Wondering what's next

As a retiree, having a deadline to work with can be a real burden. A guy like me needs to think about what to write three days earlier than normal in order for the paper to be put in place because of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Now, I’m not stressed. And I understand completely that everyone should have a chance to get a day off now and then to celebrate with friends and family.

So, I guess the first thing I should do is wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Each year that passes can be good or bad depending on events throughout the year.

When it comes to the Pac-12, its demise happened quickly once Oregon and Washington followed USC and UCLA to the “Big Whole Bunch of Schools.”

Colorado had gone back to the Big 12 followed by Utah, Arizona and Arizona State. Stanford and California accepted a bid to the Atlantic Coast Conference. At one time, they played in the Pacific Coast Conference. Enjoy the airplane rides and have fun with the jet lag.

Washington State and Oregon State universities won a law suit and have control of the Pac-12 because the other 10 schools walked out thinking the pie would be divided 12 ways. Your big paychecks will be coming soon enough from other parts of the country.

The “Pac 2” teams will be playing a partial football schedule with the Mountain West next fall and I can foresee them joining up for good in two-three years give or take.

In a surprise move, the “Pac 2” basketball teams will be joining the West Coast Conference for two years starting this year. I think it will be good to add two teams that can help strengthen the WCC.

Besides since BYU left for the Big 12 the WCC needed a team with a Cougar mascot.

I am a little surprised that there wasn’t also a two-year plan to include baseball and softball. But I don’t know how many WCC schools play softball so that may have been the issue.

The Pac-2 teams will be playing an independent schedule for at least two years. I’m sure the other sports will be figured out as you are reading this.

I must say that there is a good chance that not knowing where WSU stands with volleyball may have been one of the reasons their coach left to take over at West Virginia. I’m not positive, but it would make sense.

After listening to Bill Walton announce some Pac 12 games on TV it is interesting that he still says the “Conference of Champions,” when referring to any of the 12 teams that may be playing at that time.

I haven’t heard him say the “The unfortunate demise of the Conference of Champions.” So, maybe it will happen down the road during his last broadcast during the Pac-12 basketball championship game.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

By the time you read this, you will know which two teams will be playing in the NCAA football championship.

On Saturday, the culmination of a true football playoff will take place in Frisco, Texas, when the FCS championship game will be played.

The Montana Grizzlies will be taking on the defending champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits. It should be a very good game.

We have been fed a bunch of bowl games to satisfy our college football needs.

I can’t say that I have spent all of my time watching teams that I really don’t care about. There are way too many 6-6 teams playing and if they lose they will have a losing record.

You might have seen that the Minnesota Golden Gophers played in a bowl game with a 5-7 record. That is because there weren’t enough 6-win teams to make up the difference.

There is a formula that is used to choose a 5-7 team to play in one of the bowl games. Minnesota was chosen and won the game to become 6-7. This part is interesting.

Minnesota’s head coach is to receive a bonus if the team becomes bowl eligible with 6 victories. Since the team was 5-7 and earned the sixth victory in the bowl game, the school is not planning on giving him the bonus.

Fair is fair and signed contracts should mean something. So there!

Next up are the National Championship games for Division I football. Victory will be meaningful to the winners. I wonder if the Washington Huskies will bring home a National Championship to the conference of champions.

— Dale Anderson is a Ritzville-based sports columnist. Email him at [email protected].