A Grip on Sports: Winter can’t really put its icy grip around us until college football is finished, right?

A GRIP ON SPORTS • A winter’s day. In a deep and dark January. The walls built against the freshly fallen shroud of snow will break down a little tonight. Thanks to the joyful melody of a college football playoff game feature two programs that have sunk like rocks in big games the past decade or so.

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• Who you got? Are you singing the praises of Penn State, which has entered two big tests this season – against Ohio State and Oregon – hopeful and expectant, only to implode on an island of mistakes and mismanagement?

Or are you among the Notre Dame faithful, hoping the Irish will awaken the slumbering memories of long-ago dominance, as relevant to the modern game as Knute Rockne and The Four Horseman?

If you are among those who wait each month for your Social Security payment to appear in your bank account, the matchup recalls days gone by, when college football meant clouds of dust, card stunts and the once-a-year “Game of the Century,” all brought to you by Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson on ABC.  

Tonight’s Orange Bowl may carry the same name you revered as a child, but it certainly isn’t your grand pop’s Orange Bowl. It’s a College Football Playoff semifinal, and it’s on ESPN, kicking off around 4:30.

Pretty much all new, just like the sport. But there could be a callback to days gone by. The two participants play a throwback brand of football that should churn away at the Bermuda grass at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

Maybe we will get a chance to watch a cloud of dust.

• There wasn’t any dust on either offense in the Kennel on Wednesday night. Though there was as much contact at times as you might see in the Miami trenches tonight.

The blows, in large part, were delivered by Gonzaga’s Graham Ike, though the San Diego defenders, not wishing to appear weak, answered back in kind.

The Zags’ 6-foot-9 post went to the line multiple times, hitting 13 of his 15 attempts as he rumbled for 15 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds. That last number is impressive. Then again, with the teams throwing up shots at a rate comparable to an NBA All-Star game, and missing almost 57% of them, they were plenty of opportunities.

The teams combined for 129 shots from the field – more than three each minute of play. There were 73 misses. The only Gonzaga starter that converted better than 43% of his shots? Ben Gregg, who connected on 9 of his 12. Other than that, there were a whole bunch of rebounding opportunities.

No wonder Mark Few described the 93-80 victory, which raised the 18th-ranked Bulldogs’ record to 13-4, as “Just kind of one of those games.”

• Washington State will formally introduce its new football coach in a 2 p.m. Pullman news conference. The event will probably feature Butch, the Cougar band, a bunch of balloons and little in the way of news. After all, Jimmy Rogers was hired last year – if you like calendar puns.

Today’s event will be a celebration. A turning of the page from the frowns engendered by Jake Dickert’s sudden departure to the smiles inherent with a new era’s beginning.

Don’t be surprised if Rogers’ coming-out party is accompanied by a bunch of new faces among the players in attendance. And maybe a South Dakota State T-shirt or two. After all, Rogers isn’t moving to Pullman alone. He’s already enticed at least 15 former Jackrabbits to the Palouse, as well as three former recruits.

These days, when a university hires a new coach, it’s expected he or she will be accompanied by a legion of reinforcements, ready to fill the roster vacancies created by players following the last guy out of town.

One has to wonder if there is a clause in Roger’s contract mandating a bonus if a minimum number of transfer follow along. Oops, that might give some agent another idea. Sorry.

Bonus or not, Rogers is smart to not only dip into the talent pool that allowed the FCS Jackrabbits to win 13 games last season, but to also bring along a handful of assistants who share his vision and an idea of what is expected.

That aspect may not be the focus of today’s Pullman fiesta, but you never know.

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WSU: If you are trying to keep up with the new players headed to Washington State, Greg Woods has you covered with this story. … Maybe we can turn a page on the football news today, because David Riley’s basketball team has been excelling. The group hosts Pacific tonight (we’re guessing Rogers will make an appearance at halftime to wave at the 3,000 or so folks in attendance) before it can turn its sights on Saturday night’s battle against Gonzaga in Spokane. A trap game? Maybe, but the 3-13 Tigers are 330 – out of 364 – in the NCAA’s Net rankings and have yet to win anything other than a Quad 4 game. Greg has a preview. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we linked Jon Wilner’s CFP semifinal picks yesterday when they ran in the Mercury News. We link them today in the S-R. … John Canzano also has his betting choices. … There are more oddly specific picks to pass along as well. … Washington has decided to build its offensive line through high school recruits, not the portal. But the Huskies have used the latter to fill roster holes. … Oregon State has lost a homegrown offensive lineman to Arizona. And filled out its coaching staff. … Oregon lost another player to the NFL draft. … A Salt Lake City-based columnist I’ve read for a while has ties to the same area I grew up in. And similar thoughts about the fires. … We can pass along more from the Utah athletic director. … In basketball news, we can pass along this Mercury News power ranking of the Best of the West in women’s basketball … Is it possible Washington’s men can make the NCAA Tournament? … An Oregon State player has traveled a long road to Corvallis. He is part of the Beavers’ resurgence. … Wilner returns in the Mercury News with a quick look at Big 12 hoop, something we usually don’t link. But Wilner is all in with Arizona and the NCAA tourney, so we thought it was worth passing along. … We also don’t pass along Colorado basketball stories often, but both we found today have WSU ties. … Boise State was planning on redshirting a freshman. His play made that impossible. … San Diego State rolled over Air Force. … Colorado State has improved its defense.

Gonzaga: The Few quote we referenced above? It came to us courtesy of this Jim Meehan game story. … Jim also spoke with broadcaster Richard Fox this week for their Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast, which you can listen to here if you are so inclined. … Theo Lawson has a couple of stories, the typical buzzer -beater notebook as well as an atypical piece, covering the team’s thoughts on the L.A. fires. The biggest one roared through an area Gonzaga visited lately. … Colin Mulvany had the photography duties last night and posted this photo gallery. … The women don’t play again until Saturday afternoon in Pullman but Greg Lee has a story to fill in the gap. He looks into the paucity of underclass inside players on the roster and how that bodes for next season. Our thought: The transfer portal will be utilized.

EWU: Though the Eastern women’s basketball program isn’t playing to the level of last season’s team, that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting stories to be found. And Dan Thompson found one, highlighting the contributions of grad transfer Peyton Howard, a former Central Valley High standout. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, we linked a story yesterday about the conference’s new agreement with ESPN. We can pass along another today in the S-R as part of the latest local briefs column. … The transfer portal is starting to bleed Montana State’s football roster. … The men’s basketball program at Idaho State could benefit by better attendance. Couldn’t just about every school?

Preps: Wednesday nights are highlighted by wrestling in the GSL. Madison McCord headed out to University High last night to cover Mead’s visit. He has this story on the Panthers’ 35-29 dual victory. … Dave Nichols has a roundup covering the other action Wednesday, including the rivalry basketball games in the Mead school district. The Panthers topped Mt. Spokane in both.

Sounders: There have been a flurry of offseason moves. Maybe it’s time for an update? Luckily, we have one to pass along.

Chiefs: It looks as if Spokane is going all in for a Memorial Cup berth this season. The Chiefs, second in the WHL’s U.S. Division, struck a deal Wednesday with the Kelowna Rockets for Andrew Cristall, a talented scorer and a great complement to Spokane’s center and captain Berkly Catton. Dave has all the details, including the high price Spokane paid in draft capital.

Seahawks: There are always grades. Even at the end of the season. … Not sure if we noticed how well the Hawks’ rookie class did this season. At least this Athletic writer thought so. … If you wonder where Mike Macdonald will look for a new offensive coordinator, look toward coaches with Harbaugh ties. … Russell Wilson is in the spotlight during Wild Card Weekend.

Kraken: It’s not easy to fit in after changing teams midseason.

Mariners: Was Felix Hernandez’s career Hall of Fame worthy? Not yet. At least to some. … The M’s picked up a middle-of-the-road reliever off waivers. What an incredibly exciting offseason thus far. Yes, that’s sarcasm.

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• If you are wondering, still no word on the fate of the house I grew up in. After some extensive sleuthing last night I was only able to ascertain a couple homes just up the street – near my old Catholic elementary school – burned to the ground. That’s about it. I am still holding out hope the house, and the beautiful trees my father planted 60 years ago, survived. Until later …