A Grip on Sports: Drive around Spokane’s South Hill and you will run into flocks of turkeys – though maybe not as many as are showing up in college football these days

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Each morning, when I sit in front of the desk and pound on the keyboard, I have one goal in mind. To prove Mr. Carlson right. And if you get that reference, we can be friends.

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• Kent, my longest-tenured friend, recently sent me a birthday gift. It was a WKRP Turkey Drop T-shirt. He would understand the reference, that’s for sure.

The rest of you? All you need to know is I’m the turkey trying to fly.

Today, that means taking a look at the turkeys who seemed to be infecting the college football landscape, eating all the flowers and dropping, well, you know, all over the place.

• In Louisiana, turkeys make their Thanksgiving appearance as the outside layer in a Turducken. Or as governor.

Jeff Landry flapped his wings in front of the state’s assembled media Wednesday, addressing the most-crucial issue facing the state. Who will be the next LSU football coach?

He didn’t answer that. But he did tell everyone who would not be making that choice. Louisiana State athletic director Scott Woodward.

And in about 15 minutes, the race to replace Brian Kelly at a school in which national championships can be won seemingly thinned out a bit. After all, how many coaches capable of winning a national title would want to sign up for a stint with a school so dysfunctional the state’s governor is blasting the athletic director while said AD is still employed? Unless, of course, there is a $53 million buyout built into the contract.

Good luck with that.

Landry cited the figure when explaining angrily the search will be conducted, and consummated, by the LSU Board of Supervisors. He also cited the $77 million Texas A&M had to pay to get Jimbo Fisher to go away as well, blaming Woodward for that fiasco.

That last one isn’t entirely true. Yes, Woodward lured Fisher from Florida State. Signed him to a 10-year, $75 million contract. But he was already in Baton Rouge when the school’s Board of Regents extended and guaranteed Fisher’s deal.

Could you image Washington governor Bob Ferguson getting involved in the UW coaching search? Me neither. I guess that’s what they mean by football meaning more in the SEC. Though it seems as if Landry is making a huge mistake. If he handpicks Kelly’s successor and that coach goes up in flames, think the voters of his state will take it out on him?

Sure. It means that much.

• Another turkey, West Coast version. UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond.

As UCLA was preparing to exit the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, I spent a Saturday in the Rose Bowl talking with Bruin athletic alums as the football team earned a win over Washington State.

This was two years ago. Three years into Jarmond’s tenure. He had just tied his school’s future to that of hated USC. That bugged the alums. Maybe not as much as the other ties Jarmond was breaking, those to other West Coast schools. To a person, every one of the almost a dozen people I interviewed despised the move and blamed Jarmond for it.

That anger doesn’t seem to have abated. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday 64 former football players sent a letter to the school’s new chancellor, Julio Frenk, urging him to replace Jarmond, expressing “deep concern with the current direction” of the athletic department under his leadership.

And that was before the Rose Bowl and the City of Pasadena sued the school, saying UCLA is trying to move football home games from the facility to SoFi Stadium in violation of the long-term deal the parties signed not all that long ago.

Yes, the Bruins probably shouldn’t be playing at the Rose Bowl. But they agreed to a lease that runs through 2044. And forcing millions of dollars in improvements before doing so. The time to move, to even examine a move, was before the agreement was reached.

Any turkey knows that.

• They should also know Friday nights are for high school football. Alone. Well, they should be. But probably will not be for much longer.

Jon Wilner has a column in the Mercury News this morning that looks at the ratings for Friday night games this college football season. They are really high. The viewing public seems to like them. You know what that means, right? More are on the way. And attendance at high school games will take another hit.  

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WSU: John Feinstein once wrote a book about the Baltimore Ravens. At least that was the plan. It turned out to be about the injury culture in football. Everyone who plays the game will be injured at some point, so success often hinges on the ability of the next man up to do the job. Same in college. Greg Woods sees examples of that all over the Cougar defensive line. … That line isn’t sure this week what type of quarterback it will be trying to run down. It seems as if Oregon State has made a decision though. … Remember all those years when the Cougars tried to woo Paul Allen, and his millions, into a booster role? It never worked out. Fast forward a decade or so and John Canzano is trying to figure out a way for Oregon State to do the same with another tech billionaire. A pair of them, actually. Alums Jensen and Lori Huang of Nvidia, met in Corvallis. Have given the school a $50 million gift. But don’t seem to be sports fans. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, funny thing about this weekend. When you describe the important games nationally, you have to put them in a new category. November games. Yep, the last full month of the regular season kicks off Saturday. … The Washington coaches challenged their defense last week and it responded. … Oregon is on a bye as well, wondering if its best receiver will return from a bad injury at some point, whether a freshman will and what the heck happened with the offense? The next opponent, Iowa, will test that group. … I am beginning to wonder if Jarmond will be in his AD position at UCLA this time next year. Heck, this time next month. The school administration is a mess, illustrated once again in the lawsuit it is facing from Pasadena and the Rose Bowl. … Colorado State is still recruiting despite not having a head coach. How does that work?

• Here are the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 games this week, listed chronologically. All are on Saturday unless noted. The schedule below also includes any game in which finding news turned out to be nearly impossible.

– Arizona State at Iowa State (10 a.m., TNT): Last year everything seemed to break ASU’s way. This season? Maybe it is a regression to the mean. The Sun Devils are snake-bit a little.

– Pittsburgh at Stanford (12:30 p.m., ACC)

– Fresno State at Boise State (12:30, FS1): What a key ingredient for disaster when playing the Broncos at home? Having to play an inexperienced quarterback. The Bulldogs may just get cooked.  

– No. 15 Virginia at California (12:45, ESPN2): The Bears have not been all that good on defense this season.

– Arizona at Colorado (4, FS1): The Buffs will be missing a starting offensive lineman this week. … Does the Big 12 still seem a bit like a different country for Wildcat fans?

– Wyoming at San Diego State (4, CBS Sports): The Aztecs are pushing hard for a home-field advantage this week. But they will be without a starting receiver, out for the season due to injury.

– No. 23 USC at Nebraska (4:30, NBC): This week is about looking forward for the Trojan defense. 

– No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah (7:15, ESPN): According to Wilner, in the Mercury News, this game will show the Utes’ true colors. Are they just bullies of weak teams or can they stand up to the big boys? … One has to wonder if there is also a GameDay jinx at work in Salt Lake City. … At least it looks as if starting quarterback Devon Dampier is healthy.

• In basketball news, Wilner returns and shares his Associated Press preseason Top 25 ballot on the Mercury News site. … The new look for Oregon State’s men is interesting. … How good do people believe Colorado State’s transfer class is? … San Diego State didn’t play its stars and still dominated USD in an exhibition game. … The Colorado women won their final exhibition game with ease. … UCLA will be without one of its newest stars as the season begins.

Gonzaga: With Monday’s tip to the season, Theo Lawson decided to go through the Zags’ nonconference schedule and, for each game, pick out one star they will have to stop to be successful. One of his choices has a deep Inland Northwest connection. … With all the changes in college hoops the past few years, one had to wonder if the Bulldogs’ formula for success had become outmoded. If recruiting wins are any indication, the answer is no. Theo has this story on a 2027 recruit who said yesterday he is headed to Spokane for college. … Mark Few dropped a bit this year on CBS’ list of the top 25 coaches.

EWU: One of the good parts of the modern ease of transferring schools is on display every time the Eagle defense takes the red turf. A Wyoming backup linebacker decided to play his final year in Cheney and that’s been good for him and for Eastern. Dan Thompson has this story on Read Sunn. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, hey, there are still stories about what players want to do with their life outside of football. We can pass along one such today from Montana. … Recruiting never stops for Montana State. … There is also this look at Weber State’s 2026 schedule. … When UC Davis and Idaho State meet, there will be a homecoming of sorts. … Cal Poly will try to keep its decent season going this Saturday when it hosts winless Portland State. … Utah Tech can’t wait to change conferences. … In basketball news, Weber State struggled but survived a home exhibition game with Colorado Christian. … Finally, the $10,000 fine the Big Sky levied on Sacramento State coach Brennan Marion for his comments about penalties and his team is receiving attention from all over the country. And not the good type.

Preps: This is it. The final weekend of football’s regular season. And there is one great matchup on tap in the GSL. Dave Nichols takes a look at all the games but the main spotlight is on tonight’s 3A game at Union Stadium, where 7-1 Mt. Spokane host 7-1 Cheney. … Mead has been good at volleyball for as long as I can remember. And I still can remember a long time. Madison McCord previews the upcoming districts by examining the Panthers’ season under first-year coach Karrie Delp. … The District 6 cross country races are this Saturday at Wandermere Golf Course. Greg Lee has a preview.

Chiefs: The start of the season has featured a handful of challenges for Spokane, from a long road trip to matchups with a trio of the WHL’s best teams. Another one of the latter occurred last night at the Arena. Dave Nichols was there and he chronicles the Chiefs’ 2-1 win over the Saskatoon Blades.

Mariners: The World Series rarely disappoints, does it? The Blue Jays took Wednesday’s key Game Five win 6-1 behind the pitching of rookie Trey Yesavage, who handcuffed the Dodger lineup once again. … Though I’m pretty sure Mariner fans are still disappointed and Toronto’s success doesn’t help. … Cal Raleigh’s peers seem to think he had the best season in baseball.

Seahawks: The secondary is healthier but a key part of it, safety Julian Love, isn’t ready to go just yet. … One of the key secondary performers is a rookie that is showing he belongs. … A backup linebacker has also made a huge difference. … Are the Hawks really a contender to win the NFC? … Seattle made one key trade at the deadline last season. … Sunday’s opponent, the Commanders, have lost their best receiver for the week but seem to be ready to welcome back their most important offensive player, quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Media: If you have been wondering what will replace “Around The Horn” on the ESPN schedule, you are not alone. And you may have to wait a bit longer. Though Scott Van Pelt’s name has been bandied around a bit.

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• One more note for you. Don’t forget tomorrow night is Halloween. Drive slower if you are out and about. You know, when you run out of candy because dad ate all the Twix bars last weekend. Until later …