Grip on Sports: It’s a busy day in college football around these hazy parts

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s just another college football Saturday. Another fun day. And night. Let’s get to it. Read on.

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• There are four games in the Inland Northwest today. College football games. There are a lot of high school games as well, postponed 18 hours or so due to the smoke that is still lingering in the area.

Whether the high school games will be played is still to be seen.

But the college games will go on, starting at 11 a.m. at Whitworth, where the Pirates host a school with the distinction of being the only one to graduate a U.S. president who was forced to resign. Believe it or not, Richard Nixon was a member of the football team at Whittier.

There is no such historical figure at North Dakota State, but the Bison have the most accomplished history of any FCS school these days, having won five of the last six NCAA titles.

They will take to the red turf in Cheney to face Eastern Washington in a non-conference game starting at 1 p.m.

There won’t be any smoke problems in the Kibbie Dome, but UNLV has to worry about getting smoked by the Vandals. The visitors from the desert are reeling a bit due to last week’s upset loss to Howard, the largest in the history of the Vegas books. The game starts at 4 p.m.

Washington State will try to avoid an upset as the Pac-12 at Night Tour visits Pullman again. The Cougars, who open conference play in a week, host Brett Rypien and Boise State, beginning at 7:30.

It’s a full day, and night. That’s for sure.

• Mike Leake has started twice for the M’s. He’s given up two first-inning runs in each. He’s won twice. The first fact is not good. The second is exactly what the Mariners need.

Since his first start, a seven-inning appearance as part of a 3-2 win against the A’s, the Mariner starters have all pitched well, with one notable exception. Last night’s six-inning stint in a 4-3 win over the Angels, is the staff’s fifth consecutive decent start, and sixth in seven games.

The win allowed Seattle to jump ahead of Tampa and Kansas City in the American League wild-card race. Though still four games out (with 21 games to play) the M’s have only four teams between them and the promised land.

Hope remains.

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WSU: Yes, the air quality has improved. The breezes in the area have pushed the smoke out and the Cougars are going to be given a chance to avenge last season’s loss in Boise. Theo Lawson has a story on the air quality, and advance, the keys to winning and his pick. He’s got the Cougars winning by two touchdowns. I’m leaning toward a tighter game, with WSU winning by a field goal. … The WSU defense feels it is ready for whatever Boise State can throw at it.

Around the Pac-12, there are better games this weekend, on paper, than there were last weekend. … There are four Heisman-contending quarterbacks in the Pac-12, which is a rare feat. … Jon Wilner answers questions about the conference. … Washington hasn’t hosted Montana in a game in many years. But the Griz hold one of the most memorable upsets in school history. … Oregon will have a test in Nebraska. One undercurrent: It is probably Mike Riley’s final game in the state he spent much of his adult life. … Minnesota, which faces Oregon State today, features a coach who wanted the Oregon job. … There is an early season make-or-break game today in the Coliseum, with USC hosting Stanford. … I missed this story about Clay Helton but still wanted to pass it along. … California hosts a pretty food FCS team today, Weber State. … Colorado’s defense is building confidence. … The rivalry game in Provo today will be a huge test for Utah and its young quarterback. And for both schools’ fans. … Sam Darnold needs to be great today for USC. … Speaking of the Trojans, their former kicker is still fighting to get back into school. … UCLA wants to start fast against Hawaii. … Arizona State faces the conference’s best non-conference foe today in San Diego State. … The best story today out of Tucson? It’s about basketball. That’s fitting for Arizona.

Gonzaga: The Bulldog women’s basketball team has a challenging non-conference schedule set up, highlighted by a Thanksgiving tournament in Las Vegas.

EWU: Good non-conference battles are what make the early part of the college football schedule fun. And there probably isn’t a better FCS matchup than today in Cheney. Jim Allen, who kept track of the air quality yesterday, has a preview of today’s game versus North Dakota State. … The Bison are ready for the Eagles and the red turf of Roos Field. … The Eagle women’s soccer team defeated Gonzaga yesterday. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, there is another really good FCS non-conference matchup in Bozeman tonight, where Montana State will host South Dakota State. … There is another in Texas where Southern Utah will face Stephen F. Austin and a former coach. … And a third in Flagstaff, with Northern Arizona hosting No. 22 Western Illinois. … North Dakota faces off with Missouri State. …  Cal Poly lost its best running back for the season due to a knee injury suffered against San Jose State last week. … Montana’s battle in Seattle won’t be easy.

Idaho: The Vandals have won six consecutive games, their longest winning streak since 1994. They’ll put it on the line against UNLV. Peter Harriman has more in this preview. … Olympian Kristin Armstrong met with a group of Idaho athletes yesterday, sharing her wisdom learned at four Olympics, winning a gold medal at age 43. Peter also has that story.

Whitworth: The Pirates get college football Saturday started in the Inland Northwest against Whittier from Southern California. Ryan Collingwood has a preview.

Chiefs: The preseason games rolled on, with Spokane losing 7-6 to Seattle in Kennewick.

Preps: There were only a few high school football games played yesterday, all either indoors or out of the area. The rest fell victim to the smoke-filled air.

Mariners: Leake was solid after the first and the bullpen was untouchable after he left. The result was a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to open a three-game series. … Felix Hernandez and James Paxton both threw simulated games and hope to be back on the mound next week.

Seahawks: The Hawks have a lot of players listed as questionable on their NFL-mandated injury list. But Pete Carroll is optimistic all but one will play. The one? Thomas Rawls. … You think Aaron Rodgers will target rookie corner Shaquill Griffin? Of course he will. … Michael Bennett has been through an interesting week, to say the least. … Want to have five Hawks to watch this season? Here’s a list.

Sounders: It’s not easy to repeat as MLS champions. … Real Salt Lake has a crucial matchup today in Vancouver.

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• You know, these late-night games take a toll. Not on the players, mind you, but on the fans. It’s hard to stay locked in all day when the mind wants to wander. We have to stay locked in until about midnight. Or later. Join us on the postgame call-in show. By us, I mean myself and Derek Deis. You can listen on the TuneIn Radio app or on the Washington State radio network stations east of the mountains. Until then …