A Grip on Sports: It was sort of a TV sports watch party last night though everything may not have turned out as you wished

A GRIP ON SPORTS • If it is true that everybody is working for the weekend, and why would Loverboy lie, then work is over. It is the weekend. And all that entails.

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• Friday night it entailed an physical win in Tempe. A less-than-stellar performance by the home team in Pullman. An exceptional quarterbacking performance in Eugene.

That’s plenty, right? Well, throw in a neutral-site West Coast rivalry in Los Angeles, one that demanded the typical gymnastics of dealing with Peacock’s clunky interface, and the night overflowed.

And, for the first time in a while, YouTube customers were able to watch it all.

• That last one may not mean anything to you. Or it might be everything. Disney, owner of ABC, ESPN and a couple of little amusement parks, finally reached an agreement with Google’s streaming arm Friday on the value of its products. The long national nightmare ended, allowing those of you that have been staring at a blank screen recently to be able to watch College GameDay this morning. And realize, yes, the WSU flag can wave in Pittsburgh.

• A Friday night Big Ten football game in Autzen Stadium might mean even less to you than the YouTube news. After all, to many folks in Washington, the only good Duck news starts with an L. Hasn’t happened much lately, has it? And as long as quarterback Dante Moore completes 90% of his passes, it may not happen again this season.

Then again, is a 90%-completion rate – he completed 27-of-30 throws against the Gophers, for 306 yards and two touchdowns – may be hard to replicate against USC next week and Washington to finish up the season.

• As a Comcast customer, there is no extra money involved when I want to watch Peacock. Though dealing with NBC’s streaming service proves the adage you get what you pay for.

At least switching back-and-forth between fifth-ranked Arizona’s 69-65 win over No. 15 UCLA from the Intuit Dome and everything else was relatively simple. Despite the lag time filled with colorful circles bouncing across the screen.

But when the game was on the big old rectangle, it was worth watching. Even if the Wildcats’ defense might not be good enough to get them where they want to be in March. And the Bruins have the exact opposite problem – and probably always will with Mick Cronin in charge.

• Not sure either team playing in Pullman last night is worried about March right now. The Huskies, who cruised to an 81-69 victory, are better right now, but that is not a high bar to clear. The 1-3 Cougars are still searching for an identity. And a few wins.

• No. 19 Gonzaga has those. Four in fact. The latest, a 77-65 bruise-fest against Arizona State, showed Mark Few’s team doesn’t have to play its game to triumph. It can adjust, play yours and be better at it than you.

The Sun Devils’ plan, as always under longtime coach Bobby Hurley, was to muck it up. To make everyone in the arena, from the opposition to the officials to anyone within earshot of Hurley, uncomfortable and stressed. It worked.

But not enough to say it succeeded.

Not when the opponent has as much depth as the Zags. Braden Huff and Jalen Warley in foul trouble and less effective than usual? No problem. Graham Ike seemed comfortable in uncomfortable conditions. Former ASU guard Adam Miller sped up in his first return to Tempe? No problem. Steele Venters carried his load in the first half, allowing Miller to settle in and make three big plays when the lead leaked away in the second half.

Neither point guard, starter Braeden Smith nor reserve Mario Saint-Supery, could put the ball in the basket? No problem. Smith found others nine times for hoops and Saint-Supery contributed with four rebounds.

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WSU: The football team takes the spotlight tonight, hosting Louisiana Tech in search of one of the two wins it needs to ensure a bowl trip. Greg Woods has his preview, which focuses on the Cougars’ pass rush, as well as the keys to a win and his predicted outcome. … Greg was also in Beasley last night and has his coverage of the Cougs’ third loss in four games to start the season. … Earlier in the day, the women hosted former Pac-12 foe Stanford, trying to break a 75-game losing streak to the Cardinal. It didn’t happen. The visitors built a 13-point second half lead and held off Washington State 54-46. … The news was better from the NCAA cross country West Regional in Sacramento. Washington State’s Solomon Kipchoge and Rosemary Longisa each won in their respective races, though their teams will need at-large invitations to be included in the Nov. 22 national championship. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his usual Friday mailbag in the Mercury News. … He also passes along the weekly football recruiting summary. … Indiana football may just be the best story in college athletics the past couple years. … The schedule today features a few good games, most of them in SEC land. … There will be a new athletic director at Colorado soon. And he will have a tough early task.

• Here are the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 games this week, with the latest Associated Press rankings and listed chronologically. The schedule below also includes any game in which finding news turned out to be nearly impossible.

– No. 7 Oregon 42, Minnesota 13: The Ducks’ three tight ends all shined in the easy win. And they made life easy for Moore. … John Canzano had some thoughts pregame, including how life may have been different for Minnesota coach PJ Fleck if he had been hired by Oregon when it picked Willie Taggart. And for the Ducks too.

– Arizona at Cincinnati (9 a.m., FS1): This game presents the Wildcats with a “humongous” challenge.

– Oregon State at Tulsa (10, ESPN+): Here is another name to consider for the open head coaching position. Jason Eck. The former Idaho coach has spent less than a year at New Mexico, so maybe most of his possessions are still in boxes. … Win or lose, there are three OSU players to focus your eyes on.

– West Virginia at Arizona State (10, TNT): The only question is simple. Can the Sun Devils overcome their injuries?

– Colorado State at New Mexico (Noon, Mountain West): The outcome doesn’t seem in doubt. But there are other predictions to be made.

– Iowa at No. 17 USC (12:30 p.m., Fox): The Hawkeyes will put the Trojans under pressure. Lincoln Riley wants them to embrace it.

– Texas State at Southern Mississippi (12:30, ESPN+): Neither team will be at full strength today.

– No. 15 Utah at Baylor (4, ESPN2): The Utes’ key players are all banged up. The injuries may play a role in today’s must-win game.

– Purdue at Washington (4, FS1): The Boilermakers have yet to win a Big Ten game. And probably won’t today. Which seems to indicate they fired UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters after last season for nothing. Purdue is a basketball school these days.

– Utah State at UNLV (4, CBS Sports): Both teams will try to stay engaged in the MWC race.

– UCLA at No. 1 Ohio State (4:30, NBC): If the Bruins are going to post the most-shocking upset of the season, they will have to do it without their star quarterback. Nico Iamaleava will not play due to a concussion. … Here is another view of UCLA’s possible move away from the Rose Bowl and what it means to the school.

– Boise State at San Diego State (7:30, CBS Sports): Snapdragon Stadium’s turf has had some issues. We will probably find out today if they have been worked out. It’s expected to pour in San Diego during the most important game of the MWC for both these schools.

– Wyoming at Fresno State (7:30, FS1): For the Bulldogs to win, they will have to control the Cowboys’ passing attack.

• In basketball news, Colorado handed former Nugget star Kim English a loss in his college coaching return to the area. … USC’s Rodney Rice posted a triple-double in the Trojans’ win. … We linked one of the UCLA/Arizona stories above. And have more coverage here. … Oregon State is three games into its schedule. … The Utah and Washington women meet, with their recent roles reversed. … Oregon State has been on a roll lately, and rolled to another win last night.

Gonzaga: In a game in which the third team on the court seemed decidedly overmatched and made up for it by losing control, Few summarized the key aspect of his team’s win perfectly. And succinctly. “I think we just kind of hung in there,” he said. That, and a lot more, is contained in Theo Lawson’s game analysis. … Jim Meehan focused on Ike’s ability to be patient and survive physical double-teams en route to 20 points and nine rebounds. … Jim also has the keys to the win. … Tyler Tjomsland was in Tempe as well and has this photo gallery. … There is a game story in the Arizona Republic to pass along.

EWU: The final home football game of the season kicks off this afternoon at 1 p.m. Dan Thompson will be there. And he is here as well, with his three things to watch on the S-R website. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, No. 9 UC Davis at No. 3 Montana State. That’s the best football game of the day in the FCS. … Portland State hosts No. 2 Montana in Providence Park. But the Vikings have bigger questions to answer. … Weber State is in the middle of a coaching search. And here comes revitalized Idaho State to put all that on the back burner. … Northern Arizona hosts Cal Poly on Senior Day. … In basketball news, though UC Davis is not in the conference for the sport, its men do play Sacramento State. It happened last night and the Aggies won. … Montana just keeps winning behind the play of Money Williams.

Idaho: The Vandals are in Sacramento, trying to ruin the Hornets’ postseason chances. Peter Harriman has three things to watch during the 6 p.m. game.

Preps: State playoffs in a variety of sports continued Friday and we can pass along this roundup.

Chiefs: Spokane traveled north to Penticton for its first-ever meeting with the Vees. And earned a 4-3 overtime victory.

Mariners: The Times’ Mike Vorel has his reasons why he believes Cal Raleigh was the true American League Most Valuable Player, despite the voting outcome. Hard to argue with him.

Seahawks: There was good news, no, great news, on the injury front yesterday from Mike Macdonald. The main piece? Ernest Jones IV will play against the Rams.

Sounders: There was more media news yesterday. As the MLS moves toward a winter schedule in 2027, the league and Apple have reworked their TV deal. And it will end earlier, in 2029. … Lumen Field will have a different name during the World Cup.

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• Enjoy your Saturday. I actually see a little blue sky out my office window. My first thought: Will it last? My second thought: Probably not. Until later …