A Grip on Sports: As the Seahawks deal with an injury to a key offensive player, college football celebrates a change at the top that has astounded those who cover the sport

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh ya, being pushed for time in the morning as winter deepens. Turns out, that hasn’t changed even though the area code has. The Seahawks, however, will see their offensive backfield change this weekend. And college football has experienced a sea change in who is on top.

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• Let’s start with that last one, OK? Something happened last night I’m not sure I’ve experienced in my 70 years on this ball of dirt. Just about every person in our national sports commenting machinery threw a rod. Or burned out their microchip, depending on their age.

All over the unlikely outcome in Monday’s College Football Playoff championship. Unlikely in historical precedent, sure, though not by 2026 rules.

Of course Indiana is a great story. Two years ago the Hoosiers were historically the worst college football program of all-time. Not the 2023 team mind you. From 2023 stretching back into the mists of time. Back to the invention of the game. No one had won a lower percentage of their games than the Hoosiers.

Need a win? Call (812) 555-1212 and ask for the football office.

Now they are the national champions. The best team in the nation. Undefeated.

How? That’s what football’s revolution has wrought. The school’s powers that be hired James Madison’s Curt Cignetti. He had a plan. It began with bringing a core of his developed-yet-still-underappreciated players from the Dukes with him to Bloomington. Add in the couple handfuls of returning players who fit. Use the money the school and its boosters decide to invest in the sport to entice a few more. Mix them together with his vat of football knowledge. Let it percolate through one 11-2 season. Turn up the heat in 2025 and, viola, the school’s first national title.

The title game wasn’t Indiana’s best performance. Neither was it the sports (the Big 12 officiating crew was either incompetent or disinterested in enforcing the rules, and it took almost 10 seconds in the final minute to move the chains a whole three yards after a Miami first down.) Or ESPNs.

But it was exciting. And fitting, as the toughest team on the field was the newcomer to the national stage, not the one from the program that dominated the end of the last century and the beginning of this one.

College football has changed dramatically in the past couple years. That point was driven home last night with a hammer built in southwest Indiana.

• Zach Charbonnet’s knee injury is as bad as feared. Maybe even worse.

The battering ram running back will not play the rest of the Seahawks’ playoff run. And maybe not next season as well. As Mike Macdonald said yesterday, “Just hurts, man, it hurts that it’s going on.” Not just for Charbonnet but for the Hawks.

Will the injury derail the season, either in Sunday afternoon’s NFC title game with the Rams or in the Super Bowl, providing Seattle gets there? Not necessarily.

The offensive line is still healthy, if Charles Cross’ foot problem doesn’t heal in time. The left tackle was called “day-to-day” by Macdonald. As long as the latter day is before Sunday, the group should be the engine Seattle rides (as Dave Boling delves into today).

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WSU: The Cougars added to the roster Monday. Kirby Moore’s squad added an offensive lineman from Washington out of the portal, tackle Maximus McCree. Greg Woods has all the details in this story. … Klay Thompson is still playing in the NBA. I guess as long as the guy who covered his WSU career (me) can continue to pound a keyboard most every morning, Klay can continue to sink 3-pointers. He’s fourth in league history in made 3s. (And I’m fourth in S-R history in words written.) … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner’s ranking of next year’s Pac-12 basketball teams this year runs in the S-R this morning. Got that? … Oregon hosts No. 12 Michigan State today. … Colorado faces Kansas, who will be without coach Bill Self. He was in the hospital recently. … Arizona is the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation for the first time this season. … Colorado State hosts Air Force tonight. … Utah State does the same with UNLV.

• In football news, Monday night’s game produced more “wow, Indiana?” stories than any subject I’ve read in a while, including a column from John Canzano. (He also has one from Miami that focuses on Oregon.) There are other aspects to the game, including the officiating and the toughness of Fernando Mendoza and Miami falling just short and on and on. … Wilner posted his final Associated Press Top 25 vote for the season on the Mercury News site last night. He also has a way-too-early ranking for next season. … There are other examples of the latter rankings. … Washington’s offense will have most of its key offensive linemen back but the skill positions will be unproven. … Three different Big Ten schools have won the CFP in the past three years. Will Oregon be No. 4? … Oregon State lost 35 players to the portal. … Do not forget, Mendoza began his college career at Cal. That is the norm these days. … Can UCLA be forced to stay in the Rose Bowl and fulfill its contract? … The Bruins’ new coach grew up in a small town. … How is USC looking this far into its 2026 roster building process? How about UCLA? … Every school should ask this question: Could we be the next Indiana? It is being asked in Arizona

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs lost two key players to injury last week. Yet won both games. Those happenstances resulted in Gonzaga halting its slide in the A.P. basketball poll. The Zags actually rose to eighth. A couple more injuries, and wins, this week and the national voters might just move them to No. 1. Jim Meehan has all the poll details in this story.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, there were games Monday, with the Montana men snapping their losing streak with a 98-72 road win against Northern Arizona. … Montana State handled Northern Colorado on the road as well. … The Montana women won their first Big Sky game, topping Northern Arizona at home. … Montana State has won seven consecutive games after winning in Greeley. … A Montana State football player returned from a quick portal visit. … Northern Arizona filled its coaching staff vacancies.

Chiefs: Dave Nichols has the coverage of Spokane’s 6-2 WHL road win in Portland.

Seahawks: We mentioned Dave’s column on the offensive line above. And linked it. We link it again here. And mention that Dave is someone that understands offensive line play better than most, having played center at Louisville under Lee Corso. … Sam Darnold’s minor injury didn’t get worse in the win over San Francisco. That’s another win. … The Charbonnet injury will linger. … The Rams are going to win this week. At least someone thinks so. 

Kraken: The road trip was so long, I it was over the other day. Turns out it was. And wasn’t. Its impact was still felt Monday in Seattle. The Kraken gave up three goals in the third period and lost to Pittsburgh 6-3.

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• Back in town and a little bummed. Mainly because while yesterday’s drive from Portland was smooth and shorter than usual (at least it seemed that way), there were some roadblocks thrown our way this morning. Thanks Apple. Anyhow, another short report. We will try do better tomorrow. Until later …