A Grip on Sports: There may not be any football today but there is plenty of basketball to fill you up

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Are you fasting today? Clearing out space for tomorrow’s onslaught? It’s not a good plan. Not with a buffet of basketball available. Oh, you thought I was referring to food? Nope.

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• There may not be any football to watch today – that’s a untenable situation that may be remedied in the future – but there certainly is enough basketball on the TV. And it starts early. Gonzaga kicking off its fourth quest for its first Battle 4 Atlantis title before noon? Yes, please.

Why not? The Zags vs. a new-look West Virginia team on ESPN is the perfect way to begin a four-day weekend of family, food and (mostly) football.

Let’s be clear here. It’s not that I think you should abrogate the responsibility of cleaning the house in preparation for Thursday’s onslaught of grandkids, distant relatives and arguments about the hell-in-a-handbasket rock we call the world. But after dusting the knickknacks, terrifying the terrier with the vacuum and sweeping the front porch, you’ve earned a break.

A two-and-half hour pause in the middle of the day seems right.

Or, if you are one of those driven people we all outwardly envy (and inwardly despise), wait until you’re finished. And the house is spotless.

Then put up your feet, grab a Coors Light, pour a shot of Fireball – can you think of a better way to honor those Pullman years, even if you don’t actually imbibe? – and settle in for the Cougars’ championship effort in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational from the Southern California desert. If you can find truTV at 6:30.

It will be over in plenty of time to hit the sack early. After all, the NFL’s favorite holiday starts with the Bears’ visit to Motown at 9:30 Thursday morning. And a 22-pound turkey needs to get in the oven long before that.

• Did you watch the abbreviated College Football Playoff rankings-reveal show Tuesday night? If so, why did you waste your time?

No, I don’t say that because ESPN shoe-horned the anticlimactic announcement between a Maui basketball game and No. 1 Kansas’ win over Duke. Nor are we being critical of the banter and graphics, though, on one, the network had the wrong day listed for Friday morning’s Boise State game. (That that matchup with Oregon State is on Fox probably had nothing to do with the error.)

Our problem goes deeper. It’s with the entire exercise. And the hypocritical posturing it engenders.

The Big 12 title contenders are listed at 25 (Colorado), 24 (Kansas State), 19 (BYU), 18 (Iowa State) and 16 (Arizona State). Nothing wrong with that. All five schools have at least two losses and none have played an overwhelming hard schedule. Besides, whoever survives this weekend, advances to the conference title game and earns the automatic berth will jump into the top 10.

Meanwhile, Boise State (slotted 11th) or Tulane (17) or UNLV (22) or whatever Group of Five school is allowed in, will somehow finish one spot behind the Big 12 champ. Mainly because no one wants to make Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark mad.

It took him about 17 minutes last night to hit the phone and tell reporters there is no way his conference champion should be passed over for a one of the first-round byes that goes to the four top-ranked conference titlists.

Heck, he even brought up comparative scores, the last bastion of the intellectually lacking.

“Arizona State defeated Wyoming by 41 points,” he told Yahoo Sports. “BYU beat them by 20. Boise struggled against Wyoming in a four-point win. There is no rationale for us not getting the bye.”

Just like Greg Sankey feels the SEC deserves at least four at-large berths because, you know, strength of schedule. Heck, he even posted a graphic on X earlier this week, not mentioning such metrics are always based on preconceived notions of a team’s worth, even this late in the season.

Or the Big Ten head honcho Tony Pettiti feels a one-loss Indiana is a lock.

Yes, everyone needs to fight for their members. It’s what they are paid to do. But cherry-picking a certain favorable metrics in hopes of turning the public against a volunteer selection committee just seems wrong. After all, it’s not like there are bags full of money at stake.

Oh, right. OK guys, carry on.

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WSU: Washington State is in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational title game thanks to an 84-73 win over Fresno State. The Cougars earned the win without Cedric Coward, the WCC’s reigning player of the week. He is out with an injury. Greg Woods has more on that in his game story. … Greg also has a story on Coug kicker Dean Janikowski being named one of three finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, the most-impactful of college football’s community service awards. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, Jon Wilner has his weekly bowl projections in the S-R. If he’s right, WSU could be headed to Las Vegas instead of San Antonio. … Wilner has his look at what the CFP rankings really mean and also passes along Jeff Metcalfe’s Best of the West women’s basketball rankings in the Mercury News. … On the field, Washington expects the Eugene crowd to bring it Saturday. Of course. It is the school’s top rivalry game, right? … The Ducks remained on top the CFP rankings and are assured a spot in the playoff somewhere. The fifth spot might be the best one. … Oregon State won’t be moving on from Trent Bray after one year. The athletic director likes what he’s seen recently. So has The CW. … Recruiting never stops. Right Washington? And Oregon State? … There is so much going on in Boulder, from the must-win-and-hope game with Oklahoma State, awards and the future. … Speaking of the future, what is Kyle Whittingham’s at Utah? … USC may have the best punter in the nation. Who knew? We thought Lincoln Riley’s teams never had to punt. … UCLA has one game left. … Arizona State has at least one in the regular season. And possibly a lot more. Was that worth another fine? … Not if Arizona has anything to say about it. If not, expect changes. … In the Mountain West, Colorado State has to defeat Utah State. Then hope UNLV loses. That is the Rams’ only road to the MWC title game against Boise State. … Hawaii says goodbye to nine key seniors against New Mexico. … Air Force is flying high headed into its final game against San Diego State. … The San Jose State volleyball controversy is over. For now. After an appeal was denied, the Spartans are scheduled to begin their Mountain West Conference tournament against Utah State in today’s semifinal. Maybe. And the issues behind the lawsuits will be sorted out in court. … In basketball news, the Oregon men rallied in Las Vegas and topped No. 20 Texas A&M. … The Duck women lost a second consecutive game in Hawaii.

Gonzaga: The Big 12 is considered the deepest, if not the best, conference in college basketball. But this year the Zags haven’t had a lot of trouble with its members. West Virginia gets its chance today in the Bahama tournament’s first round. Theo Lawson pins his preview on that notion. … Theo also has his key matchup. … Dave Boling is in the islands and his column revolves around the Bulldog players’ “particular skills.” … Jim Meehan covers GU’s past appearances in the tournament and highlights the press conference appearance of a past Gonzaga player, Oumar Ballo. Ballo, along with former WSU standout Myles Rice, are a big part of Indiana’s tournament hopes. … Finally, I loved this story on Jalen Suggs and his friendship with Orlando’s big man. … Arizona and Tommy Lloyd are also in the tournament this week.

EWU: One of the more underrated basketball programs on the West Coast plays in the Thunderdome, the nickname for UC Santa Barbara’s home court. The Eagles learned how hard it is to win – and shoot – there in a 67-51 loss Tuesday night. … Former Eastern quarterback Vernon Adams has been traded. The CFL standout is headed to Calgary, where he reunites with his former EWU head coach Beau Baldwin, the team’s quarterback coach. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the playoffs are also about a first-time matchup. At least for Montana this year. … Idaho State has hired a new defensive coordinator. … UC Davis has players in the running for national awards. … In basketball news, Montana State rained down 3-pointers in an easy win. … Sacramento State will play at Air Force today.

Seahawks: Uchenna Nwosu will be back soon. … Devon Witherspoon’s stats do not show his true worth. … The Hawks added safety depth.

Mariners: The M’s have revamped a few spots on their coaching staff, with a couple new hitting coaches and Edgar Martinez moving into a new role. … More importantly, how will the bullpen bounce back next season? … Seattle-area native Blake Snell has decided to join the Dodgers’ starting staff, giving the current champs another $182-million arm that will break down sometime next season.

Kraken: The season is about a quarter over. Already. There are some updates that can be offered.

Sounders: Seattle will be without a key player the rest of their playoff run.

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• We’ve contemplated taking tomorrow off. But then how would you get your Turkey Day sports news in an easy-to-digest way? It’s a responsibility I do not take lightly. But, because I’m doing you this solid, you have to agree I deserve to have a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast tomorrow, right? Could you please inform Kim of that. She’s been saying I can wait until after dinner. The heathen. Until later …