The area’s college football scene has a bit of everything
A GRIP ON SPORTS
Are we blessed around here or what? We have four college football teams, all playing a different level of the game, all with varying degrees of fan support, but none on the outskirts of the game. That isn't the way it is everywhere. Read on.
• Down the river in Oregon, the Portland State Vikings may just be the most dysfunctional college football team in America. We linked a story prior to the Vikings game with Washington State that illustrated the problems but they've gotten worse. How bad is it? According to official documents, PSU only sold – wait for it – 809 tickets to their home game last Saturday. Just 809 tickets to a FCS football game? Are you kidding? Heck, that would be a poor prep crowd at Albi on a Thursday night or a small one at the Pine Bowl on a Saturday, and Whitworth plays Division III football, where it's academics above all else. The Vikings are in the Big Sky, the same conference with Eastern Washington, which routinely sells 10 times the tickets as PSU did last week. The problems in Portland help to bring into focus how lucky we are around here. You want a bucolic, pastoral experience that harkens back to a simpler time? Spend a Saturday at the Pine Bowl, watching the Pirates play. You want to be indoors, out of the weather? You just have to drive to Moscow and see the Vandals. (We will get back to them in a second.) Want to see big-time college football at its best in a basically spanking-new stadium? You have only to take a trip to Pullman, though get your tickets early. The Cougars have been selling out lately, despite a 2-5 record. And, finally, you want to watch a win or observe one of the best teams in the nation at its level? Then Cheney is the place to be, if you have a connection. The Eagles have been doing so well, and drawing so well, it's almost impossible to get a ticket anymore without planning a few weeks ahead. The rest of the season, as far as I can tell, is sold out. Except the FCS postseason, of course, but the tickets to those games will be hot commodities as well. See, winning always begets demand. The Eagles win most every game. The Pirates usually win more than they lose. Washington State may only win occasionally, but always puts on a show, especially at home. The only local program that hasn't experienced some modicum of success lately is Idaho, and, consequently, the Vandals' games aren't all that well attended. But there is a way to fix that, a way we've been advocating for years. Quit being the prodigal sons of college football, wandering the nation in search of the right conference home. Just bite the bullet and accept the truth. The school's football team doesn't belong in the Sun Belt. It belongs in the Big Sky. There is a built-in rival 90 miles up the road. There are traditional foes waiting in Missoula, Bozeman and Pocatello. The Big Sky, in reality, is home. The place Idaho belongs, where even if the football crowds end up not being as big as everyone would like, they still would seem gigantic in comparison to Portland State's.
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• WSU: Jacob Thorpe isn't in the Palouse today. He's in San Francisco, enjoying the media frenzy that is the Pac-12 basketball media day. And he'll be bringing you reports all day on this blog as Ernie Kent shows off his crimson and gray to folks used to seeing him in some sort of greenish hue. ... Jacob has a football story, of course, a feature on new special teams coordinator Eric Mele. Jacob also has his Pac-12 picks. ... Yesterday on the blog, he held a live chat. Today he's got a morning post with links and another post on his plans for the day. ... It looks as if Brock Motum (pictured) is about to realize a dream. The Utah Jazz have cut down to the NBA-mandated 15 and Motum is one of them. ... The numbers Connor Halliday has put up are mind-boggling. ... It's obligatory. Larry Scott is always asked about DirectTV. ... Want a Pac-12 football power ranking? Doesn't matter if the answer is no. Here it is. ... The folks at ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog have their predictions for the week as well as a mailbag.
• Gonzaga: CBSSports.com posted its WCC coverage yesterday, so we can pass along a conference preview and a Q&A with Mark Few.
• EWU: It's Thursday. Jim Allen has his Big Sky notebook.
• Whitworth: The Pirates' volleyball team continued their roll last night.
• Chiefs: If you are going to score your first WHL goal, what could be better than netting it with 12 seconds left in a tie game? Well, Kailer Yamamoto's goal, which gave the Chiefs a 5-4 win over Everett, came on the road, so there is that. The same result in the Arena might have been a bit more loudly received. ... Portland gave up a late goal and lost 5-4 at Swift Current. ... The Americans lost on the road as well.
• Preps: Where to start? How about with cross country, where North Central won another Greater Spokane League crown yesterday despite the Indians' top runner being out with a leg issue. Greg Lee has the story. ... Greg also has an advance of Lake City's quest for a state boys' soccer title. ... Jim Allen chips in with a feature on Ferris girls' soccer player Maegan O'Neill (pictured), headed to WSU. ... Central Valley rolled past U-Hi and won the GSL slowpitch title. ... Greg and Sam Adams have their weekly football picks. ... We also can pass along a roundup of the other action Wednesday.
• Seahawks: Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had a previous relationship with Percy Harvin, so he thought the relationship would work. It didn't. Now he's disappointed that it didn't. And in the comments Harvin has made about the offense. Nothing about this is surprising. ... The Hawks' stumbles are national news, though, if they rise above them and have success, it will be as well. ... Doug Baldwin (pictured) should have used "bogus" instead of "stupid." It would have been the perfect choice of words. ... Richard Sherman and Pete Carroll spoke yesterday. ... The Hawks are still dealing with a rash of injuries. About the only thing missing is, ironically, a rash. ... Penalties are a problem as well.
• Sounders: Seattle has tweaked its practice a bit recently and it has seemed to help. ... Saturday's showdown with Los Angeles will begin at noon in CenturyLink.
• Mariners: M's fans can look at the Royals and, rightfully, be a bit jealous. Though Seattle has Felix Hernandez and no on else does.
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• I know football season is in full swing, but isn't it about time we start thinking about college basketball a bit? That's why I passed along the Gonzaga items as well as am eagerly awaiting Jacob's reports from the Pac-12 media day. ... By the way, I will be on the radio for a couple hours again today, joining Dennis Patchin and Rick Lukens at 3 p.m. You can listen here. Until then ...
