A Grip on Sports: The status quo can be a good thing or a bad one, though when it comes to college football these days, it is certainly a rare commodity

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s funny. The status quo seems to change daily in NCAA sports. Pros playing. Players signing big-money NIL deals – then trying to break them. Losers becoming winners. Vice-versa. So much so change, in fact, when some aspect doesn’t, it’s seen as a disappointment.

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• It wasn’t all that long ago, and not in the geological sense, when poll voters decided which college football team was the best in the land. Then there was a two-team title game, picked by computers. The Hal 9000 wasn’t good at it, so the way the participants were picked changed. Then two teams playing wasn’t enough, so four became the norm.

Two years ago, the invitational field expanded to 12. The perfect number? Uh, no. Not when there are billions of dollars riding on the outcome. Or could be.

Like the universe, the field has to expand forever, right? And right away. Today. Except it won’t be. At least not now. Or next season.

The 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th-best teams in the nation next season will be excluded. Avoid the lines. Start complaining now UW fans. And USC’s. And maybe even Indiana’s. Who knows? National champions one year, outside looking in the next. Change can happen that fast in college football these days. Except, it seems, to the playoffs.

At least the three schools named above, if they come up just short, know who to blame. Themselves. More specifically, their commissioner. The Big Ten, under the “leadership” of Tony Petitti, wanted a convoluted expansion to 24, with bids basically predetermined by conference. If it didn’t get its way, no expansion.

It didn’t get its way. The other member of the Power 2, the SEC, wanted 16 with 11 at-large berths. So did everyone else.

The Big Ten said no. So 12 it is. At least for another year.  

• Does that mean only the top-ranked teams will be included. Not necessarily. There will continue to be five auto-berths. The Power 4 conferences each get one, regardless of ranking. So does the highest-ranked Group of Six school, no matter the number.

If, say, the Big 12 champ is ranked 14th, they are still in. The Pac-12 titlist? If ranked above the other six non-power conferences, then yes. Then only the top-10 ranked schools will be playing. And it may well be the top nine. Notre Dame has been granted an auto berth as well, as long as the Irish finish in the top 12 of the final rankings.

Actually, though, that last one intrigues me. I can’t wait until the 10-2 Irish, ranked in the top 12 each week, are dropped to 13th in the committee’s final listing – after not playing. Jumped by USC. Wouldn’t that be ironic.

• OK, college football is over. Well, over except for the portal additions and contract lawsuits that seem to happen daily. But there is still football being played.

NFL football.

This is conference championship weekend. The final four. Showdown time.

The amount of coverage of the Seahawks, Rams, Broncos and Patriots is overwhelming. Stories online. Video on TV. Idiotic takes on the socials. No matter who you root for or how you feel the games will play out, you can find something somewhere that validates those opinions.

Funny thing, though. None of it really matters. It is all sound and fury. The significant happens tomorrow. In Denver. In Seattle. On the field.

• My father died almost 16 years ago. His all-time favorite quarterback died Friday morning.

John Brodie, who played at Stanford before starring with the San Francisco 49ers, was 90. And I’m pretty sure I will be able to recall my dad explaining how Brodie was better than Roman Gabriel or Bart Starr or any of his NFL peers until I’m 90.

I never understood my dad’s fascination with him. Or the 49ers for that matter. All that matters is he had both. And I still remember. Isn’t that a big part of what sports is all about?   

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WSU: Jon Wilner covered the CFP news. We linked his column above. As well as a few other stories. We link Wilner’s piece again here. And none other. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, welcome to a few new bucks for your favorite team. The NCAA approved paid jersey patches on uniforms. With a few restrictions. … Wilner has a mailbag in the Mercury News today that begins with a basketball question. … Washington’s Zoom Diallo is becoming more of a vocal leader. … Home court hasn’t been much of an advantage for the Colorado men recently. … It’s not often Utah and BYU have such a short time between matchups. … Stanford and Cal face-off today. … UCLA has finished its worst road stretch. Now the Bruins need to win at home. … Even top-ranked Arizona has under-appreciated players. … Boise State has the Mountain West weakest team in town. … San Diego State has to get over a gut-wrenching loss. … Colorado State suffered one as well last night, as Utah State rallied for the road victory. … The Oregon women need a win badly.

• In football news, did we mention there seems to be transfer and NIL and contract news every day? Friday was no exception, though what Clemson coach Dabo Swinney did was exceptional. … John Canzano has a column that asks how Pac-12 schools will maximize their financial base. … Fresno State has tried to turn up the booster faucet. … Oregon is making a lot more money in the Big Ten. And spending more. … USC has decided to turn its defense over to a former head coach. Did Lincoln Riley just hire his replacement if things go south this season? … Utah had a replacement for Kyle Whittingham ready. That’s part of why he is now coaching Michigan. … New California coach Tosh Lupoi says he is going “full-tilt boogie” to build a winning team. … Arizona has rebuilt its defense again.

Gonzaga: The last time a USF team won in Spokane? That would 1989. What were you doing in 1989? Some of you probably weren’t even born. And those of you who were probably can’t remember. Theo Lawson, who may or may not be in the former category, has a story about that game, which serves as a preview of the last WCC visit for the Dons (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network). … Theo also has the key matchup.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, sometimes we can’t pass along stories about a basketball game until two days later. Such is the case for Idaho State’s women. And the men in their loss to Montana State. … Northern Colorado has made additions to its football roster.

Preps: Gonzaga Prep’s Dylynn Groves, who has missed two seasons after tearing the same ACL twice, is back in the Bullpups lineup. And is starting to heat. He helped G-Prep past Central Valley in a key GSL game at Prep on Friday night. Dave Nichols was there and he has coverage of that contest and the earlier one, won by the Prep girls. … There is also this roundup of Friday’s other GSL games to pass along.

Whitworth: The Pirate men continued to roll through the Northwest Conference, picking up their seventh win, and sixth one by double digits, with an 88-61 home rout of Puget Sound.

Seahawks: We linked a few stories above concerning the Hawks’ game. The most-important piece of news? Quarterback Sam Darnold and left tackle Charles Cross were no longer on the injury list yesterday. They are good to go. … There is a story in the S-R today from Mathew Callaghan concerning Spokane-area Seahawk fans. … Who will have the better game? The Rams’ Puka Nacua or Jaxon Smith-Njigba? Or is it Davante Adams? … The Seahawks are going to win, according to Times’ columnist Mike Vorel, and Mike Macdonald is one of the reasons.

Mariners: Seattle seems to be adhering to the principle one can never have enough pitching. The M’s traded for another arm Friday.

Kraken: There are certain aspects of the hockey Seattle’s NHL team seems to struggle at doing well. Those reared up again Friday night in its latest loss. … In an attempt to become a little more physical, the Kraken brought back a former player.

Sounders: The preseason is just that. The preparation for the real season. Seattle played a friendly match yesterday. Its first. And lost. … A Sounder mainstay also played in another friendly. For Mexico.

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• We are headed out today to watch some basketball. A couple different levels. A heavy coat is needed, despite the sunshine. I think I saw 16 on the weather app this morning. Brrr. Until later …