A Grip on Sports: With football season in full swing this weekend, it’s time to get a comfortable place to sit and watch

A GRIP ON SPORTS • When have we stepped into an early September weekend and not recommended – and chronicled – all the football that is on your TV? The answer to that question would be, uh, never. There is college football. The NFL from near and far. Heck, there are probably even high school games somewhere – if you are inclined to recline your Laz-E-Boy and watch.

•••••••

• Not sure if you watched as NBC parsed and re-parsed, showed and re-showed, replayed and, well, re-replayed the final play of the Chiefs’ NFL-opening 27-20 win over visiting Baltimore last night. We missed it. But we saw the videos. Saw the photos. Saw the toe on the line. What a great way to start the 2024 season.

After all, what is more NFL these days than an NFL game coming down to a replay review? The only thing that would have been better is if, somehow, some way, it had ultimately been adjudicated incorrectly – we’re looking at you Ravens’ players, who insist it was – allowing for an unending uproar to start the first weekend.

Wait until tonight in Brazil. Or maybe Sunday in Seattle. Monday in the Bay. Then again, we may just have to wait until Week 14 or something. But it will happen. Book it.

• Speaking of the NFL, we only circle one complete game to watch each week. The Hawks, whomever they are playing. This week it happens to be the Broncos (1 p.m., CBS). Without Russell Wilson, who has moved on to Pittsburgh. Good thing, too. Who can handle another three hours of the broadcast crew parsing every little nuance of interaction between Wilson and Pete Carroll … oh, wait.

Anyhow, that’s the only game we watch in its entirety. Otherwise, it’s the RedZone Channel for us. Scott Hanson for president, right?

• There is too much to watch Saturday. Again. We counted 29 college football games in the S-R’s listings, including WSU hosting Texas Tech (7 p.m., Fox), Drake at Eastern Washington (4, SWX) and Idaho at Wyoming (12:30, truTV). That’s a full afternoon just watching games from local schools.

Add in the Northwest’s best – Oregon State is at San Diego State (7:30, CBS Sports Network), seventh-ranked Oregon hosts Boise State (7, Peacock) and Washington welcoming in Eastern Michigan (12:30, Big Ten Network, if you can get it) – and there are not enough hours in the day for college football.

But you have to dedicate at least three more. At 9 a.m., defending national champion Michigan hosts newest SEC member Texas before at least 100,000 people – and the Fox audience. The Wolverines are ranked 10th, which is fine. But still seven spots lower than Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns.

• Our picks to watch this weekend, non-football variety? We recommend the U.S. Open tennis, only because for once you can root for American players in the finals. Both finals. Women’s, which is usual, and men’s, which isn’t.

Jessica Pegula, whose family will be busy Sunday watching the NFL team they own, the Buffalo Bills, will try to win her first major Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN) after rallying to defeat Karolina Muchova in last night’s semifinal. She faces last year’s runner-up Aryna Sabalenka, who kept Emma Navarro from making the final an All-American matchup, with a straight-set semifinal win.

The men’s semis are tonight in New York, but one U.S. player will be in Sunday’s final (11 a.m., ESPN) as Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe play the final semifinal tonight at 4 (ESPN).

• One last thought. If the M’s pull a Colorado Rockies, circa 2007, and make the postseason with a 14-1 finish, you can thank us. We gave up on them this week. Left the room. Turned off our interest. Moved on. Which means … yep, they still have a shot.

With their 6-4 win yesterday in Oakland – the last game in that city, by the way (and by the Bay) – coupled with Houston’s 1-0 loss in Cincinnati, the Mariners pulled closer to the top of the A.L. West. Five-and-a-half games out with 21 left to play. Five games behind in the loss column. Ya, it’s possible. Just not probable in our mind. Besides, they are so frustrating to watch, why do it?

Especially with all the football on.

If you must watch, the M’s are in St. Louis all weekend. The games are on Root, with Friday’s beginning at 5:15 p.m., Saturday’s at 4:15 and Sunday’s 11:15 a.m.

•••

WSU: We have decided to write in this space tomorrow. Mainly because we want to delve into our time with Mike Leach, who will be honored at the Cougar game, against, appropriately, Texas Tech, tomorrow night. Also appropriate? Greg Woods’ story today is on a Washington State receiver, Kyle Williams, who has become more than just a deep threat in his time in Pullman. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, we may delve into this a bit more at some later date, but the news the judge is not ready to approve the House settlement, and that it all may fall apart, was a big deal – and was under-covered today. … Jon Wilner passes along this week’s West Coast recruiting roundup in the Mercury News. It looks at each of the schools in the region and their top-rated recruit. For WSU, it is cornerback Jamarey Smith. … Both Wilner and John Canzano have their picks for the weekend. If you want to play the hot hand, pay attention to what Canzano is saying. Wilner, on the other hand, leads off with some thoughts on the Cougar game. … Oregon State may have its challenges this weekend, with San Diego State’s offense and with running the ball against an Aztec defense that will certainly stack the box. … Oregon is 0-3 against Boise State all-time. But the Ducks have a long nonconference home winning streak going. One will have to give. … A Washington cornerback got his starting spot the old-fashioned way: He earned it. … USC will retire Caleb Williams’ number, 13, this season. It was a done deal when he won the Heisman. Same with Reggie Bush’s No. 5 returning to retired status, now he has his trophy back. … The Colorado at Nebraska game may be must-watch TV as well, what with all the Buffs’ stars and all. … Utah has a non-Big 12 showdown with Baylor this week. The game was already on the books before conference realignment. … A UCLA player is ready to share NIL money with his teammates. … Get this. Mississippi State is worried about the weather in Tempe. What, the lack of humidity? … Just how did Arizona handle New Mexico? … In the Mountain West, there was not a lot of challenge for Utah State’s defense last week. … The world is changing. Air Force cadets do not have to attend home football games anymore. … A Hawaii defensive lineman is improving. … San Diego State has lost a key offensive lineman.

EWU: Efton Chism III may never be No. 1 in any of Eastern’s career receiving statistical lists – thanks, Cooper Kupp – but he is rising up many of them quickly. Dan Thompson’s story today documents how quickly. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State is set to host Maine, which makes the long trip to Bozeman. … Third-ranked Montana will look to run the ball on the road against No. 23 North Dakota. … This happens a lot these days. A Northern Colorado player gets to play his old team, Colorado State, on the road this week. … Weber State is glad to be back home as it opens conference play against Portland State. … The Idaho State quarterback competition is over. … Northern Arizona is trying for an upset over Arizona. … Sacramento State has never played consecutive FBS games before. After Saturday at Fresno State it will have. … In basketball news, Weber State has almost finished its schedule.

Idaho: What’s the best way to overcome an injury to your starting quarterback? Not sure, but maybe it’s just by running the ball more – and better. That may be the Vandals’ plan this weekend at Wyoming, as Peter Harriman discusses in this story. … We linked Bruce Feldman’s story in The Athletic yesterday about NIL’s role in Oregon’s ability to hold off Idaho. The story appeared on the S-R’s site today.

Indians: Spokane’s place in next week’s Northwest League championship series is assured, and has been for a couple months. So is, now, its opponent, but we will get to that in a moment. Before then, here is Dave Nichols’ story on the Indians’ 4-2 loss last night in Everett. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Vancouver’s walk-off 4-3 win over Eugene clinched the other playoff spot. … Hillsboro tried to stay in the hunt with a 2-1 win at Tri-City.

Paralympics: Another day in Paris. Another group of medals for local athletes. Madison McCord has all the news in this story.

Seahawks: Sunday’s opener will be the first real test of the rookie class. Can it do as well as the two previous ones? … It will also be the first real test for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. … Yep. Geno Smith did ask for an extension. … Truth is a good thing in every walk of life. … Connor Williams is doing everything he can to be ready Sunday. … By the way, don’t try to follow the NFL game from Brazil tonight on Twitter (ya, we know, it’s called X now). It’s been banned in the country.

Storm: If Seattle is going to compete for a WNBA title again, it will have to figure out a way to handle Breanna Stewart – 7-0 against the Storm since leaving as free agent – and the Liberty. New York won 77-70 at home last night.

Mariners: We mentioned the M’s win above. Linked the story. But the more important one from Ryan Divish yesterday? The news Jerry Dipoto will be back next season. Is that important? Not really, as long as the ownership group continues to use the franchise as an ATM. … Did you know the M’s don’t have 1,000 hits this season? We didn’t, mainly because we never looked at that total.

Sounders: Raul Ruidiaz won’t be back next season. Maybe Seattle will actually use the money to invest in a younger, more athletic striker.

Reign: Seattle will try to keep its road streak alive in L.A.

•••       

• Yes, we will be here tomorrow morning. But not tomorrow night for the Cougar game. Or, more than likely, Sunday morning. Saturday night may just end way too late for us to get up and write. Until later …