday is packed, starting at 9 a.m., when two of today’s four football games featuring ranked teams, kicks. No. 11 Boise State, the frontrunner for the token Group of Five CFP spot, hosts Oregon State (Fox). And 23rd-ranked Colorado, coming off a dream-killing loss to Kansas, bounces back against woeful Oklahoma State (ABC).

The other ranked teams? That would be 15th-ranked Mississippi (hosting the Egg Bowl at 12:30 p.m.) and No. 6 Georgia (hosting overmatched Georgia Tech at 4:30). Both are on ABC. Today’s NFL offering? The Raiders at Kansas City (noon on Prime).

That’s not all that’s worth watching, though. The third-ranked – for now – Zags return to ESPN2 tonight (5:30), facing Davidson with a chance to end their Bahamas’ trip with a winning record.  

• Saturday features even more college football (and NFL). Among the rivalry fare with an impact on conference title games and CFP rankings: Michigan at second-ranked Ohio State (9 a.m., Fox); No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson (9, ESPN); fifth-ranked Notre Dame at USC (12:30 p.m., CBS); No. 14 Arizona State at Arizona (12:30, Fox); Auburn at No. 13 Alabama (12:30, ABC); and Washington at No. 1 Oregon (4:30, NBC).

That list doesn’t even include the games of local interest, mainly Washington State hosting Wyoming (3:30, The CW) and Whitworth against North Central in the NCAA Division III playoffs’ second round (noon, ESPN+).

• Sunday? The NFL, of course. The Seahawks, once again leading the NFC West despite being only a hair above .500, is in New Jersey. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets await in the early (10 a.m.) time slot, once the graveyard of Seattle’s hopes. No more, but if the 6-5 Hawks somehow lose to the reeling – and 3-7 – Jets, the Meadowlands may bury their dreams.

By the time Buffalo snows under San Francisco (5:20, NBC) hard by Lake Erie, even the most-hard core sports enthusiast – or bettor – should be stuffed.

• If you are a big-box traditionalist as it relates to shopping, make sure you stop by Big Five or Dick’s Sporting Goods today. See if they have a sell on whistles. New ones may be needed in the Bahamas. Three folks broke theirs Thursday.

Everyone knew first-round upset victims Gonzaga and Indiana were going to come out fired up yesterday. Ready to be physical and aggressive. It was even a point of emphasis on the pregame broadcast. The three guys in charge must have missed the memo. But they weren’t unaware for long.

It got dark fast. Ugly. Chippy. Mean even. Finally, it came to blows. And having not tried to contain the violence with early whistles, a double flagrant foul was all the three officials could come up with – one, a forearm blow by Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako to the back of Graham Ike’s neck, deserved – to control the hostility. When that didn’t work – note to self: it rarely does – they resorted to calling every touch. The result? Forty-four fouls, split in half, even though one team wanted the clock to run and the other was trying to stop it constantly. And turned a game that wasn’t close in the final 30 minutes, into a muddy mess that took well over two hours.

Heck, GU’s 89-73 win ran so long it pushed dinner back a while because someone forgot to turn on the oven. Uh, that was me.

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WSU: Will tomorrow’s game with Wyoming be John Mateer’s last in Martin Stadium? Or will the enticing NIL riches reportedly being offered wash over the quarterback like a postgame shower? That’s not a question than can be answered as November exits the stage. But what is quantifiable is how much Mateer’s play has improved as the season rolls on. Greg Woods does just that today as he looks ahead to Saturday’s last home game. We are contemplating addressing the Mateer question from a bunch of angles tomorrow. … The women’s basketball team picked up its third win of the season, topping Norfolk State in the Puerto Rico Shootout. … Back to football for a second, we have a couple stories from Laramie to pass along. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, we start with picks of the games. From Jon Wilner in the Mercury News. From John Canzano. From Christian Caple. From The Athletic. Hey, we actually have a couple from that website to pass along. … There is CFP news as well as we kick off the last week of the regular season. And previews of what’s on TV and all the top games. … All of that applies to top-ranked Oregon’s home game this week, as Washington heads down I-5 for the annual hate-filled battle. The Huskies are playing coy concerning the starting quarterback but there can be only one choice. … As for the Beavers, they are also trying to keep their signal-caller plans under wraps. A win means OSU can play in a bowl. … Utah is done no matter what happens in today’s matchup at UCF. … There is a rivalry game of sorts today at San Jose State, where Stanford visits in what’s become to be known as the Bill Walsh Legacy Game. If you didn’t know, the Hall of Fame coach who led the 49ers to three Super Bowl titles, attended San Jose State and coached the Cardinal. … Will Colorado add another Heisman Trophy to its case? Maybe. But it’s more of a longshot, even with a win over Oklahoma State, the Buffs will make the Big 12 title game. … UCLA finishes its season by hosting Fresno State. … USC has a bowl game waiting but Saturday’s chance to upset visiting Notre Dame is a bigger deal. It may come down to the Trojan defense’s ability to hold up against the run. … The most-important rivalry game of the day may just be in Tucson. If Arizona State wins, the Sun Devils are pretty much a lock to play for a CFP berth next week. If Arizona wins? The AU alum holding down the cash register at the Tempe 7-Eleven will get to rub it in every time a Sun Devil comes in for coffee. For at least a year. … Hey, recruiting never stops. Ask Deion Sanders and Colorado. … In the Mountain West, San Jose State’s Nick Nash has gone from a backup quarterback to the most-prolific receiver in college football. … Hawaii and New Mexico have some similarities. … UNLV has a clear path to the playoffs. Just win twice more. … Air Force is looking to be more efficient on offense. … In basketball news, the Washington men picked up a tournament win over Colorado State.

Gonzaga: One of the weirdest stats I’ve ever seen? Ike picked up four fouls yesterday in just two seconds of game time. The flagrant he received in the first half came on a free throw box out. It was his foul that caused the clock stoppage. At the 16-minute, 34-second mark of the second, Ike was called for his third foul. His fourth came on the ensuing inbounds play. Two seconds, four fouls. That may be some sort of Gonzaga record. Anyhow, all that minutia and more is contained in Jim Meehan’s game story. … Jim also combined with the folks in the office for the recap with highlights. … Dave Boling has a column that highlights many of our thoughts about the aggressiveness, the anger and the angst caused by the incessant whistles. … Theo Lawson has a look at former GU player Oumar Ballo’s big game as well as a notebook. … Tonight’s game with Davidson? Theo has that preview. He also updates a reserve center’s injury. … Tyler Tjomsland has the photo report. … The women opened their tropical tournament – they are in the Virgin Islands – the same way their male counterparts did. A close defeat. Greg Lee watched GU’s rally that came up just short in a 65-64 Paradise Jam loss to Missouri State. … Elsewhere in the WCC, the Saint Mary’s men walloped USC 71-36 in a tournament matchup. … Santa Clara used a second half run to top TCU 69-52.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Northern Arizona is off to Texas for its first-round FCS playoff game. … Montana hosts Tennessee State and there is a lot to watch. … The new defensive coordinator at Idaho State is addicted to football. … There will also be more changes at his former home, Weber State. … In basketball news, the Montana State women won for the first time on the road.

Seahawks: How is DK Metcalf’s shoulder doing? … Ernest Jones IV has been a big deal since arriving via trade a few weeks ago. Is he the best in-season trade acquisition the Hawks have ever made?

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• For once I did not overeat on Thanksgiving. At least during the meal. Before and after? Maybe. Hey, we had two pies and a cake in the fridge. The dessert gluttony was not only expected but demanded by the baker. The all-day snacking? That’s on me. But, in my defense, there were a lot of football and basketball games on TV. Just saying. Until later …