THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: Local ties, cool stories and decisions

Well ...

Mulefritters.

Montana State isn't exactly a "local" football team in these parts.

Bozeman is some 365 miles from Coeur d'Alene, via I-90.

But there are plenty of Montana fans in our area.

And interest in Bobcat football increased when Jeff Choate, who played at St. Maries and was coach and athletic director at Post Falls, took the MSU job a few years ago.

Choate left after last season to take an assistant coaching job at Texas, but he made the program better while in Bozeman, and many of the players recruited under his watch played in Saturday's FCS championship game vs. the dynasty that is North Dakota State.

MSU's chances took a hit when its freshman quarterback suffered an ankle injury on the first series of the game, so we'll never know, but it might have been a boatrace anyway.

North Dakota State had a little too much speed for the gritty, gutty Bobcats, who also didn't help themselves early by dropping passes.

The result? The Bison won their ninth national title in 11 seasons, under their third different coach.

Eastern Washington, with the spectacular Eric Barriere at quarterback, seemingly was equipped to keep up with North Dakota State in the title game a few years ago, but the Bison still had too much to handle the Eags.

What's next?

Idaho's new coach, Jason Eck, was on the coaching staff of the last team to beat North Dakota State, when South Dakota State beat the Bison 27-19 on Nov. 6 in Brookings, S.D.

Whether that means anything, or is just a footnote, we'll find out in the years to come.

SPEAKING OF gritty and gutty ...

The consensus from Cougar fans after their loss to Central Michigan in the Sun Bowl: What a great second-half comeback.

We. Are. Proud. Of. You.

This was against Central Michigan.

Not Michigan.

Not Michigan State.

Central Michigan.

A good team, yes, but a good team in the MAC, a non-Power 5 conference.

Credit to Central Michigan defensive coordinator Robb Akey, the former Idaho coach and Washington State assistant, whose defense imposed its will on the Cougs for most of the game.

Yes, I get the Cougs, who play in a Power-5 conference and presumably recruit Power-5 athletes, were down some key players due to opt-outs. But Central Michigan was also missing players.

And now WSU's quarterback, who didn't play in the second half of the bowl game due to injury, is in the transfer portal.

(With the Cougs so depleted at quarterback by the end of the season, how cool would it have been to see Chris Irvin, a walk-on from Lake City High, take a few snaps in El Paso?)

So yes, credit the Cougs on a great season by WSU standards, nearly winning the Pac-12 North despite losing their head coach and four assistants in the middle of the season because they wouldn't get vaccinated.

But let's not get too excited about ALMOST beating a MAC team in a bowl game.

THE SEAHAWKS aren't used to playing "meaningless" games.

Fortunately, Seattle ruled linebacker Bobby Wagner out for today's season finale at Arizona.

Wagner was determined to play on a bum knee, but that would have been stupid for everyone involved — all manhood and team-building, blah, blah, blah aside.

Sure, let's risk our star linebacker in a game that means nothing.

As a fan of that team playing these days in Santa Clara, this is how I look it as the Seahawks mull their future:

If Seattle trades The Great Russell Wilson, the rest of the NFC West — and maybe the whole NFC — will heave a big sigh of relief.

But if the Seahawks decide to move on from their Genius Coach Pete Carroll, watch out.

Yes, they have some limitations, but there's too much talent on that team to have not reached even the NFC title game since the 2014 season.

Two playmakers at wide receiver that most teams would kill to work with, and a number of playmakers on defense.

So be careful what you wish for.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.