A Grip on Sports: NFL will send January out with a bang, but there are other sports to watch this weekend

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We know what sport is super in February. Or which one brings the madness to March. But just which is dominant this last January weekend? That’s a good question.

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• This weekend is still up for grabs. Oh, there is a favorite, for sure. A four-touchdown favorite. The NFL conference title games. They will dominate Sunday’s ratings from noon to dark. It doesn’t even matter if Kansas City blows out Cincinnati or San Francisco upsets Los Angeles. The 500-pound matchups are the elephants in every TV room from here to Miami.

How powerful is the NFL’s pull?

Well, you know how the PGA usually plays its West Coast tournaments from Thursday through Sunday, with the winner looking out over the Pacific Ocean as the sun sets late in the afternoon? Not this week in San Diego. The golf finishes Saturday. The Tour didn’t want to compete with the NFL. Of course, CBS, which has this week’s event, also is broadcasting the AFC title game (starting at noon), which means there is no time on the schedule.

And makes Saturday a little better, right? Who doesn’t want to watch Jon Rahm burn up the South Course at Torrey Pines late on a Saturday afternoon and then hoist an oversized check for more money than most of us will make in a lifetime? Good stuff.

But there are other contenders for eyes that day as well.

College basketball, for one. This time of year is always overflowing with hoops, whether it be the NBA – the schedule this weekend is pretty lackluster, even for the NBA, except for Brooklyn and Golden State getting together Saturday night (5:30 on ABC) – or college.

Saturday’s college matchups are pretty cool, with such games as Baylor traveling to Alabama (1 p.m., ESPN) – a matchup of two teams that have handed Gonzaga losses in the past 10 months – and Tommy Lloyd’s first rivalry game with Arizona, as the Wildcats host mercurial Bobby Hurley and Arizona State (11:30 a.m., ESPN).

Gonzaga is on KHQ on Saturday night (6) while Washington State hosts Colorado after the NFL games Sunday (7 p.m., FS1).

After the Cougars finish at Beasley, we wait. For February and its Super Bowl. And March Madness. Then it’s spring. When that arrives, who needs TV? Mother Nature directs her own blockbuster shows.

• Speaking of TV, we watched the Zags dominate Loyola Marymount after a slow start last night. And one thing stood out. Actually, one person. CBS Sports Network had, for the second consecutive game, Jenny Dell working as a sideline reporter. This time they seemed to utilize her more. Either that or I noticed more.

Her quick insights from both coaching staffs – she shared comments from assistant coaches during the action in both halves – added to the broadcast. That’s not always the case in college hoops.

Of course, it is also interesting to hear Mark Few’s thoughts before he heads to the halftime locker room. That doesn’t happen on the local broadcasts and only rarely on national ones. It may cost extra to bring a sideline reporter into the building, but Thursday night it was certainly worth it.

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Gonzaga: Theo Lawson led the way in our coverage of Thursday’s game, offering his game story and the difference makers. … We focused in some on one of those difference makers, Chet Holmgren, in our TV Take. … Speaking of TV, Jim Meehan focused on analyst Dan Dickau and his local work for CBS Sports Networks (and others). … Dan Pelle covers the visual side of things with this photo gallery. … The folks in the office took care of a recap, which includes highlights. … There was other news before the game centered round Holmgren. The freshman is a finalist for the Naismith defensive player of the year award (Theo has that story) and he signed another national NIL deal (Jim has that news). … The women were in Malibu, where they handled Pepperdine once again. Jim Allen watched and put together this story. … Around the WCC, it was a crazy night. Saint Mary’s fell behind USF on the road by nearly a couple dozen points and rallied for a victory. … BYU somehow figured out a way to screw up its week by losing at Santa Clara. … San Diego picked up another win. … The BYU women routed the Broncos.

WSU: A legacy (of sorts) will join Jake Dickert’s defensive coaching staff. Ray Brown, who started his coaching career in Pullman a few years back, returns to the Palouse as cornerbacks coach. Colton Clark has the story. … NIL has been mainly the province of male athletes thus far. Though some high-profile contracts have gone to women. … We wondered when someone would catch up with what happened to Cougar alum Aron Baynes at the Toyko Olympics. ESPN finally did. Baynes went through a harrowing medical issue and hopes to return to the NBA some day. This story is not to be missed. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Washington continued its climb back to respectability with a two-point home win over Colorado. … The Buffs had put themselves in the bubble picture with a win at Oregon but last night’s loss probably popped it. … Host UCLA had no trouble whatsoever against California even without Johnny Juzang. … Stanford defeated USC again to sweep the season series. That’s odd. … Speaking of odd, one Utah player has had a really odd season. … The rivalry game Saturday in Tucson features an Arizona team on the rise and an Arizona State program that has jumped the shark. … In football news, Brian Billick has never liked consultants much. Now he is one. … Utah is losing a running back. … Finally, every Pac-12 athletic department has been hit financially by COVID-19. But the way schools fund sports means each have been hit differently.

EWU: Eastern’s offense is usually pretty solid from top to bottom. But it wasn’t Thursday night in Bozeman and the Eagles fell 69-65 to host Montana State. Dan Thompson has the coverage. … In football news, Dan has a story on the fall schedule, which includes the addition of an opening home game with Tennessee State. …Cooper Kupp’s season has been amazing. … Around the Big Sky, John Canzano has some thoughts on Portland State, its future and a present that included some harsh words. … Weber State handled Northern Colorado rather easily.

Idaho: Montana prides itself on its defense. The Grizzlies outdid themselves Thursday night, shutting out Mike Dixon and stopping the Vandals 81-62.

Whitworth: The Pirates play at home tonight for the first time in a while. Justin Reed has a preview of the matchup with Willamette. … The school named former athletic director Scott McQuilkin as president. That’s not the usual path to a school’s presidency. Greg Mason has the story.

Preps: The Greater Spokane League’s 3A/4A wrestling title was decided last night at Mt. Spokane. Dave Nichols was there and he has this story on the Wildcats’ win over Mead. … Dave also has a roundup of Thursday night’s other action.

Chiefs: General manger Scott Carter is stepping down at the end of the season. Dan Thompson has all the details in this story.

Seahawks: The tight end position may look different next season. … No news on the defensive coordinator front. … The Chiefs bettered themselves in the 2021 draft. The Hawks? Not so much.

Mariners: The M’s signed eight more international players. That is a lot. … You have questions? We found you some answers.

Sounders: Brad Smith is leaving Seattle. The Sounders traded the defender yesterday and, according to my in-house soccer consultant, received summer roster flexibility in return. … The U.S. National Team played a World Cup qualifying match in Columbus, Ohio – yes, again – last night. As one would expect, it was really cold. As were both offenses, though the U.S. broke through and took a 1-0 victory over El Salvador.

Kraken: An overtime road win? Yes, it happened, 2-1 at Pittsburgh, thanks in large part to great goaltending.

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• You know how you know a high school season is winding down? Senior nights. They’re starting for winter sports. Expect emotional outpourings. That is all. Until later …