Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome Perennial Group of 5 Power Boise State
Just two years removed from being in the College Football Playoff, the Boise State Broncos immediately enter the rebuilt Pac-12 as one of the conference's top athletic programs, bringing a nationally respected football program and a basketball program that has become a consistent NCAA tournament contender. The Broncos arrive from the Mountain West as maybe the strongest brand among the league's newest schools.
For Washington State Cougars fans, Boise State is already a familiar opponent. The two schools have played in several memorable football games in the past and have faced off in basketball in recent years. Now, those matchups carry conference championship implications as both programs begin a new chapter in the Pac-12.
Football has long been the standard in Boise. Few Group of 5 programs have matched the success the Broncos have enjoyed since 2000, as they have racked up multiple conference championships, a plethora of double-digit win seasons, numerous New Year's Six bowl appearances, making Boise State one of college football's most recognizable programs.
Is it Time to Give Mariners’ Top Prospect Colt Emerson a Break?
Shortstop Colt Emerson began the 2026 season with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and the assumption was his stay with the last stop on the farm would be brief. That rang true when he made his MLB debut on May 17, following the injury to Brendan Donovan. He was hitting .255 with seven homers, an .816 OPS and 104 wRC+ in 38 games for the Rainiers at that point.
Emerson started off hot for Seattle, instantly legitimizing his promotion, posting an .838 OPS and six homers in his first 26 games with the big league club. Unfortunately, since Father’s Day in mid-June, it has been tough sledding for the 20-year-old rookie. He’s certainly showing his youth, with just one player in all MLB (Konnor Griffin) younger than him.
Since June 24, Emerson is batting .148 with a .433 OPS and 30 wRC+. Among the 313 batters with at least 150 plate appearances this season, his 34.1% strikeout rate ranks 309th. The Ohio native looks overmatched and overwhelmed at the plate.
Gonzaga Baseball Draft Fallout: Bell Drafted by Giants, Feld Signs With White Sox
Clearly recognized for their First Team All-WCC campaigns, former Gonzaga Bulldog baseball players Mikey Bell and Justin Feld each received long-awaited calls this past week.
Bell, who transferred to the University of Georgia this offseason, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 19th round, 568th overall, of the MLB Draft. Although he will likely suit up for UGA for his final year of college eligibility, Bell’s production in the middle of the Zags’ order got him on the radar of major league organizations. With Bell drafted, GU now boasts one of its players being taken in every full MLB draft since 1999.
And despite going undrafted after his senior season in Spokane, Feld inked a deal with the Chicago White Sox shortly after the draft’s conclusion.
Mariners Build Momentum Ahead of Trade Deadline, Clinch Series Win With 6-3 Win vs. Giants
Seattle won their second straight game against the lowly Giants 6-3. Behind six strong innings from starter Logan Gilbert, a shutdown bullpen, and timely hitting, the Mariners looked primed to go on a run to put their first-half struggles in the rearview mirror.
With two weeks remaining until the trade deadline, Seattle needed to come out of the All-Star break with some urgency. After getting throttled in the first game of the series 7-0, it looked like the team had not used their time off to reset well. But after two satisfying victories, and the struggling Cincinnati Reds coming into town, Seattle is one more series win away from cementing itself as a buyer in the wide-open American League.
Dan Wilson pushed all the right buttons Sunday, a rare sentence for this Mariners club. His timely deployment of pinch-hitters and bullpen usage showcased what this ballclub can look like at its best. Yet there are still some things to work on as with any baseball team.
Ranking Seahawks: Emanuel Wilson Among Newcomers Aiming to Impress in No. 45-41
With the calendar recently flipping to July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Jumping deeper into the top 50 with No. 45-41, two veteran free agent signings will be thrusted into wide open competitions at running back and cornerback, hoping to make their mark for the defending champions.
Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome New Opponent in Colorado State
Colorado State is the latest program to join the rebuilt Pac-12, bringing a combination of recent basketball success and a football program searching for a new direction. The former Mountain West member now finds itself in the same conference as Washington State, adding another familiar regional opponent to a league that continues to take shape ahead of a new era.
For Washington State fans, Colorado State is not an unfamiliar foe. The two programs have met on the football field in recent years. Now, those matchups become conference games, adding another layer of intrigue to the new-look Pac-12.
Football remains a work in progress in Fort Collins. The Rams have reached just one bowl game over the last seven seasons and have struggled to build consistent momentum. Those challenges led to change within the program, as Colorado State moved on from coach Jay Norvell during the middle of last season.
Reign Allow 3 Goals in 16 Minutes, Blow 2-0 Lead to Gotham
No one knew just how to evaluate what happened to the Seattle Reign on Saturday afternoon.
Facing defending NWSL champion and first-place team Gotham FC after a two-and-a-half hour lightning delay in a 5,000-person capacity stadium on account of the nearby World Cup final, Seattle led 2-0 heading into the 80th minute. Two first half goals from Mia Fishel and Maddie Mercado, respectively, had landed them in an advantageous spot late. The former scored her first goal with the team, marking cause for celebration.
But with Gotham FC bringing world-class offensive talents in the newly signed Sam Kerr and Esther Gonzalez for the second half, Reign coach Laura Harvey dropped her team into a backline of five to nurse the lead and keep the pair at bay.
Gotham, even in the smoky conditions which required four hydration breaks by the game's end, put the pedal to the metal on Seattle for entire second half. They finished the game with over 70% possession as Gonzalez found the net in the 81st. Then in the fourth minute of a 10-minute second-half stoppage, Gonzalez scored again on a nifty pass from winger Jaedyn Shaw.
Then, former Seattle star Rose Lavelle put the finishing touches on the comeback with a transition banger of a strike, scoring past Reign reserve keeper Cassie Miller from just inside the box in the seventh minute of added time.
The stunning result was worsened by the fact that Maddie Dahlien, who had been so dynamic on the left wing for Seattle all afternoon, missed a penalty that would have made it 3-0 in the second half.
The result dropped Seattle to 5-7-2, good for 11th in the NWSL, while Gotham improved to 9-3-3 to take hold of first place in the league. The loss comes on the heels of a signature 2-0 win from the Reign over Portland.
"That game was on us," Fishel said postgame. "We did it to ourselves."
Seahawks Place Rookie DT Deven Eastern on PUP List to Open Training Camp
Bringing their incoming rookie class in early for the start of training camp with a July 17 report date, the Seattle Seahawks will start practicing without one of their eight draft picks participating on the field.
The team announced on Saturday that seventh round pick Deven Eastern, a defensive tackle out of Minnesota, will start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, meaning he counts against the 90-man roster but will not be able to practice until medically cleared by the team. Coach Mike Macdonald did not disclose any details on his injury when he sat out mandatory minicamp last month.
Per NFL rules, the Seahawks can activate Eastern at any time, but once he returns to active status, he cannot go back on the PUP list again.
Bats Take Nine-Inning Nap as Giants Pummel Mariners 7-0
A little over a year before Friday night, Julio Rodríguez announced that he would not participate in an All-Star Game he had been selected for, noting he would rather focus on improving his own game to a better standard.
Rodríguez wasn’t on the field on Friday, recovering from a concussion sustained earlier that month when a Nolan Schanuel throw bounced off the back of his head. Concussions are a case of needing however much time he needs in order to recover from the knock. But it means he can’t lead by example as he did after the Mariners’ horrific loss in the Bronx last year.
And it seems no other hitter is willing to put himself forward in such a way. The starting pitchers have borne the brunt of the blame when they’ve let the team down, especially Bryan Woo. But aside from some strong words from Cal Raleigh after a pungent loss in Cleveland - words that seemingly only went heeded for a six-game stretch - it has been crickets from the team leaders and an utter lack of urgency from the manager.
“It’s the first one back, and I think guys got back in the groove today and looking for us to come out tomorrow and have different results,” said M’s skipper Dan Wilson, “Obviously, you want to get off on the second half with a win, but just weren’t able to get anything going offensively and tomorrow we get a chance to turn that around.”
Those may have been Wilson’s strongest words after his team lost 7-0 to a shambolic San Francisco Giants squad that entered the game 41-55, second only to the Colorado Rockies in NL West helplessness. Sure, one of their few bright spots, a 21-year-old masher named Bryce Eldrige, did some of the damage. But the M’s made visiting starter Landen Roupp, a C-list pitcher on a good day, look like a veritable barnburner.
It can’t go on like this - well, in the immortal words of Mick McCarthy, it can - but the M’s won’t be a playoff team or even a .500 team if it does.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Nearly Spoil Clark’s Career Night in Shootout Loss vs. Fever
The Seattle Storm nearly spoiled Caitlin Clark’s career night in a high-octane shootout, but late-game mismanagement cost them in a 110-107 loss to the Indiana Fever on Friday, July 17, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Seattle (6-21) erased a 17-point first-half deficit and led by eight midway through the fourth quarter. But the Storm were still forced to have Natisha Hiedeman force up a half-court heave to try and tie the game at the buzzer. It was off the mark.
Dominique Malonga led the Storm with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while the entire rest of the starting lineup also scored at least 15 points.
Clark posted a career-high 45 points and 10 assists for Indiana (15-10), while Kelsey Mitchell added 30 points. Monique Billings finished with 16, and no other player on the Fever had more than eight.
Analysis: Debating Seahawks’ Rankings on ESPN Top 10 Lists
During the agonizing buffer period between the conclusion of offseason programs and the start of training camp during June and July, the annual arrival of NFL ranking season comes full force to help fill the gap for football fans.
Among the most notable rankings to be revealed each year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler unleashes a top-10 list for 11 positional groups on offense and defense, using polls of select executives, coaches, and scouts to compile the rankings. The changes from year-to-year can be a fascinating case study in itself, seeing how opinions of certain players change over time with the rankings being predicated on the best players at each position in the present.
Interestingly, after winning Super Bowl LX, the Seattle Seahawks only had four players who landed top-10 spots at their respective positions. In contrast, nine other teams had five or more players who received such distinction, including the Lions with a league-high nine players who made the annual lists and the NFC West rival 49ers and Rams each having five apiece.
Looking at this year’s top-10 rankings provided courtesy of Fowler and ESPN, did those who placed votes get it right with the defending champions? Or did they miss the mark with several deserving players?
WATCH: Sounders Unravel for Worst Loss to Timbers in MLS Era
The Seattle Sounders, fresh off six weeks away from MLS play for the FIFA World Cup, came into a Thursday night home bout with their archnemesis, the Portland Timbers, looking to start the summer run strong.
Not only did they not accomplish that feat, but the Sounders (7-4-3, 6th in Western Conference) lost 5-1.
It’s already being labeled the worst loss to Portland in franchise history, as striker Kevin Kelsy bagged a brace. Seattle midfielder Hassani Dotson scored off a set-piece header late with the game far out of reach.
The Timbers (5-8-2, 7th) worked the wide areas to death, scoring three goals in seven minutes early in the second half to completely demoralize Seattle. The nearly 36,000 fans in attendance, a franchise best this season, left in droves.
After the game, head coach Brian Schmetzer took accountability as his team, down key pieces like Cristian Roldan and Alex Roldan, was simply out-competed in the biggest derby game of the season. Players cleared out of the locker room quickly postgame, seemingly opting to process the stunning result on their own.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali attempts to make sense of the landslide defeat.
WATCH: What Has Gone Wrong for Mariners’ Cal Raleigh During Dreadful First Half?
After smashing 60 home runs in 2025, Cal Raleigh has endured a brutal follow-up season thus far, battling injuries and sporting an ugly .169 batting average heading into the All-Star break. What has led to such a massive drop off from a historically great campaign?
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee dissects Raleigh's dismal first half by the numbers, analyzes what has gone so wrong for the slugger so far, and breaks down what the “Big Dumper” can do to right the ship as the Mariners try to get back on track and vie for another AL West title in the final three months of the regular season.
Instant Takeaways: Kraken Announce 2026-27 Schedule, Including Pair of Games in Finland
The Seattle Kraken will have two games in Finland, two tough road trips, and a rough end-of-season schedule in 2026-27.
Today, the NHL announced the full, 84-game schedule for every NHL team. The Kraken season begins on the road against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 1. After two games in Alberta, Seattle hosts their first home game on Oct. 4, also against the Flames.
Where's the Respect? Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Deserves Better Than Constantly Moving the Goalposts
It’s human nature. Sometimes, we make a decision early on about something and can be virtually immovable in that opinion regardless of which direction the winds of change blow, or how hard. It’s called pride. We all have it. We are slow to admit we are wrong and look for any shred of evidence to prove our premature declarations correct, folly or not.
When the Seattle Seahawks signed Sam Darnold last offseason, he still had the stink of a disappointing first six seasons on him. That was even after a breakout 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings that saw him at the helm of a 14-3 football team when he produced just over 4,300 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. Pundits quickly discredited that redemption arc after a clunker of a playoff game, when the Vikings lost to the Rams 27-9 in the NFC Wild Card Round. Darnold threw one interception, lost a fumble, and was sacked nine times. That was the last time we saw Darnold before signing with Seattle and the media did not forgive him.
Fast forward 12 months from then. Darnold doubled down with yet another 14-3 regular season paired with another 4,000-yard season with 25 passing scores. The national media waved it off as another mirage in the vast Darnold Desert. Then the playoffs started. Even with just 12 completions and 124 passing yards in the Divisional Round against the 49ers, he was efficient and mistake-free with zero turnover-worthy plays. Still, many claimed, “the defense carried him!” or “Ken Walker did all the work!”
“Just wait for the NFC Championship Game against the presumed MVP Matthew Stafford,” they shouted in mass on social media.
Analysis: Way-Too-Early Torrent Lineup Prediction
The Seattle Torrent, who finished last in the PWHL last season, will have made nine new additions to their roster. After losing captain Hilary Knight and top pairing defender Cayla Barnes, the lineup had some holes.
But after drafting an eliter goal scorer-second overall, addressing defensive depth later in the draft, and adding high upside European free agents; the Torrent lineup looks substantially different.
How will Seattle’s revamped lineup look when the season opens?
WATCH: Should Mariners Buy or Sell After All-Star Break?
Though they sit a game under the .500 mark at the All-Star break, the Seattle Mariners remain in the mix for both an AL West title and a wild card spot, leaving plenty to play for entering the second half of the season as they try to round back into form as the contender most expected them to be. Considering their standing, should they be active buyers at the trade deadline or shift into the role of seller with an eye on the future while still competing for a playoff spot?
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Callaghan Bluechel goes over the fork in the Mariners' road as Jerry Dipoto and company approach the trade deadline, and whether they should buy, sell, or do some mix of both.
Decisions Await Seahawks Entering Crucial Seasons for Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford
Taking a welcomed diversion from the past when the organization almost seemed hellbent on executing cost-cutting measures and regularly volunteered to play musical chairs at multiple positions along the offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks have pulled a near 180-degree turn when it comes to investing in the trenches.
Starting with the selection of North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel with the 18th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, making him the highest-selected guard by the franchise since Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson back in 2001, Seahawks general manager John Schneider solidified the offensive line for years to come on multiple fronts. Along with Zabel being under contract through at least 2028 with a fifth-year option for 2029, tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas each signed lucrative multi-year extensions, locking up the young bookends who have been starting together since they arrived in tandem as rookies in 2022.
As things stand, those three players all remain under contract together through the 2028 season, keeping an impressive young nucleus in place while providing the type of rare offensive line continuity the Seahawks haven’t enjoyed since the days of Walter Jones, Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, and Chris Gray dominating opponents in the early-to-mid 2000s. And according to Spotrac, Schneider still has managed to do that without breaking the bank, as the team still ranks 23rd in offensive line spending for 2025 and currently sits 25th and 22nd in that metric for cap space allocated to the line in 2027 and 2028.
But coming off a Super Bowl LX win, which not so surprisingly coincided with the best line play the team had experienced in over a decade, Schneider’s past philosophy of going cheap up front will truly be put to the test. Though all five starters return from last year’s squad, quite the rarity for a defending champion, difficult decisions await on the futures of right guard Anthony Bradford and center Jalen Sundell, who will be unrestricted and restricted free agents respectively next March as they prepare for their second season starting alongside one another.
Instant Takeaways: Late Storm Comeback Falls Short vs. Sky
The Seattle Storm erased an 11-point halftime deficit against the Chicago Sky but fell short in another close loss, 95-90, on Wednesday, July 15, at Wintrust Arena.
Seattle (6-20) was led by an efficient 25 points from Flau’Jae Johnson (11 of 17 FG), but it wasn’t enough to push the Storm over the edge. Dominique Malonga (16 points), Awa Fam (14), Jade Melbourne (11) and Katie Lou Samuelson (11) also scored in double figures.
Snapping a two-game losing streak, Chicago (8-16) was led by 20 points from Azura Stevens and 17 from rookie Sydney Johnson. Chloe Bibby added 14 points off the bench for the Sky, who have also been struggling to win close games this season.
Ryanne Brown Overcomes Injury, Shows Up in Reign's Biggest Game of the Season
When Ryanne Brown tore her ACL on July 7, 2024, she knew her season was over. The 25-year-old defender out of Wake Forest was an occasional starter for the Seattle Reign and had even been loaned out to Danish side Kvindeligaen for eight starts in 2022-23 after being drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft.
With 2024 being a down year for a typically contending Reign squad, 2025 promised to be a year for young talents to break out in the Emerald City. And that they did, as young talents like Emeri Adames and Maddie Dahlien had their moments en route to finishing fifth in the league.
But Brown was nowhere to be found — she ended up missing all of the 2025 season.
"I was expecting to come back summer '25, I felt good actually coming back from my knee," Brown said after training on Tuesday. "Then I tweaked my hamstring, which kept me out a lot longer than expected."
After all the heartache and watching from the sideline, a now 27-year-old Brown scored her first NWSL goal on Sunday against the rival Portland Thorns, a bold right-footed shot from distance just eight minutes into the game for her first NWSL goal in her first start in over 700 days.
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