Grip on Sports: Have the remote handy; this Sunday is packed with sports

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Is anything still called “super-sized” anymore? Well, if the term is still used then it is appropriate for today. It’s “Super-Sized Sunday.” (Not to be confused with Super Sunday, which I’m guessing the NFL has trademarked, registered and padlocked.) Read on.

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• Sundays this time of year begin with NFL games. They usually end with them as well. But, to paraphrase Kurt Russell (in his Herb Brooks’ voice), “not today.”

Sure, the Seahawks are on. They play at Tampa Bay starting a little after 1 p.m. That’s typical – even if their starting free safety won’t be.

But that’s just the topper on a pretty crowded day.

By then the Gonzaga Bulldogs will have won their third consecutive Orlando-based Thanksgiving tournament or will have lost in the finals to Iowa State.

The Zags’ game begins at 10:30 this morning, or just about when I’ve usually tired of the RedZone Channel and ready for lunch.

And there is more.

For those of you out there who enjoy the world’s form of football, the Sounders will be playing for a berth in the MLS finals. They head into Colorado today for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Rapids leading 2-1.5 (or something like that; away goals mean more in MLS playoff accounting).

I am painfully aware there are folks who will be torn today, with the Hawks and Sounders playing at the same time. Heck one of them will try to control the big television’s remote at our house today.

I’ll probably cede it to him. My usual place for watching the Seahawks is my bedroom. The TV isn’t as large but it is still high-def and the room is tucked away. When I start screaming about play calls, blown calls, missed tackles and missed penalties, my obnoxious nature doesn’t have to affect anyone else.

• As well as the Hawks have been playing, I will be surprised if they return home from Florida with a win. It’s not just the Bucs are pretty good, it’s the injuries, the schedule and the circumstances.

Last week’s game with Philadelphia ripped apart a couple hamstrings and the heart of the secondary.

Next week the Hawks are at home for a nationally televised game against Carolina and, though the Panthers are down this season, it’s still a game Seattle wants badly.

And traveling across the country – this is probably the second-longest road trip Seattle can make – is never easy. (Yes, I know they did it pretty successfully just a couple weeks ago.)

All of this seems to conspire against Pete Carroll’s team. If they do win this one, I will be willing to dub them Super Bowl contenders. And will begin looking forward to the NFC title game win in Dallas.

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WSU: Still fretting about the Apple Cup defeat? Jacob Thorpe has the remedy. Begin thinking about the upcoming bowl game, wherever it may be. … The volleyball team lost at Washington.

Elsewhere in Pac-12 football, Colorado punched its ticket to Friday’s conference title game with a 27-22 win over visiting Utah. The Buffs finished off the biggest turnaround in Pac-12 history last night. And the Utes fumbled away any chance of an upset. … Washington is the opponent, of course, and a win in Santa Clara should mean a playoff berth. … Colorado’s win means USC, playing as well as anyone in the conference, will watch the title game at home. The Trojans routed a Notre Dame team that not only is losing games but has also lost its poise and soon its head coach. … Speaking of lost, UCLA looks that way after California pounded the seemingly indifferent Bruins. … What was on Stanford’s menu yesterday? A big helping of steamed Rice. (Sorry.) … Now all that’s left in Eugene is the announcement. Mark Helfrich’s Ducks assured his exit stage left after they were run over by Oregon State in the Civil War.

Gonzaga: Iowa State stands between the Zags and another tournament title. Jim Meehan is in central Florida and he has this advance as well as the key matchups. … The Zags and BYU now have a common opponent: Utah Valley State. Which doesn’t bode well for the Cougars. They lost for the first time ever to UVU and the 114-101 defeat came at home. … The Zag women routed Winthrop in their final Virgin Islands game.

EWU: Overtime it is. Again. Eastern led by eight late but still had to go into an extra period to get past Denver 85-80 yesterday in Cheney. Jim Allen has the game story. … Around the Big Sky in football, the conference was 0-2 in first-round FCS playoffs games, with Weber State run out of the stadium in Chattanooga, 45-14, and Cal Poly dropping its home rematch with the University of San Diego, 35-21. … The Eagles will host Central Arkansas, a 31-24 winner over Illinois State yesterday, next Saturday at 1 p.m.

Idaho: You can question a lot of things about Idaho football, but you can’t question this team’s toughness. That’s the takeaway after the Vandals’ 38-31 home win over South Alabama. Josh Wright has the story.

Whitworth: The Pirates’ Kenny Love led them to a Whit Classic victory last night. Whitney Ogden has the story.

Chiefs: In a weekend of ups and downs, Spokane finished down, blowing a two-goal lead and losing 6-5 to Edmonton. Tom Clouse was in the Arena and has this story. … The Winterhawks host Prince George today. The Cougars lost last night in Everett.

Preps: The WIAA football semifinals were held yesterday and two Spokane-area teams won – one would be the Liberty Lancers in the 2B – and one lost – Deer Park in the 1A to Royal. Josh Horton has both stories and includes a summary of Odessa-Harrington’s 1B win.

Seahawks: Russell Wilson may be my all-time favorite quarterback. I’ll have to think about it more, but his baseball background helps. … Who is in the spotlight today? … Pete Carroll has 100 wins. How many more will he get?

Sounders: It seems as if it is a good day to write about Cristian Roldan.

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• I’ll be watching the Gonzaga game later this morning. Then we will sit down and write our look at the television coverage. It will be here sometime before the Hawks start. Until then …