A Grip on Sports: WSU’s rout in Moscow rises above even a pretty crowded Friday night TV schedule

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The weekend is too inviting to ignore completely. And yet, we feel compelled on this rainy Friday morning not only to thank our lucky stars it isn’t snowing (at least not on the South Hill) but also to look back at Thursday night’s action. It’s unusual all right. But necessary.

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• Tonight is going to be bonkers. For the second consecutive weekend, Washington State football and Gonzaga basketball are playing simultaneously. This one is weird because, you know, college football on a Friday night. Isn’t that high school’s time? Oh, well. The Cougars host woeful Arizona at 6 on the Pac-12 Network, which means not all of you folks will get to watch. Find a way, however. It’s Senior Night for 14 Cougars. A win also ensures a bowl spot for a group that has gone through more crud than just about any senior class in school history.

The top-ranked Bulldogs are a little more accessible, what with their game against visiting Bellarmine, on KHQ and ROOT. 

Saturday is more about college football, as it should be. There are a few top-10 matchups, starting early in the morning with Michigan State at Ohio State (ABC, 9).

It is also a rivalry day, with the most bitter of them all kicking off at 11 a.m., with The Brawl of the Wild from Missoula, where Montana is hosting Montana State on ROOT. However, the rivalry game we remember most from our youth – I once broke the family couch cheering a UCLA touchdown – is also a Saturday afternoon event, with USC hosting UCLA at 1 p.m. on Fox.

The key Pac-12 game of the day occurs in Salt Lake City. Oregon, ranked third by the playoff committee, needs a win over host Utah to stay relevant. And style points may matter, depending on what happens earlier in the day in Ohio.

There aren’t any real crucial college basketball games to watch on the men’s side this weekend as most programs wait until Thanksgiving week for the main events. But there is a women’s game Sunday in Spokane worth viewing. Defending national champion Stanford is back in town at 1 p.m. to face Gonzaga. If you can’t get into the Kennel, it will be broadcast on SWX.

Of course watching that game will mean missing out on the Seahawks’ NFC West battle with Arizona. And we all know how important that contest is to Seattle’s Super Bowl chances. (Hold on, I have to stop laughing.)

• Speaking of laughing, that’s not something either team has been able to do in the decades Washington State and Idaho have competed in the Battle of the Palouse. Most of the time the games are well contested, with someone – usually the Cougars – winning a close decision.

Not last night in Moscow. WSU introduced the Vandals’ new arena to the rivalry with the most one-sided result in the 277 meetings. For one night, at least, the ICCU Arena became The Woodshed, with the host team on the wrong end of the paddle.

Of all the results, 109-61 wouldn’t have been the one we would have picked. Sure, we expected the Cougars to win – the were and are the markedly better team – but for the result to get out of hand like that in a game between players that know each other well is surprising.

• After a result like that, Idaho basketball coach Zac Claus better keep an eye out. If this week’s events in Moscow have shown anything, they’ve shown athletic director Terry Gawlik is willing to make changes in the coaching ranks.

Wednesday longtime volleyball coach Debbie Buchanan left the building. Thursday, football coach Paul Petrino was shown the door. 

Petrino, who served in the position longer than anyone in the school’s history, was let go with a year left on his contract and the Vandals mired in another losing season.

The two most high-profile fall sports will be led by new coaches come 2022.

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Gonzaga: A 30-point win is a good way to start a big weekend. That’s the margin the women posted against defending Big Sky champion Idaho State last night in the Kennel. Jim Allen and Colin Mulvany were in the building, with Jim handling the game story and Colin the photo gallery. … Bellarmine invades McCarthey tonight, fresh off giving Saint Mary’s a battle in Moraga. Jim Meehan has the game preview and the key matchup. … Our paisano, Dick Vitale, has been battling cancer recently. But doctors gave him the OK to return to his passion, calling college basketball. He’ll return with the No. 1 (Gonzaga) vs. No. 2 (UCLA) showdown next week in Las Vegas. Theo Lawson has more in this story.

WSU: Colton Clark covered his first Battle of the Palouse as a Washington State beat writer and it turned out to be a record one. … He’ll be in Martin Stadium tonight to cover Arizona’s visit. He has his preview as well as the usual two-minute drill. … Before all that, however, he spoke with Larry Weir yesterday for the latest Press Box podcast. … The WSU soccer team is in Ann Arbor, Mich., today to face third-seed Tennessee in the NCAA tournament. Justin Reed has a preview. … Back to football, Jon Wilner expects WSU to roll tonight and clinch a bowl berth. … For Arizona, tonight’s game is about getting better for next season. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, if Oregon continues to win, its chance of playing in the CFP semifinals are better than they were a week ago. Wilner delves into that in the Mercury News as well as the inordinate number of quarterback changes in the conference. … Washington has to win out to earn a postseason spot, starting tomorrow in Boulder. The game with Colorado is the Huskies’ first since Jimmy Lake was fired. … For Utah to top Oregon, the Utes know they will have to limit, if not stop, the Ducks’ potent running game. And make sure Cam Rising isn’t running for his life against the Oregon defense. … When a football coach is in trouble due to NCAA issues, usually the athletic director who hired him is in trouble as well. Is that the case at Arizona State? … The Big Game is Saturday with both schools, California and Stanford, trying to prove they are still big time. And worthy of the Axe. … USC and UCLA should supply the usual big-time battle, with the Trojans going with a more mobile quarterback. UCLA has always used one. … In basketball news, Mike Hopkins better make sure he doesn’t touch anyone this week. The way his Husky basketball team has been playing, anything even a little out of the ordinary might be the impetus for a change. They lost at home in overtime to Wyoming on Thursday night. … Want to know what sport is most important in Tucson? The preview of Arizona’s game tonight with Wichita State in hoops is the most read one on the local paper’s website. … Arizona State fell to San Diego State in a tight contest. … Colorado will face Southern Illinois in the Paradise Jam tourney. … Oregon State lost at home to Samford.

EWU: With the Eagles needed to rejuvenate their offense, they turned to Pat McCann, who, after one game at least, seems to have done that. Dan Thompson profiles McCann, the interim offensive coordinator, in this preview of the Portland State game. … Around the Big Sky, UC Davis and Sacramento State have a lot riding on the Causeway Classic. … It’s Senior Day for Weber State. … There are a million storylines for the Brawl of the Wild. But the main one is this: If Montana State defeats Montana again, the Bobcats will win at least a share of the conference title and be assured of a top-four seed in the FCS playoffs. … In basketball news, Weber State rolled over UMass in Florida.

Idaho: The big news out of Moscow was Petrino’s firing with one game left in the season. He’ll coach Saturday against Idaho State in Pocatello, a game that Peter Harriman previews with this story.

Preps: Mead and Mt. Spokane volleyball met for the third time this season Thursday, with the Panthers winning once more in the State 3A tournament. Dave Nichols was in Yakima and has this story.

Kraken: Hey, at least Seattle is pretty good when it pulls its goalie.

Seahawks: Between the Hawks’ issues and those of the state’s two Pac-12 teams, this has been a terrible year for football in Washington. Not the worse, though. Not yet. … Not too long ago, the experts were saying the NFC West was the best division in the NFL. … Balance. It’s something the Seahawks always seem to be looking for on offense. … Can the Hawks sniff out and stop the Cardinals’ screen game? … As per usual, Seattle is dealing with players out of practice. … Russell Wilson is ready for his second game back. … DK Metcalf admits he needs to “grow up.”

Mariners: The M’s are going to go out searching for free agents. … As for their prospects, they moved three of them to their 40-man roster.

Sounders: Joao Paulo has been really well this season. MVP caliber, actually. … LAFC fired coach Bob Bradley.

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• Our basketball coaching commitments will mean we won’t be writing a TV Take for the Cougar game tonight. With the game on the Pac-12 Network, we will sort of miss watching with a critical eye. Then again, being able to throw a foam brick at the TV from time to time as the clock winds down will be fun too. Until later …