A Grip on Sports: It may not seem so, but there’s more to watch this weekend on your TV than just the Seahawks vs. the Rams

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s Friday. I think. This time of year, with gray days that all look alike, it can be hard to remember. But the calendar on my phone assures me it is, so we have an assignment. Look ahead to the weekend in sports. That’s easy. Especially this week. One event looms over everything.

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• Were you lucky – or rich – enough to land tickets to Sunday’s NFC title game in Seattle? If so, there is one thing you should probably pack. No, not the Richard Sherman jersey you used to wear back when Sherm was a Legion of Boom mainstay. Nor is it the Deacon Jones one your grandpa handed down, if you are one of those Ram fans who have weaseled a ticket on the Interweb.

Ear plugs.

Your audiologist called to remind you, though you probably didn’t hear the phone ring.

It should be loud in Lumen. Airport runway loud. If it isn’t? Uh oh. That would mean Sam Darnold’s turnovers or Puka Nacua’s touchdowns have quieted the 69,000 jammed into the place. And the Super Bowl dream is dying a slow death.

Those of us watching from home, either due to poverty – here, here – or a sad lack of luck – that too – won’t be stopping, even if cries of joy or agony from 300 miles away never have an impact.

The TV will be dialed in on Fox at 3:30 p.m. (or so, depending on what’s happened in Denver) and will stay there, come what may.

• Yes, there is another game. One that is dear to my heart. The best man at my wedding, and a childhood friend turned retirement buddy, has rooted for the Broncos for as long as I have known him. We have dreaded either of two outcomes to this NFL season: The Hawks and Broncos meeting again in the Super Bowl or one makes it and the other doesn’t (allowing the survivor to gloat for a year). Neither? A week ago that didn’t seem to be a possibility.

But that’s the NFL. One play can change everything. It sure seems to have changed Denver’s trajectory. Quarterback Bo Nix broke his leg on a late play in the win over the Bills and Kent’s joy turned to angst.

The Broncos will try to win in spite of the injury, with the AFC Championship against visiting New England kicking at noon on CBS.

• Of course that’s not all that is worth watching on a late January weekend.

There are a few college basketball games of import – one of which only due to the presence of one player.

Saturday night’s Tennessee at No. 17 Alabama game (5:30, ESPN) wouldn’t be worth mentioning here if not for the presence of one Charles Bediako.

Bediako is the canary in college hoops’ coal mine. A former Tide player who declared for the NBA in 2023. Was drafted. Signed multiple professional contracts. But, while having inked NBA deals, he never played in the league. Never rose above the G level. Never reached his dream. His new dream? Return to Alabama and play again. A local judge, who is a large contributor to Alabama athletics, decided Bediako had a case against the NCAA and issued a temporary restraining order, telling the organization to stand down for 10 days so he could a hearing.

It’s the end of the world as we know it. Or at least in the opinion of many college basketball writers nationally. Whether they are R.E.M. fans or not, I’m not sure but they seem to be overreacting.

The world of amateur college athletics ended long ago. The past couple decades have been a bedside vigil. But don’t worry. Your favorite university’s athletic team will be reborn soon. As a free minor league for the NFL, NBA, MLB and all pro entities.

• No. 8 Gonzaga has another WCC contest without Braden Huff, out for another month or so with a knee injury, the same night. The Zags host USF at 5 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network. Whether Huff’s running mate inside, Graham Ike, will play – he’s been out with a bad ankle – is still up in the air.

• The other key games Saturday, the ones with players under NIL contracts, not NBA ones? There is a matchup of two ranked ACC teams, a somewhat rare occurrence recently. No. 22 North Carolina visits No. 14 Virginia (9 a.m., ESPN2), notable mainly in how quickly the Cavaliers have rebounded under first-year coach Dave Odom.

No. 6 Houston travels to Lubbock to meet No. 12 Texas Tech at 11, with this contest between Big 12 defensive powers on ESPN. An hour later fourth-ranked Purdue hosts No. 11 Illinois on Fox. And that’s it for ranked-versus-ranked men’s teams this weekend. But not it for games that shouldn’t be missed.

I am certain every one of you are looking forward to UC Irvine’s Big West showdown at UC San Diego on Saturday night (7, ESPN+), though why it isn’t on CBS or Fox or in movie theaters, I have no idea.

• What else is there? SWX is covering a high school doubleheader tonight at Gonzaga Prep. The Bullpups welcome in Central Valley. The girls start at 5:30, the boys at 7.

There is real PGA Tour golf this weekend too. If you can call the birdiefest that is the American Express tournament in the California desert real. NBC has the Saturday round (10 a.m. start). But due to the NFL playoffs, Sunday’s final one will only be on the Golf Channel starting at 1 p.m.

The Australian Open tennis tournament is also ongoing, though you have to be a bit of an anti-NFL person to watch Sunday. The year’s first Grand Slam starts at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (ESPN2).

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WSU: The season of struggle continued for the Cougar women Friday night. They fell 65-53 at Pacific. … Washington State should start an ad campaign around Trinity Rodman. Just attending class in Pullman can lead to the largest women’s soccer payday in history. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano has a notebook that covers a lot. … The winter weather is causing problems with the schedule east of the Rockies. … No such issue out here. It’s not the weather but Arizona’s depth that’s the big reason the Wildcat men are No. 1 and undefeated. … A Stanford freshman is just getting started. And he’s pretty darn good. … Colorado needs to bounce back against UCF. … BYU and Utah play Saturday. Is the rivalry too contentious? … Is Bobby Hurley done with Arizona State? … I’m not sure if you saw the late foul call that determined San Diego State’s loss at Grand Canyon. It was a travesty. … The best game tonight? Colorado State hosting Utah State. … The USC women followed their recent script, falling behind, rallying late and losing to No. 13 Michigan State. … One Arizona player is instant offense. But her coach would like her to be better on the defensive end.

• In football news, Indiana’s title win over Miami was watched by 30 million people, the biggest college football game since 2015. … Washington’s financial report from 2025 tells quite a story. … It seems a lot of schools will feature James Madison transfers, including Colorado. … Just which transfers will help Utah the most? … Arizona State seems OK at quarterback.

Gonzaga: The West Coast Conference women’s basketball race seems destined to be tight until Las Vegas and the postseason tournament. Any one of five schools could emerge with the lone NCAA bid after that ends. But the league’s parity means there will be many regular season matchups that are entertaining and exciting. Just like Thursday night’s thriller in the Willamette Valley. Host Oregon State, keyed by Washington State transfer Jenna Villa’s 31 points, edged the Bulldogs 92-87 in overtime despite 37 points from GU’s super freshman Lauren Whittaker. That total tied the school’s single-game scoring mark. Greg Lee watched and has this coverage. … There is also a story or two from Corvallis. … Before we get to Theo Lawson’s look back to Wednesday’s win over visiting Pepperdine, let’s look a lot farther back. To 1981. John Blanchette delves into a huge Gonzaga upset over USF – the opponent this weekend – in the latest story in the S-R’s West Coast Conclusion series. … Yes, Theo has a rewind available too. … The Zags and former WSU players are mentioned prominently in this college hoop mailbag. … Elsewhere in the WCC, the Bay Area schools picked up wins.

EWU: The Eagle men hosted the Big Sky leaders Portland State on Thursday night. They came close. As Dan Thompson tells us, they just couldn’t get over the hump, falling 65-61. … Colin Mulvany has a photo gallery from Cheney. … The women pounded Portland State on the road, 81-63. … Elsewhere the Big Sky, Idaho State’s women, behind 17 points and 10 rebounds from Ferris High grad Kacey Spink, handed Montana State its first conference loss – in a big way. ISU prevailed 79-60. … Montana is beat up. But the Griz did top Weber State last night. … The Montana men also defeated the Wildcats in a blowout.

Idaho: The Vandal men have been dealing with a team-wide illness, which sapped their energy against visiting Sacramento State. In fact, after they topped the Hornets 86-76, Kolton Mitchell told Peter Harriman, “I’m ready for bed.” … The women had trouble making shots in Sacramento but defended well enough for a 62-55 victory.

Preps: Gonzaga Prep’s wrestling fortunes have turned around this season. Madison McCord explains why in this wrestling notebook. A quick synopsis: The Bullpups’ freshman class is stacked. … There is also a roundup of last night’s other prep action.

Chiefs: Dave Nichols checks in with this story on Spokane’s decision to name Will McIsaac captain for the rest of the season. The spot was open due to Berkly Catton’s departure to the Kraken.

Mariners: We linked this Times’ story yesterday on where the M’s prospects rank in Baseball America’s top 100. It is on the S-R site today. We link it again. … Seattle added to its pitching staff. … The Rangers traded five mid-level prospects for a pretty darn good left-handed starting pitcher.

Seahawks: Dave Boling zeroes in today on one of the key parts of the Hawks’ defense. Former Ram Ernest Jones IV. … John Schneider earned his latest award. He is the NFL’s executive of the year. … The acquisition of DeMarcus Lawrence is one reason. … If the Hawks run the ball well Sunday despite the injury to Zach Charbonnet, put that on the list too. … Sam Darnold’s point guard mentality is smart. … Who will win? People are making picks all over. … The Rams have made lots of playoff runs under Sean McVay. … The game will feature the best wide receivers in the league. … Who should raise the flag? … The Ram defensive backs expect to receive a few passes from Darnold.

Reign: There is only one original player left on Seattle’s roster as it prepares to start the 2026 season.

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• Just looked out the window in front of me for the first time this morning. Something is different. The sky is blue. Did not know that. No clouds, no gloom, no cold. Er, the last one is still in play. Heck, it got down to 21 overnight. I miss the low clouds. Just kidding. Until later …