A Grip on Sports: The Pac-12’s leadership struggles again to deal with COVID-19’s challenges

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The other shoe dropped yesterday. Washington, newly minted North Division winners without ever leaving home, had to withdraw from the Pac-12 football title game. And as “tradition” demands, if by “tradition” you mean “the past few months of COVID-19-influenced rules,” Oregon, toting a two-game losing streak and a week off, ascends into its spot. What a conference.

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• Yes, we’re sure you’ve heard about all you want to hear about the lack of leadership in the Pac-12 headquarters, so we won’t delve into the idiocy of the past week again. We’ll just say this. Thanks Colorado for joining this lunacy. After all, a 4-1 record, two conference games lost due to coronavirus concerns with its opponents and the best comeback story on the West Coast earned you exactly nothing. Including – or, to be more accurate, not including – a game this weekend.

All because, for some reason, you and Utah were put in the South Division when you joined the Pac-12 in 2011. It’s a conference that can’t even get its geography right.

So let’s summarize the conference’s football season: A late start, too little flexibility in the schedule and the rules, and a championship game that pits the lone undefeated team against a school that has a single win over a team with a winning record. Oh, and Stanford was without its best offensive player, quarterback Davis Mills, that game due to a false-positive COVID-19 test.

Yep, it’s been a heck of year.

• Want more proof this year’s pandemic issues have overpowered common sense among those who control college football?

There is, reportedly, a plot afoot to move the playoff semifinal from the Rose Bowl to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The floated reason is because parents and families will not be able to attend a game in Pasadena New Year’s Day. The real reasons? The four teams that will make the playoffs, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and more than likely Clemson, don’t want to travel when they can play closer to home. And Texas will allow fans, probably quite a few more fans than just the parents and families. That will keep a lot of big-money boosters of those programs happy.

If the CFP leadership moves the game, it probably means there won’t be a Rose Bowl in 2021. That’s unacceptable. The Pac-12 and Big Ten leadership, if it exists, needs to step forward, demand either the Rose Bowl stays in the CFP spot or the Peach Bowl, the only other New Year’s Six participant scheduled for New Year’s day, be the bowl axed. That would allow the Rose Bowl to pit the Pac-12 champion with, say, the Big 12 titlist, at its usual time.

If you want to say you’re all in for tradition, there is nothing more traditional in the sport than the Rose Bowl. Saving a conference championship format in its 10th year is nothing compared to a bowl game that has been played for more than a century.

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WSU: As of now, Washington State is scheduled to play at Utah on Saturday morning. Which means Theo Lawson has put together a first look at the Utes. … Football’s early signing day is tomorrow, and the Cougars are limping toward it. A fourth player has decided to not sign with WSU this week. Theo has that story as well. … The Utes will be without a couple of backup running backs. They are in the transfer portal. … Around the Pac-12 and college football, the past weekend didn’t add a lot of clarity to a murky football season. … Jimmy Lake explained why Washington wouldn’t be able to play this weekend as COVID-19 and its fallout is running pretty wild in the program. But he didn’t explain why he feels the team will be ready for a bowl in two weeks. … Oregon found out it had a different opponent and quickly pivoted to get ready for USC. The Ducks’ coach, Mario Cristobal, will probably be wooed by others, but John Canzano puts forth good reasons why he should stay put. … The Trojans may not have their best running back. … Oregon State has a tough opponent this week in visiting Arizona State. A couple more Beavers won’t be available. … Colorado will have to look forward to a possible bowl game, unless USC can’t play Friday. … UCLA has to win Saturday to qualify for a bowl. The Bruins and Oregon State are the only two Pac-12 schools to have played all six games. … With Arizona not playing this week, the most important question in Tucson is who will be the next coach? … In basketball news, there isn’t a single Pac-12 team in the AP top 25 after Arizona State’s loss to San Diego State though UCLA should be ranked, considering its lone loss was also to the Aztecs and came with a depleted roster. … Arizona is playing the overused no-respect card. … Oregon gets better this week as another big player becomes eligible. … Colorado played, and won, its first game at home. … Utah needs to bounce back from the BYU loss. … Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer is about to become the all-time wins leader among women college basketball coaches. But no one will be in the stands to witness it.

Gonzaga: Mike Roth got to do something Sunday he hasn’t been able to do the entire school year, attend a GU sporting event. The Gonzaga athletic director spoke with Jim Allen before the women hosted Montana. … Jim also shares the news the Zags are ranked 25th again this week. … The men remained atop the Associated Press poll. Jim Meehan covers that news. … He also spoke with Larry Weir yesterday for the latest Press Box podcast. … Elsewhere in the WCC, USD got back on the court and faded down the stretch against Nevada. … Richard Harward has come up big for BYU.

EWU: The Eagles’ tour of the West Coast continues tonight as they travel to Saint Mary’s. Ryan Collingwood previews the game with a feature on a Gael, Logan Johnson, who has extensive Spokane ties…. Around the Big Sky, Northern Arizona was blown out by Colorado State. … The Lumberjacks aren’t interested in the WAC.

Seahawks: If Seattle wins this week at Washington, it will clinch a playoff spot. But that may not be enough. The Hawks may need to win out so they still have a shot at the NFC’s top seed if they want to make the Super Bowl. … Before we move on, let’s look back once more. … As is the case every year at this time, there are a few players whose ability to play is up in the air. … K.J. Wright isn’t one of them, though. He’ll be there.

Sounders: Have no fear, Seattle fans. The core of the roster will be back next season. At least the Sounders have exercised contract options on their key players.

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• Hey, we will be talking with Larry Weir today for the Press Box podcast. Yep, everyone else in America was busy. So he settled on us. Until later …