When it comes to the college football playoffs, the turkeys could hit the pavement like sacks of wet cement
A GRIP ON SPORTS • As we inch closer to the eating holiday, better known as Thanksgiving, I am reminded again of the greatest 30 minutes of sitcom humor ever: The “as-God-is-my-witness,-I-thought-turkeys-could-fly” episode of WKRP. Oh, the humanity. Read on.
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• It’s not just the time of season that reminds of Les Nessman, Herb Tarlek and the gang. It is the catastrophe. Some are saying a similar face plant is about to occur with the Pac-12 and the college football playoffs. The conference – no, not just the conference, the conference of champions for heaven’s sake – is about to be left out of the four-team playoff. It’s a disaster. Hogwash. It’s great. The more conferences that suffer over a similar fate over the next few years, the better chance we will have an eight-team playoff when the television contracts expire. The Big 12 isn’t a fan of the four-team format already, thanks to last year when both Baylor and TCU were left out. The Horned Frogs, whose only loss was to Baylor in a apocalyptically high-scoring game in Waco, thought they were in the week before the final announcement. But they weren’t, aced out by an Ohio State team that went on to win the title. Who is to say that couldn’t have been TCU? We will never know, will we? A similar thing could happen this year to the Pac-12. Even if Stanford wins out, defeating Notre Dame and possibly Utah in the conference title game, the Cardinal may not make the top four. Not if Clemson, Ohio State, either Alabama or LSU (they play tomorrow) and Baylor or TCU (they play Nov. 27) and win out as well. It gets even worse. Say Stanford loses a tight game to Notre Dame and a one-loss Utah team blows the Cardinal out in the championship game. Heck the Pac-12 champion Utes and, possibly, the Big 12 titlist could miss out as an undefeated Clemson, Ohio State and LSU join the once-defeated Irish in the final four. Then two conference would be up-in-arms. Great. Chaos, anarchy and dissension is the only thing that would move the powers that be farther down the road to a more inclusive playoff system. And then we would have to admit that even the turkeys that run college football can fly occasionally.
• Didn’t we say something yesterday about this being the best time of year for Mariner fans? It’s also the worst time when the team is rebuilding – again. See, I know a few people really well who loved Brad Miller (and his socks, pictured) or Logan Morrison as players (Danny Farquhar, not so much). And even though they know the M’s have to make changes to get better, they are sad to see those two guys go. But making trades is more than likely the only way new general manager Jerry Dipoto can improve the team. Oh sure, he should be able to sign a couple mid-level free agents to supplement spots. Just about every team does that. But the big splash this off-season may not happen. The purse strings – and the lack of available players who fit needs – may preclude a huge, Robinson Cano-style signing. So the M’s trade replaceable parts for other replaceable parts. And we will see next season if the rolling of the trade dice came up seven – or snake eyes.
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• WSU: OK, I am officially ticked off. Jacob Thorpe’s report on Thursday night football in Pullman included this one word: snow. Great. OK, back to something a little happier. How about Jacob’s feature on walk-on Parker Henry, who has been a godsend in the defensive back seven. Or maybe Jacob’s piece on George Raveling making an appearance in Pullman. ... Jacob also has video from after last night’s practice, interviews with Graham Harrell and Joe Salave’a. ... Of course, Jacob has a morning post with links. ... The reporting in this column about college football injuries is not to be missed. ... We can’t get to the weekend without passing along some more picks of the game. ... So how will the folks in Utah feel if the Utes finish with one loss and are still shut out of the playoffs?
• Gonzaga: The Sydney newspaper picks the Zags’ Georgia Stirton as one of its two Australian players to highlight this season in American college basketball. The other is LSU’s celebrated freshman Ben Simmons.
• EWU: The Eagles have always found diamonds in the desert, and they have another one in lineman Aaron Neary. Jim Allen has more in this feature. ... Jim also has a transcript of yesterday’s live chat and a morning post with a link or two.
• Chiefs: Spokane’s former logjam with 20-year-olds is officially cleared now that the Chiefs have made another trade.
• Preps: Gonzaga Prep won another close soccer match to move on to the state playoffs. Jim Allen has the story.
• Seahawks: Ricardo Lockette (pictured) is out of the hospital and, as he tweeted yesterday, the road to recovery is underway. ... The Seattle Times is counting down the 40 best Hawks of all-time. ... The Hawks of the past couple years seem to have disappeared. I was wondering yesterday what happened to “Angry Doug Baldwin.”
• Mariners: The M’s picked up a right-handed power arm, starter Nate Karns, and quite possibly their leadoff hitter of the future, outfielder Boog Powell (no, not that Boog Powell, he’s 74-years-old). Dipoto said the deal is a direct example of changes he wanted to make since he’s been hired. ... Charlie Furbush is healthy enough to rejoin the roster.
• Sounders: The MLS is a league in transition, and nothing illustrates that more than the teams in the playoffs.
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• One more day on the radio, joining Keith Osso and Rick Lukens on 700 ESPN from 3 to 6 p.m. You can listen here if you like. Until then ...
