A Grip on Sports: Yes, the Super Bowl is the weekend’s star but if you delve deep enough, you might just find something else to hold your TV interest

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Everyone knows the Super Bowl is on Sunday afternoon. And by “everyone,” I mean even those folks whose paychecks depend on programming sports in such a way that draws the most eyeballs. It’s why there is only one sporting event available to watch once the game kicks. Why get into a steel cage with King Kong?

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• Yes, the Super Bowl, no matter who is playing, is the 30-ton gorilla of televised sports. It is, actually, the dominating brute of all television ratings, having stood alone atop the Nielsen numbers each year since 1983, when Hawkeye, Hot Lips and Colonel Potter bid America adieu before 106 million crying folks.

Which is why everyone clears the stage Sunday afternoon. Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and their teams will not be sharing the spotlight from 3:30 on. Even with Tom Brady in Fox’s booth.

If you don’t want to watch, but still want something to do? There is always “My Fair Lady” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” on TCM. Or a Bobby Flay cooking competition on the Food Network. Maybe “King of the Hill” reruns on The Cartoon Network is more your style.

But golf or basketball or bowling? Not going to happen. Unless your DVR has a nice selection of games you haven’t watched yet.

The rest of the weekend is better, though, including the biggest men’s college basketball matchup of the season. UC Irvine at UC San Diego. Saturday. Seven p.m. ESPNU. What, the U? Not ABC or the flagship?

OK, just kidding. Even the proudest Anteater in America knows the showdown for first place in the Big West doesn’t move the Nielsen dial much. But, c’mon, two teams with 20 and 19 wins respectively, and the game is on the U? Where’s a Dolores Umbridge decree that it get better coverage when you need it?

At least Gonzaga’s trip to Pacific isn’t shunted off to the Ocho or something. It’s on KHQ (6 p.m.) and on ESPN+ if you are in Munich or Melbourne or somewhere. ESPN+ is also the home of the Inland Northwest’s best women’s matchup of the season. Washington State (10-4 in the West Coast Conference and winners of three consecutive games) at Gonzaga (11-2 and on 10-game streak) for a 2 p.m. tip. Though Portland (10-3) is between them in the standings, a win should ensure the Bulldogs the top spot in the WCC tourney.

The only WCC game this weekend with a national stage features men’s leader Saint Mary’s, coming off its first league loss, at Oregon State, an 84-72 winner over visiting WSU on Thursday night. The 7 p.m. game is on ESPN2.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t good matchups. Games on par with UCI vs. UCSD. Maybe even, cough, better ones.

The best game has to be unanimous No. 1 Auburn hosting sixth-ranked Florida on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN and ESPN2). I mean, the World-Wide leader’s top two channels for one game? Are the Mannings on?

After all, second-ranked Duke is playing. And ESPN has only reserved the flagship for its 3:30 p.m. game at unranked Clemson. That’s followed by third-ranked Alabama at John Calipari’s Arkansas (5:30) and then Texas Tech at No. 20 Arizona, which has moved to the top of the Big 12 standings, along with fifth-ranked Houston, whose 1 p.m. Saturday game at Colorado has been relegated to ESPN+.

Of the rest of the top 10 – No. 4 Tennessee, No. 7 Purdue, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 10 Texas A&M – only the Vols (ESPN, at Oklahoma) and Tom Izzo’s Spartans (Fox, hosting Oregon) are available nationally Saturday. And both start at 9 a.m.

• There is another drunken bacchanal to watch, though. It just so happens on a golf course. The WM Phoenix Open graces – not the right word, but I’ll go with it – CBS starting at noon Saturday and Sunday. Don’t worry. It will end before kickoff. Though the Waste Management guys will still be collecting the beer cans on the 16th until well after Mahomes hoists his third consecutive Lombardi Trophy. Even with the new nets.

Accompanied, of course, by Jake from State Farm, Taylor Swift and what’s-his-name. You know, her boyfriend. It was right on the tip of my tongue. Ah, well.

After Kendrick Lamar finishes his halftime show, I don’t need to watch anymore.

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WSU: The Cougars were behind the eight-ball last night in Corvallis. If by “eight-ball” you mean the free-throw line. They were outscored by 20 from that spot and fell 82-74. Even taking out the four the Beavers made in the final 35 seconds, as Washington State tried unsuccessfully to close a four-point, final-2-minute gap, the 16-point edge was too much to overcome. Greg Woods has a game story as he watched from Pullman. … Washington State’s regents decided on a new president this week. Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell, who was Utah State’s president, will take over soon. She seems to be a big supporter of athletics as the face of the university. Nick Gibson has the S-R story. …  Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Cantwell is not alone. The new California chancellor, Rich Lyons, feels the same way. Jon Wilner has more in this Mercury News story. … If you’re wondering, it looks as if JC, NAIA, Division III and Division II athletes will soon be allowed four more years of eligibility at Division I schools. … How did Washington do in the portal? And with its new, highly touted coaching hires? … Oregon had needs in this football recruiting class. Did it fill them? And what is on tap for the next? … Colorado has added San Diego State and NFL star running back Marshall Faulk to its coaching staff. … Arizona also added speed in this recruiting class. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, how much are Boise State’s assistants getting paid? … In basketball news, the Oregon State women had no trouble with Loyola Marymount. … The last two games have not gone well for Oregon. … The Stanford women have fallen and may not be able to get up. The Cardinal fell 96-47 at No. 3 Notre Dame last night, the worst loss in the program’s history. Their long NCAA streak will probably end this season. … The Utah State men hope to keep their NCAA streak alive, with help from a player from the Bahamas. … San Diego State has a long layoff, though Colorado State looms Saturday. … Oregon State is doing well, in part, because one player stayed.

Gonzaga: Before we get to the men’s win, we need to start with some record-breaking news. As in Yvonne Ejim’s midrange jumper late in the first half of the Zags’ 69-58 win at Saint Mary’s. That bucket lifted Ejim past Heather Bowman and atop the school’s career scoring list. Greg Lee watched and has this coverage of the game and the moment. Ejim finished with 27 points (and 11 rebounds). … The WCC has a Jeff Faraudo column on Ejim on its website. … Sometimes it only takes 40 minutes of lockdown defense and 10 minutes of stellar offense to win a college basketball game. Case in point, last night’s 73-53 win over streaking Loyola Marymount in the Kennel. The most important part of that, of course, is the defensive end. The Zags seem to have figured it out after the back-to-back WCC losses. The 3-point shooting? That’s still an issue. No matter, though, Thursday. Theo Lawson explains why in this game story. He also teamed with the folks in the office for this recap with highlights. … Jim Meehan took care of the buzzer-beater notebook and an in-depth look at Khalif Battle’s offensive explosion. … Colin Mulvany has his photo gallery as well. … Earlier in the day, Theo covered Graham Ike and Mt. Spokane grad Tyson Deganhart (Boise State) being named to the Karl Malone top 10 watch list. … Former GU star Chet Holmgren is about to return from injury. … Elsewhere in the WCC, we examined the conundrum facing GU fans last night as USF hosted Saint Mary’s. Their default position is to always root for whoever is playing the Gaels. And if that is how you fell, then you were happy, as the Dons rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to hand the WCC leaders their first conference defeat. But with the win, USF, who will be in Spokane next Thursday, remain a half-game in front of Gonzaga for the WCC tourney’s coveted second seed.

EWU: A Mason Williams’ 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left gave the Eagles a much-needed 83-80 home win over Sacramento State last night. Dan Thompson was there and has the coverage. … Where could Cooper Kupp end up? … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana moved into a tie for first by handling Northern Colorado’s men last night. … Montana State fell at Northern Arizona. … The Bobcat women top NAU at home. … Montana has turned its season around. … Jared Allen was a force at Idaho State. And in the NFL. Now he’ll be in the pro football Hall of Fame. … Weber State signed a bunch of local football players this week.

Idaho: The Vandals fell way behind in the first half to visiting Portland State and never recovered, falling 76-69. Peter Harriman has the story.

Preps: The Northeast 2B boys league is easily the most competitive in the area, what with six teams good enough to earn one of the district’s four available State berths. The two best, however, met at Freeman last night with the regular season title on the line. Freeman got the best of Colfax, handing the Bulldogs only their second loss of the season 65-52 to earn the title. Dave Nichols was there and has this coverage.

Seahawks: If the Hawks make a long run next season, maybe Leonard Williams will deserve some MVP votes. After all, he and the team agreed on a re-worked contract that frees up a bunch of cap space. … Speaking of MVP, the Bills’ Josh Allen, who was hardly recruited out of a Central California high school, won his first in an upset. … The new Hall of Fame rules were so tough for Mike Holmgren he couldn’t get past them. He wasn’t one of the four chosen to enter in 2025. … Carson Wentz is back in the Super Bowl, albeit in a different role.

Mariners: This would be bad for Major League Baseball in many ways.

Kraken: Another game, another loss. Seattle is slowly sinking into the non-playoff abyss.

Storm: The team’s most popular player is returning.

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• I may have mentioned once or 20 times our family’s weekly NFL buffet. We pick a dish that highlights the Seahawks’ opponent, cook it and devour it as the game is going on – or just after. This year, Tyler picked his favorite. It was dad’s rendition of lobster mac and cheese. I will chef the heck out of it again for Sunday. But dad, being on a low-carb kick, is also making ribs. OK, Costco made the ribs and Kim will cook them because, after all, I want them to be edible. Hope your plans go well. Until later …