A Grip on Sports: There is a lot of drama these days in college athletics, with most of the plots pretty hard to follow

A GRIP ON SPORTS • What is it about HBO’s blockbuster shows and their penchant for dispatching the one star everyone recognizes? Or is it just a Pedro Pascal thing for the network? Such questions have popped into my head recently because there is no more room for ones about transfer portal hijinks.

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• Did you know UCLA and Tennessee just traded quarterbacks? Not officially, sure, but Nico Iamaleava went West, Bruin starter Joey Aguilar went back East and now all is right in college football’s world.

Well, not really. But it may be as close as we’re all going to get. And perilously close to the next Hollywood streaming series plot. “Any Given Saturday.” Maybe we’ll see Pascal in the Josh Heupel role.

If that’s the case, then the Vols will either have to blow a 21-point fourth quarter lead to Alabama next season – as Pascal’s character did against The Mountain years ago in “Game of Thrones” – or be surprisingly overrun by SEC’s zombies Mississippi State and Vanderbilt – as happened, spoiler alert, this week in “The Last of Us.”

To carry this HBO allegory further, Iamaleava is a shoo-in for the role of Jamie Lannister. Younger brother Madden, a freshman who was already at Arkansas battling for the Razorbacks’ starting quarterback position, would be Tyrion, right? He is also headed to Westwood.

Too convoluted for my tastes. Probably yours as well.

• Then again, the transfer portal is a two-way street. Proof of that popped up in Pullman yesterday, as David Riley’s program, which lost a starter to teams in the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12, added a Boise State import.

The addition of 6-foot-8 wing Emmanuel Ugbo gives the Cougars something they sorely missed last season. An athletic perimeter defender who is capable of guarding 1-through-4. And is Riley’s second addition this offseason.

• Did we say the portal is a two-way street? It’s more like eastbound Spokane Falls Blvd. for the Zags thus far. Four players have left. Zero have been added. And don’t use the late April additions of Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike two years as evidence everything is perfectly fine.

Two years is a geological age in college athletics. Basketball’s best practices then have evolved into today’s $15 million men’s rosters. But that may also work in the Zags favor.

The portal closes today. Officially. Of the four Zags who entered, only two – Dusty Stromer and Michael Ajayi – played any real role last season. Braden Huff and Ike were rumored to be multi-million targets. Nary a peep from either. Their retention would be as good as shopping in the portal. Better, actually.

Alas, the portal window is not a hard deadline anymore. Not if, say, the general manager at Florida or Louisville or Baylor decides to tap a booster for an extra $4 million infusion because the roster needs another big. And decides the best fit is your favorite school’s top inside threat. No portal listing? No problem.

• The WIAA Rep Assembly voted to add girls’ flag football as an official sport effective Aug. 1. It’s Washington’s first sport added since 1999. And the first one the NFL really threw a lot of money toward getting adopted.

The league’s motives are clear. Money. Build a larger base of football fans for the future. Grow profits.

But it’s hard to see how the sport will fit into the prep calendar on this side of the mountains. Mainly because of geography – and entrenched competition.

West Side schools have sponsored the sport the past couple years, with competition taking place in winter. That avoids fall, already full with volleyball and soccer, two of the most popular female sports and deeply supported through a club system that demands participation the rest of the year as well. It also dodges spring, a time when many possible flag players are already busy with track or softball.

Winter it is. Except flag football is an outdoor sport. That’s barely passable on the West Side during December and January. The sub-freezing temperatures around these parts? They are a roster killer, as many athletic directors who have surveyed their students have shared with me.

That’s not to say larger schools won’t add the sport and play either fall or spring, allowed under the new rules. Smaller schools? It will be less feasible.

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WSU: Greg Woods has more on Ugbo’s transfer. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano had a mailbag yesterday. There are Pac-12 questions answered. … The NCAA put new rules in place yesterday. They are all contingent on the House settlement passing judicial muster. … Oregon State added Montana to its 2026 schedule, filling a hole that popped up when the San Diego State nonconference matchup became a conference game. … Oregon needs to fill some linebacker spots. … Colorado is in no hurry to name a starting quarterback. … Utah believes its offensive line is going to be really good. … Ron Riviera met with the media yesterday and covered his role with California football. Talked transfers too. … Not everyone thinks UCLA is doing the right thing. … Arizona wants its quarterback to be a more vocal leader. … Boise State added a safety as the Broncos continue to navigate the portal. … In basketball news, the Colorado women added a transfer from a conference rival. … The Arizona men retire jersey numbers but let players wear them.

Gonzaga: Don’t forget Theo Lawson has his WCC transfer tracker on the S-R website every day. … The baseball team went 12 innings last night before falling at third-ranked Oregon State. … One thing about transfers. Most times fit is more important than talent.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana’s new quarterback talked about his spring performance. … Montana State held another scrimmage Saturday. … Northern Arizona ended its spring with a showcase the same day.

Preps: Of course Dave Nichols has the news about flag’s adoption, as well as a new transfer rule that, as we see it, won’t change much of anything. … Dave also has the roundup of Monday’s action.

Chiefs: Spokane is back in the Arena tonight with a chance to close out its WHL playoff series with Victoria. … Western Conference top seed Everett has already survived one elimination game vs. Portland. Game seven of that series is tonight as well.

Wheelchair racing: Tekoa’s Susannah Scaroni won another Boston Marathon on Monday, adding her second prestigious Boston win to all her other accolades. Madison McCord caught up with her yesterday for this story.

Golf: Jim Meehan has a little more on Joel Dahmen’s weekend, focusing today on how well Dahmen handled his loss Sunday.

Mariners: No game yesterday. But there is news. Good news, at least on the George Kirby front. He’s ready to start throwing bullpens. … There’s a reason why the M’s are stealing more bases.

Seahawks: Hey, more draft projections. For the Hawks. And for the NFL as a whole. We are thrilled. … John Schneider is not. At least he talked about it. 

Kraken: The Dan Bylsma “Era” is over. After one season. Seattle parted ways with its coach yesterday and then, reportedly, kicked general manage Ron Francis upstairs as well. The Kraken just weren’t good enough again this season. … Who could the franchise pick as its next head coach?

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• Tired of portal news? Sorry. It can be pretty depressing. And exciting. Sometimes on the same day. Sort of like the stock market. and for those of you not familiar with Spokane’s streets, Spokane Falls Blvd. is a one-way. Westbound. That’s the joke. Until later …