College football’s wild day could hit here
A GRIP ON SPORTS
If you follow college football, yesterday morning was pretty exciting. And no one even played. Read on.
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• There were a couple hours there yesterday when the college football landscape changed somewhat dramatically. And the changes may end up affecting this area. Florida announced as the day was beginning it had gotten its man, Colorado State coach Jim McElwain, the Missoula native and former Eastern Washington player and coach. That was somewhat expected as the courtship played out pretty publically Wednesday night. But before the dust could settle on that hire, the bombshell hit. Mike Riley, the dean of Pac-12 coaches, was leaving Oregon State, the place where he seemed enshrined. He was heading to Nebraska to succeed Bo Pelini, the anti-Riley of college football. After shaking the cobwebs from their heads, the nation's pundits saw this for what it was: A perfect fit for the Cornhuskers. Riley has always recruited Texas well, a key area for Nebraska's roster. He's always recruited California well, another area the Huskers have to mine if they want to win a national title. And he's a well-respected guy, whose ah-shucks demeanor should go over well with a Nebraska fan base that felt disrespected – and once cussed-out – by Pelini. Riley, whose teams haven't won consistently the past five years, was on shaky ground in Corvallis, akin to the loose footing under Mike Price in the years between his Rose Bowl appearances. Unappreciated might be too nice a term. So Riley found a place to land, just as Price did. But that leaves an opening at a somewhat local Pac-12 school that needs someone with a track record to fill. Enter speculation about Beau Baldwin. The Eastern coach is being mentioned in the Oregon media as a candidate for the job. Is it his resume, which includes a FCS national title, a 52-15 record and unprecedented success at Eastern that has him in such high regard? Sure. But it's also last year's season-opening 49-46 win in Corvallis, when the Eagles – and Vernon Adams – befuddled the Oregon State defense. It's Baldwin's high-powered offense and riverboat gambler attitude that has some of OSU's fanbase enthralled. Though Riley wasn't conservative by any means, his pro-style attack is out of favor with most fans. It's just not as sexy as many philosophies these days, including Baldwin's favored spread attack. With the glitz and glamour down the road in Eugene, the Oregon State faithful probably feels a bit overlooked. Baldwin's hire wouldn't change that nationally – he's not that well known outside of the Northwest – but his offense and the success it would achieve certainly could.
• Yesterday morning was exciting, sure. But someone actually did play. And the ending of the Central Florida win over East Carolina was downright stupid. Watch the Hail Mary yourself. And watch the East Carolina player in the lower left-hand corner. It looks as if he's fixing his helmet as the ball is in the air. And then his team lost. Wow.
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• WSU: The Cougars basketball fortunes on the male side of things seem a bit bleak. Jacob Thorpe took a look at the lack of production inside in this blog post. ... The women just keep on winning. ... On the football side of things, Jacob looks at whom the Cougars may be targeting for their vacant defensive coordinator position. ... Cougfan reported late last night middle linebacker Darryl Monroe has left the team. The story is behind a paywall, but CougCenter summarizes it. ... Jacob also has his morning post with links. ... What grade did your favorite Pac-12 coach receive?
• Gonzaga: Saturday's matchup with Arizona is a big deal, isn't it? John Blanchette has a column on the faceoff between two teams that met last year in the NCAA tournament.
• EWU: No matter what happens with Baldwin, and Jim Allen has that covered with this story, there is the little matter of Saturday's FCS playoff game with Montana. Will Quincy Forte have a role in it? Jim also has a story on the running back. ... Jim also held a live chat yesterday.
• Idaho: The Vandals are still on a high after defeating WSU for the first time in a while. Sean Kramer follows up on Wednesday's win.
• Chiefs: The league was quiet last night but it won't be that way for long for Tri-City. ... An Everett player feels a bit dissed by his country.
• Indians: Tim Hulett will return for another year as the Indians' manager. He's becoming a summer institution in Spokane.
• Preps: The area has one team in the Washington state football finals this weekend: Colville. Tom Clouse has a preview of the Indians attempt to win the 1A title. There is also a preview in the News Tribune. ... There were basketball games last night and we have a roundup. ... Shadle Park's Brett Rypien was the News Tribune's player of the year in the state.
• Seahawks: Russell Wilson had an eventful week and it had little to do with his birthday. ... Wilson is smart. He travels with his left tackle, Russell Okung. ... Want to know why the Seattle defense is playing better? There are a couple reasons, but Bobby Wagner being back is probably the main one. ... Oh, and Kam Chancellor is health(ier). ... Want to know more about the matchup with Philadelphia, including who the referee will be? We have you covered. ... The injury list isn't all that long.
• Mariners: It's official. Nelson Cruz is now a Mariner. He met the media yesterday after his contract was finalized. ... The M's can't stop now if they want to win. Jerry Brewer has a suggestion. ... This is outside the box, but how about dealing for this guy? No? OK.
• Sounders: If you're not satisfied with Sigi Schmid as the Sounders head coach, may I suggest rooting for Portland. That's about your only option. Schmid will be in Seattle for a long time. ... DeAndre Yedlin won an award yesterday and is getting ready to go to England. ... Obafemi Martins had the MLS' best goal this season. ... The Sounders made some roster moves yesterday.
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• It's Friday? That means the Pac-12 championship football game is on tonight. I wonder how many people will be in Santa Clara to watch? Or if Oregon will lock up its place in the playoffs? I guess we will find out. Until later ...
