News

Northwest Sports Update: Seahawks new Super Bowl favorite, Kelenic finds new team, CFP quarterfinals get underway and more

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman) Photo: Associated Press


College Football News

Bowl season continues tonight, as the College Football Playoff quarterfinals kick off.

10th-seeded Miami is playing 2nd-seeded Ohio State for the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, TX. The defending champion Buckeyes will look to make their way back to the national title.

Coverage begins at 4:00 and kickoff is at 4:30 on KPUG.

Coming up tomorrow, Oregon faces Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, top-seeded Indiana plays former Husky Kalen DeBoer and Alabama in the Rose Bowl and Georgia takes on Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. All those games will also be on KPUG starting at 9 am.

Seahawks News

The Seahawks are entering the new year as the Super Bowl favorite in some oddsmakers’ minds.

BetMGM currently has Seattle tied with the LA Rams as the favorites to take home the Lombardi Trophy. Several other smaller books have the Hawks as the lone favorites to win it all.

Their Super Bowl hopes could take a big jump on Saturday if they’re able to beat the 49ers and secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That would give the Seahawks a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

The loser of Saturday’s game will fall to the No. 5 seed and play on the road against either Carolina or Tampa Bay in the wild card round.

MLB News

A former top prospect with the Mariners has found a new home.

The Chicago White Sox have signed outfielder Jarred Kelenic to a minor league deal. Kelenic will be a non-roster invite to spring training, which means he’s not on the team’s 40-man roster.

He was ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball when he made his Seattle debut in 2021. But the 26-year-old has struggled to find success since the M’s traded him to Atlanta after the 2023 season.

He hit 15 home runs with the Braves in 2024 before an injury limited him to just 24 games last season.

College Basketball News

Seattle U continued its upstart basketball season last night, with the men beating Washington State 69-55.

The Redhawks now improve to 12-3 on the year after getting wins over both the Huskies and Cougs. But they’ll be in for their toughest test of the season on Friday when they travel to play 7th nationally ranked Gonzaga.

The Zags are coming off a fast-paced 99-93 win over San Diego last night.

The Huskies women are also gearing up for a big matchup tomorrow. They’re hosting 6th nationally ranked Michigan with a chance to pick up their third straight win.

Former Nooksack Valley standout Devin Coppinger will look to build on her 9-point performance against Northwestern on Monday, which tied her season-high.

That game tips off at 3:00.

Meanwhile, Vikings basketball is back in Bellingham for the New Year when the Western women host Western Oregon tomorrow.

The Viks will look to rebound on the heels of having their seven game win streak snapped. Tipoff is at 3 pm from Carver Gym.

The Western men are on the road against Alaska Fairbanks.

HS Basketball News

Taking a look at high school basketball scores from last night…

The Lynden Christian boys beat Sumner 59-53.

The Mount Baker boys topped Granite Falls 70-58.

The Meridian boys beat Bush 62-52.

The Ferndale girls blew by Federal Way 74-26.

The Meridian girls beat Burlington-Edison 47-42.

And the Sehome girls edged Kamiak 44-41.

 

Earlier today…

The Bellingham girls crushed La Center 60-32.

The Bayhawk boys added a 78-63 win over Bush.

And the Lynden Christian Girls beat Rogers of Puyallup 61-53.

 

In the afternoon…

The Nooksack Valley boys play Franklin Pierce.

The Nooksack girls play Inglemoor.

The Meridian girls play Port Angeles.

And the Lynden girls play Napavine.

 

Coming up tonight…

The Lummi Nation girls play Blaine.

The Sehome girls play Bellevue Christian.

And the Ferndale girls take on South Whidbey, all taking place at Meridian High School.

Recent Headlines

14 hours ago in Sports

Hurricanes thriving in high-pressure playoff settings as Stanley Cup Final shifts West for Game 3

The Carolina Hurricanes have spent months regrouping quickly after losses and they have proven unshaken by the challenge of playing in hostile arenas or in next-goal-wins extra time.

14 hours ago in Sports, Trending

Bears say they are moving forward with Northwest Indiana location for new stadium

The Chicago Bears are looking to build a stadium in Northwest Indiana after a proposal to provide financial incentives for the NFL team to build its new home in Illinois stalled in the state legislature.

14 hours ago in Business, Lifestyle, Local

MOTO Pizza closing down as Dutch Bros looks to call Bellingham home

MOTO owner Lee Kindell said that the company wants to open a more long-term operation in Bellingham in the future.

21 hours ago in Lifestyle

Fishermen prepared for the longest red snapper season in recent memory. A court order stopped it

Recreational fishermen are pitched against commercial fishermen and environmentalists in a legal dispute that has halted what was expected to be the longest snapper season in years, reflecting broader tensions over the Trump administration's efforts to loosen fishing rules and deregulate the seas.

2 days ago in Sports

NBA bans two fans for life after one runs onto court during Game 1, attempts selfie with Wemby

The NBA banned two people for life from its arenas on Thursday, after one of them was arrested shortly after running onto the court during Game 1 of the NBA Finals and appearing to take a selfie next to San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama.

Bellingham Traffic