A Grip on Sports: As long as Washington State figures out how to win Friday night, the home fans should be happy

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Point spreads are important to certain segment of every college football fanbase. Washington State’s is usually no different. But we have a suspicion Cougar fans won’t be too disappointed Friday night if their team doesn’t cover. As long as it wins.

•••••••

• Looking around the Web, it seems WSU is as much as a 15 ½-point favorite over visiting Arizona. For the uninitiated, that means the Cougars would have to win by at least 16 points for someone who supported them with a wager to win. That’s a lot of points.

But here’s the deal: If Washington State defeats UA 35-34 on a last-second field goal, its fans will rejoice. All because of another number. Six.

A win Friday night gives the Cougars six wins. That’s the minimum they needed to be invited to a bowl game. And don’t think they won’t be, even if they finish with only six wins.

Washington State fans, though a little spoiled by Mike Leach’s tenure that included multiple bowl trips, would still relish the opportunity this year to attend one more game. Especially if that game is in Las Vegas. Or San Diego. Or, heck, even Los Angeles.

But it all hinges on getting one more win. And what school would be better to be entertaining on a cold, maybe snowy, Friday night in late November than Arizona?

Forget the weather aspect. Maybe it doesn’t matter (it will, but go with me here). The 1-9 Wildcats are still the poorest team in the conference. And, because they have to travel to Pullman, they have one less day to prepare for WSU on what is a short week already. That’s a huge advantage.

Arizona has won one game this season. It came at home against a decimated California team dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that cost it eight starters, including its quarterback. The Bears, who lost to WSU 21-6 in Berkeley at full strength, weren’t even remotely competitive. And yet UA won just 10-3.

That win seems to have given the Wildcats hope. But enough to overcome a Senior Night-fueled Cougar team? We don’t think so.

And Washington State better win. In a week the Cougs travel to Seattle for an Apple Cup like none other. Lose to Arizona and a bowl berth will depend on defeating the head-coach-less Huskies, something WSU has found nearly impossible recently.

Such stakes would make it easy for the Cougars to tighten up, not play their best and fall once again. But with a bowl bid already secured, they can play fast and loose. And when they have played that way this season, they’ve been at their best.

It probably won’t take such an effort tomorrow night. But it would be nice for Cougar fans if it happens. After all, securing bowl eligibility and winning enough money to take care of the trip? That’s the type of weekend that helps interim coaches shed that title. And makes our Colton Clark look good.

•••

Gonzaga: The West Coast Conference has been nails in the nonconference season. And has been even if you drop the usual Gonzaga big wins. Theo Lawson looks at the start for a conference that is hopefully of being the second-best on the best coast. … The Zag women will host Idaho State tonight. Jim Allen has a preview of what will be tough game for GU. … The NCAA women’s tournament will have 68 spots this season and the participants will be selected on the same day as the men. … Larry Weir opines on a bunch of issues in the latest Press Box podcast. … Gonzaga is No. 1 again on this power ranking. … Around the WCC, the win over Oregon is just an example of what BYU can do to just about anyone. … Saint Mary’s picked up a tight win against an upcoming Gonzaga opponents. … San Diego locked down UC Riverside. … In baseball news, a former Saint Mary’s pitcher, Corbin Burnes, won the National League Cy Young Award yesterday.

WSU: Travell Harris is never the biggest guy on a football field. Heck, he may not even be the biggest guy in the local IGA. But when he runs, it’s easy to see why he’s successful at the game. Colton sat down with the senior receiver to let him talk about his years in Pullman. … Despite the lack of a permanent coach, the Cougars picked up a commitment from a Texas safety. Colton has that story as well. … The volleyball team is getting ready for another NCAA tourney appearance. At least the Cougars believe they belong. Jim Meehan has more in this story. … Back to football, Arizona hasn’t been lucky with turnovers. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, Jon Wilner’s thoughts on recruiting are covered in the S-R. … Just how should Jen Cohen’s Washington tenure be evaluated? Maybe her next football coaching hire will make that easier to determine. … The Husky recruits seem to be sticking to their commitments. … As Oregon prepares for what could be the first of two showdowns with Utah, a well-liked receiver decides to leave the program. … The best Duck defenders are still available. … The Utes’ helmets this week are a work of art. Their choice of starting quarterback early wasn’t, however. … Oregon State might get one of its better defenders back next season. The new defensive coordinator will like that. The challenge this week is Arizona State’s rushing attack. … It’s time to start saying goodbye to seniors. It’s happening at Colorado. … Kyle Phillips is the most versatile UCLA player. … Can Drake London, out for the year with an injury, still win the top receiver award? … In basketball news, Washington faces off with Wyoming. … Roles have changed among the Colorado team. … UCLA took care of winless North Florida. … Tommy Lloyd seems to have taken Gonzaga’s pace-of-play to Tucson. And added more emphasis on defense.

EWU: If Eastern defeats host Portland State on Saturday, there is no guarantee the Eagles will earn a first-round FCS playoff bye. It’s likely, but not a certainty. But if they lose, they certainly won’t get one. Dan Thompson has more in this game preview. … Dan also has a Big Sky notebook focused on the big football games this weekend. … Around the conference, so much of what makes the Brawl of the Wild fun is the interconnections between the players on the teams. That and Montana State having dominated Montana lately. … Weber State and Northern Colorado are playing for pride. … Northern Arizona and its seniors are trying to end the season on a high note. … UC Davis can ruin Sacramento State’s title hopes. … In basketball, Northern Colorado fell at No. 8 Texas 62-49. … Montana State’s defense crumbled in a loss to South Dakota State.

Idaho: The Vandals host Washington State tonight in the continuation of the most-often contested rivalry west of the Mississippi River. Peter Harriman has a preview. … Idaho volleyball coach Debbie Buchanan, who started at UI at the turn of the century, has retired. Jim Meehan has more in this story.

Preps: Washington’s volleyball State tournament for the larger schools is this weekend in Yakima. Dave Nichols has a preview of the event. … Dave also dives into the playoff games for the area football teams still alive.

Seahawks: Will Chris Carson play again this season? … The Hawks are having trouble against the screen pass. It wasn’t that way when K.J. Wright was around. … Let’s hope Bobby Wagner is wrong about this. After all, Richard Sherman’s time in Seattle had about a one- or two-season sweet spot. … Tre Brown is showing what he can do.

Mariners: Ichiro. M’s Hall of Fame. Next August. Deserved.

Kraken: Seattle is struggling. So was Chicago. But the Blackhawks were the ones who won 4-2 Wednesday night.

•••       

• We are not feeling our best today. We got poked Wednesday. Our COVID-19 booster shot. The left arm is really sore. The rest of the body needed some over-the-counter pain-med help to feel decent. We powered through. Until later …