The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT Sept. 22, 2012

It really makes me wonder sometimes.

What if you could actually get a chance to see those dream matchups between high school or professional teams when both are playing at the top of their game.

WHILE THE dust has long since settled on last weekend's Idaho Football Classic at the Kibbie Dome, just what might have happened had the Coeur d'Alene Vikings of 2011 had the chance to face the Skyline Spartans that beat the '12 Vikings last weekend in Moscow.

For everything that Skyline did on offense, throwing the ball at will and playing fast on defense - Coeur d'Alene was just as quick on defense a year ago.

Instead of having the Vikings drive to Seattle last year to face Moses Lake at CenturyLink Field - why not invite the Spartans of Sammamish, a short 30-minute drive from the Emerald City.

Coeur d'Alene beat Moses Lake 32-14 in Seattle last September and whipped Whitney High of Rocklin, Calif., 55-6 in last year's classic on the way to an unbeaten season.

Because of the way they had the crowds configured last Saturday - with both teams' fans on the same side of the dome, chances are the attendance (estimated 1,700 for game) might have been a lot better also.

And who knows, had the game been played a year ago, maybe some of those fans that opted to leave a little earlier might have hung around to see what could have been a closer outcome.

Or in both cases, some excitement in the second half of lopsided games.

IT MIGHT have been a few years ago when the Dallas Cowboys lost an NFC wild-card playoff game in 2007 at Seattle, but it didn't appear that much had changed when they returned last Sunday.

On the opening kickoff, Dallas fumbled and shortly after had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown to trail early in the game.

Between interceptions and dropped passes, Dallas found itself on the wrong side of a 27-7 loss by the end of the game.

In the ’07 playoff game, the team botched a 19-yard field goal after quarterback Tony Romo fumbled in the final seconds of a 20-19 loss.

Chances are — on a neutral field, the Cowboys can beat the Seahawks 7 out of 10 times, but there’s something about playing in Seattle that changes the result.

After last weekend’s games, only New Orleans had yet to win a game in the NFC, with most teams 1-1 — or unbeaten like San Francisco, Arizona, Atlanta or Carolina (which got beat Thursday by the New York Giants).

Does losing in Seattle mean that Dallas won’t make the playoffs? No — just like Seattle beating them doesn’t make the Seahawks a contender for the Super Bowl.

While the road to the Super Bowl is still a long one, the road already appears to be heading west — just running through San Francisco.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].