Welcome to the home stretch of the college football season, better known as the time when Arizona football jumps out of the bushes to ambush unsuspecting pray.

That's exactly what happened to the Oregon Ducks a week ago at Arizona Stadium.

The Ducks, who entered last week's contest with a 5-2 record and a spot in the AP top-25, fell flat instantaneously, with junior QB Khalil Tate hitting generational wide receiver talent Shaun Poindexter for a 22-yard touchdown some 3 minutes and 52 seconds into the evening.

The Wildcats never let off the gas, torching the Ducks' staunch defense to the tune of 276 rushing and 189 passing yards in a 44-15 Wildcats win.

Fast-forward some 144 hours, and the Wildcats are back within the concrete walls of their home stadium, with a wounded Colorado Buffaloes squad toeing the opposing side.

The Buffs of Boulder enter Friday night's contest on a sour note, after somehow choking away a surefire win at home against Oregon State.

The Buffaloes entered the final quarter of that game with a 31-10 lead, against a Beavers team that entered with 22-straight conference road losses.

The Buffs left with a 41-34 sucker-punch of a loss, with the Beavers clinching the victory in overtime on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Jack Colletto.

The course of the University of Arizona's football season hinges on the outcome of Saturday's contest with a juggernaut from the Pacific Northwest.

The Wildcats (3-5, 2-3) return to Arizona Stadium this Saturday, with the Oregon Ducks coming to Tucson for the first time since their stunning loss to the Wildcats in 2014.

That loss, which stemmed from a late strip-sack by do-it-all linebacker Phillip 'Scooby' Wright, propelled the Wildcats to a 10-2 regular season and their first (and only) appearance in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game.

Fast-forward some 48 months and much has changed. The Ducks have gone through two coaches (Mark Helfrich and Willie Taggart), while Arizona canned Rich Rodriguez in the offseason.

The Ducks have emerged from their recent slumber with vigor, thanks to first-year coach Mario Cristobal and junior QB Justin Herbert, with a 5-2 record, despite recent losses to Washington State and Stanford.

It'll be a tall task for the Wildcats to spring the upset at home this week, with Vegas putting the home team as a 9.5-point underdog.

It's hard to blame them, given Arizona's anemic defense, which ranks 10th in the conference in points allowed (29.0), 11th in yards per game allowed (440.6) and 11th in rushing yards per game allowed (195.9).

The Ducks, meanwhile, have found their groove offensively, ranking second overall in yards per game (460.7), with Herbert averaging 269.0 passing yards per game (second-best in the Pac-12).

It'll be interesting to see how Arizona's linebacking unit, led by sophomore Colin Schooler fares against Herbert and his stacked wideout corp.

Schooler has been a tour de force defensively for defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, with a team-high 81 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss this season.

Schooler is also solid in defending the pass this season, sitting in a tie atop the team leaderboard with two interceptions this season.

He'll go against a Ducks offense that includes his brother, Brenden, who has 10 catches for 116 yards this season.

It's unclear whether Khalil Tate or sophomore backup Rhett Rodriguez, who completed 15-of-34 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start last week, will start on Saturday night.

This contest looks like it'll be one-sided (and not in Arizona's favor), though odd things are known to happen for the Ducks when they toe the lines of Arizona Stadium after dark.

How to Watch: Arizona and Oregon will play at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, with ESPN carrying the contest.

Who to Watch: Oregon junior quarterback Justin Herbert is a Heisman candidate and potential first round pick in next year's NFL Draft. He's thrown for 1,883 yards and 18 touchdowns, with 5 interceptions in 212 pass attempts. Junior receiver Dillon Mitchell has been solid for Cristobal's team as well, with a team-high 608 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on 42 receptions this season.

How to Bet: Vegas has Oregon as a 9.5-point favorite, as of Thursday morning. The over/under for the contest is listed at 65.

Score Prediction: Oregon is far too good of a team to lose back-to-back road games, so I'll say that the Ducks will win this one easily. Oregon 42, Arizona 10

Welcome to another week of college football in the Pacific 12 Conference, where the last remaining College Football Playoff contender (Oregon) has gone up in a cloud of smoke.

The Ducks fell victim to the Mike Leach Experience in Pullman in what was a one-sided romp on the Palouse, with the Cougars beating Oregon, 34-20, in front of a packed house at Martin Stadium in primetime.

The win propelled the Cougars within a half-game of in-state rival Washington in the Pac-12 North standings.

The two rivals will have a shot at settling that spot on Nov. 23, when the Huskies will play in Pullman.

We'll have to wait and see whether the Cougars will still be in contention by then, but as of now they're the best story in the Conference of Champions.

Here's how I see the conference shaking out from top-to-bottom ahead of a jam-packed week of conference action:


1. Washington State Cougars (6-1, 3-1)

Last Week: Beat Oregon, 34-20

This Week: At Stanford,  4 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

The Cougars put on a show last week, ripping the Oregon Ducks limb for limb in front of as packed and energized a crowd as I've ever seen in Pullman. East Carolina University transfer QB Gardner Minshew was electric for Mike Leach's team, completing 39-of-51 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the win, with eight different receivers snagging at least two catches in the team's 14-point wire-to-wire victory. The Cougars gave up 270 passing yards to the Ducks, but stuffed the team's rushing attack, which was held to 58 yards on 24 attempts. It's clear that the Cougars are a threat to be reckoned with in the conference, especially if they're able to knock off the Cardinal in Palo Alto on Saturday afternoon.

The tide of Arizona's one-point defeat to the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday night turned on a gallant run by running back JJ Taylor.

Taylor, who finished the night with a game-high 154 rushing yards on 19 carries, found a huge hole in the UCLA defense, racing into the void for a 55-yard gain.

It appeared to be the offensive shot in the arm that the Wildcats, who struggled for most of the first half offensively, needed.

His seeming triumph came to an abrupt end on the well-timed punch by Bruins safety Darnay Holmes, who chased Taylor down from behind to knock the ball loose and through the back of the UCLA end zone for a touchback.

The play erased a surefire seven points for Arizona, allowing the hometown Bruins to go into the half with a 17-7 lead on Kevin Sumlin's Wildcats.

Arizona (3-5, 2-3) was able to storm back in the latter half of the contest, with sophomore QB Rhett Rodriguez, who made his first career start in place of injured Khalil Tate, finding his rhythm in the pocket.

The two sides traded offensive blows in the third quarter, with Rodriguez finding senior wideout Shawn Poindexter for an 11-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17.

Senior kicker Josh Pollack gave the Wildcats their first lead of the night on a 39-yard field goal with 4:58 left in the third, giving them a 20-17 lead on the Bruins.

The Wildcats defense was unable to stop Michigan transfer QB Wilson Speights though, with the gunslinger connecting on a 25-yard passing touchdown to help the Bruins regain the lead.

Taylor found a bit of redemption on Arizona's next drive, scoring from the shadows of the goal-line to give the Wildcats a 27-24 lead with 12:34 left in the fourth.

The Wildcats defense, which surrendered 460 yards to the Bruins, were unable to stop UCLA on its final two drives, with the home squad scoring on a Joshua Kelley rush, before killing the clock on their final drive of the night.

Sumlin gave the Bruins credit for their ability to close out the victory, but said his side did plenty to aid in their own eventual downfall.

“I think that down the stretch you have to give UCLA credit for how they handled the tight situation in the second half, but we also did some things that allowed them to extend drives. Really some penalties that we did not have in the first half," Sumlin said. "I think we had two in the first half to their ten. Then we had four critical ones late third quarter, late fourth quarter that helped extend their drives. I think they only had two penalties in the second half. We had two turnovers in the end zone. Punch out on JJ and pick in the end zone which certainly would have translated to more than one point in the game. We had our opportunities and basically if you look at the sum of the whole game they made plays with the turnovers.”

Poindexter, who finished the night with 106 yards on six catches for the Wildcats, spoke of the sting that losing to UCLA in Pasadena left in the locker room.

“This one was just personal because I was hurt my first year and couldn’t travel to UCLA," he said. "So this is my first time in the Rose Bowl. So for me this one hurts."

The Wildcats have not beaten UCLA in Pasadena since 2010, when they beat the Bruins 29-21, having lost each of their last four contests with the Bruins in Southern California.

Rodriguez said the team's defeat at the venerable Southern California venue had nothing to do with the squad's effort.

“Effort on this team is never the question. This team always plays hard. So I wasn’t surprised. We felt good going into the game, at least I felt good into the game. I was confident that we were going to come out with a victory, but we were just one point short.”

Duck hunting

The Wildcats' schedule doesn't get any easier from here, with the Oregon Ducks (5-2, 2-2) coming to Tucson at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Senior linebacker Colin Schooler, who had a team-high 10 tackles against UCLA, knows how tough it'll be for the Wildcats to spring the upset against the Ducks, especially after Mario Cristobal team's 34-20 loss to Washington State last Saturday.

The senior linebacker knows how tough the Ducks are, with his brother, Brenden, taking snaps at wide receiver for Cristobal's team this fall.

He also knows how well this year's team can play when they're all on the same page. He believes the team can do what's necessary to upset the Ducks if they can figure out how to channel the energy they had in Saturday's second half over an entire 60-minute contest.

“We just need everyone to do their job for four quarters, and as simple as that sounds it’s not," Schooler said. "The games are so fast and there are so many key factors with different responsibilities and different plays. If we can slow the game down and getting everyone doing their job at the same time, I think we’ll have a good chance.”

The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are headed to the World Series. The first game will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. First two games are at Fenway, next three (if necessary) are at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and the last two, if necessary are back at Fenway.

The Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the League Championship Series while the Red Sox beat the Houston Astros. This will be the 114th World Series televised on Fox for the 19th year and ESPN Radio will carry the games for the 21st year straight.

It is the first time since the 1977 and 1978 World Series' that the Dodgers have made consecutive World Series appearances, losing against the Houston Astros in 2017.

This is the first time the Red Sox have played the Dodgers in the world series since 1916. The last time the Red Sox won the World Series was in 2013 and the Dodgers in 1988.

World Series champions from 2007-2017
2007: Boston Red Sox
2008: Philadelphia Phillies
2009: New York Yankees
2010: San Francisco Giants
2011: St. Louis Cardinals
2012: San Francisco Giants
2013: Boston Red Sox
2014: San Francisco Giants
2015: Kansas City Royals
2016: Chicago Cubs
2017: Houston Astros  

When you think of athletes that have professionally succeeded in more than one sport, you think of Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders or Jim Thorpe. But what about Usain Bolt?

Everyone knows the Jamaican athlete for his historic and relentless dominance of the 100m sprint category over the past decade, but did you know that he has now scored a couple of goals for a professional Australian soccer club?

That’s right! Bolt, legendary Jamaican sprinter, scored two goals in his first start for the Central Coast Mariners and helped them to victory in a friendly game 4-0 win over Macarthur South West United on Friday.

Bolt was practically gifted his second goal after miscommunication between Macarthur South West’s goalkeeper and defender set him up for a tap-in in front of the empty net. His first goal, however, showed more of how his speed could translate into a deadly weapon for a striker in soccer. For the first goal, Bolt was able to outrun and outmuscle the defender to a through-ball, before impressively and cleanly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper with his left foot. It wasn’t the easiest shot to finish either.

Bolt became vocal about his desire to play professional soccer after his retirement from athletics in 2016, noting Manchester United as a dream location. He has since participated in several trials with different levels of teams, including Borrusia Dortmund in Germany and Strømsgodset in Norway.

The Jamaican has been training with the Australian side since his 32nd birthday, on Aug. 21, but currently does not have a professional contract with the team. Hopefully his performance against Macarthur South West can help him kick start his professional soccer career and become a part of the elite group of athletes to play two sports professionally.

It's been a rough slog of-late for the Arizona Wildcats, who were beaten in Salt Lake City last Friday, 42-10.

The Wildcats find themselves at 3-4 for the year, with a 2-2 conference record, heading into a crucial road battle with UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.

The Bruins (1-5, 1-2) struggled for most of the season, before crushing the Cal Golden Bears in Berkeley, 37-7, on Saturday night.

The two squads will square off in Pasadena at 7:30 p.m. local time, with the team's postseason fate resting on the result.

A quintet of Wildcats broke down the team's season and their matchup with the Bruins on Tuesday afternoon, covering a wide variety of topics.

Redshirt junior defensive lineman PJ Johnson didn't mince words when discussing the Wildcats' odds against Chip Kelly's Bruins squad this weekend.

"You don't want to underestimate anybody. It'll make you go into the game with the wrong mindset of we just attack this game like we attack every other game," Johnson said. "They're probably like real cocky right now. They destroyed Cal, we barely beat Cal. So, they probably think they got their stuff together and we suck right now so we got to come in and hit 'em in their mouth."

The NBA's G-League announced on Thursday it will allow elite high school players to bypass the current 'one-and-done' rule of playing NCAA basketball for a year to be NBA Draft eligible, starting in the summer of 2019, according to ESPN.

The article cites League President Malcolm Turner, who expressed interest in extending what he called 'select contracts,' worth $125,000 per year to those elite players.

The players would be able to circumvent the college scene, while also having full rights to hire agents, profit off their likeness and sign endorsement deals—all of which are currently not allowed under NCAA rules.

Turner also told ESPN that the league will offer a range of off-court development programs for those that qualify, which, as Turner says, are, "geared toward facilitating and accelerating their transition to the pro game."

The special contracts will be extended to high school graduates 18 and older that haven't committed to play college basketball, according to the article, with Turner saying that they will not poach anyone with existing commitments to schools.

The proposed changes would likely not go into place until the 2022 draft, according to the article, with the move coming as a possible answer to the league's inability to lower the current age limits in place.

"The broader basketball community has called for the NBA to enhance our G-League offerings," Turner told ESPN. "We believe this is an answer to that call. We believe this is a thoughtful and responsive answer."

Welcome to the heart of the Pac-12 conference season, where we'll know once and for all (for a week, at least) who's for real and who's not.

The Oregon Ducks prevailed in Eugene over Washington last week on national television, while Colorado fell on its face in the late night window in the City of Angels.

Those tidbits and more are delved into in great detail below, so get cracking on my weekly power rankings in the Conference of Champions.

1. Oregon Ducks (5-1, 2-1)

Last Week: Beat Washington, 30-27

This Week: At Washington State, 4:30 p.m. (Fox)

The Ducks pulled off a hell of a win on Saturday afternoon over their longtime rivals from Seattle, with junior QB Justin Herbert showing why he's a legit Heisman frontrunner. Herbert finished the day with 202 passing yards and two scores, setting Mario Cristobal's team up for their biggest win in a long, long while. The Ducks face a sneaky-tough matchup at Martin Stadium in Pullman this Saturday, with the Cougars winning each of their last three games against Oregon, including last year's 51-33 dismantling in Eugene. This year's contest should be one for the ages, with Herbert and Cougar QB Gardner Minshew IV matching each other score-for-score on the Palouse.

2. Washington Huskies (5-2, 3-1)

Last Week: Lost to Oregon, 30-27

This Week: Vs. Colorado, 12:30 p.m. (Fox)

The Huskies found themselves on the wrong end of Saturday's clash in the Willamette Valley, effectively eliminating them from playoff position. That said, Chris Petersen's squad is still alive and well in the Pac-12 North Division race, especially if Washington State beats Oregon this week. The Huskies will have a shot at taking out their frustrations on a hobbled Colorado squad that lost its top-three receivers against USC a week ago, giving the Huskies' defense a chance to maul the Buffs with great vigor on the banks of the mighty Lake Washington. 

3. Washington State (5-1, 2-1)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: Vs. Oregon, 4:30 p.m. (Fox)

I'm probably much higher on Mike Leach's squad than most, given their relatively weak non-conference schedule and batshit crazy loss to USC a few weeks ago. That said, I'm high on Mike Leach's bunch because of their always explosive offense, with grad transfer Minshew (see above) tossing 19 touchdowns in six games, with four interceptions to his name. Minshew leads the conference in passing yards per game (403.7) and passing touchdowns—pacing the Cougars to unexpected highs this fall. The Cougars season will rest on their ability to pull off an upset over the Ducks at home this week, with road games against Stanford and Colorado on the horizon.

4. Utah Utes (4-2, 2-2)

Last Week: Beat Arizona, 42-10

This Week: Vs. USC, 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

The Utes have seen their season prognosis improve significantly in the last two weeks, thanks to resounding wins over Stanford (in Palo Alto) and Arizona (at home). The Utes arguably have the Pac-12's best defense, under former Oregon State coach Gary Andersen, sitting atop the conference with Washington in points allowed (16.0), while giving up the fewest yards per game (300.0) of any team in the Pac-12. The Utes' offense isn't sexy, but QB Tyler Huntley has done his job well, with 1,221 passing yards and 7 passing touchdowns, to a mere three interceptions. Running back Zack Moss has emerged as a big-play threat out of the backfield for the squad of-late as well, leading the Utes in rushing yards (617) and rushing TDs (7). The Utes face a huge test in the SLC this weekend, when the Trojans come calling. A win and they'll be in the driver's seat to make the Pac-12 championship game for the first time. A loss, and it's Holiday Bowl or bust for Whittingham's bunch.

5. USC Trojans (4-2, 3-1)

Last Week: Beat Colorado, 31-20

This Week: At Utah, 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

The Trojans are, without a doubt, the most frustratingly inconsistent team in the conference. Clay Helton's bunch has all the talent in the world, with freshman QB JT Daniels showing flashes of brilliance this season, while also making mind-numbingly stupid passes, like the one he tried in the first play from scrimmage against Colorado last Saturday. Another problem for USC has been its inability to avoid committing penalties, with a conference-worst 59 of them in six games, 7 more than the next-worst squad, which happens to be the Arizona Wildcats. The Trojans will be put to the test on Saturday, against a Utes squad that doesn't commit such stupid penalties. It'll be interesting to see if Daniels, 1,540 passing yards and 7 touchdowns (with 5 interceptions) this season, can crack the Utes' vaunted pass defense at altitude this week.

6. Colorado Buffaloes (5-1, 2-1)

Last Week: Lost to USC, 31-20

This Week: At Washington, 12:30 p.m. (Fox)

The Buffaloes' woes were on full display Saturday night, losing a road game in LA in the most excruciating, drawn-out fashion. The Buffaloes looked awful on national television, with junior quarterback Steven Montez turning into a pumpkin, with 170 yards on 26-of-47 passes, finishing with an abysmal quarterback ranking of 26.7 in the 11-point loss. The Buffs' woes won't get any easier, with a pissed-off Washington squad on their schedule this week for an offense that looked hopelessly lost without receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., who suffered a leg injury in the loss to the Trojans. It looks like reality is crashing down on the fine folks of Boulder after a dream-like opening five games. Things are only going to get uglier before they get better, with Shenault and fellow receiver Jay MacIntyre missing practice this week.

7. Stanford Cardinal (4-2, 2-1)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: Thursday, At ASU, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

The Cardinal got a well-deserved week off on Saturday, after getting their asses kicked by Notre Dame and Utah, to the tune of 78-38. David Shaw's squad desperately needs senior back Bryce Love, who was a Heisman finalist a year ago with 2,118 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, to get healthy. Love has been hampered by a bad ankle all year, with 327 rushing yards and three scores this year, resulting in the Cardinal offense sputtering to a halt. Love is questionable to play in the team's Thursday night clash with ASU in Tempe, which is a huge deal as QB KJ Costello has looked worse and worse each week, tossing three picks to a mere two touchdowns in the team's losses. The Cardinal are in desperate need of a W to save their season this week, with Washington State and Washington next up on their schedule.

8. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-3, 1-2)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: Thursday, vs. Stanford, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

God bless the Fighting Herm Edwards' for their valiant effort all season, gutting out single-digit defeats to San Diego State, Washington and Colorado (who all beat the Devils by 7 points). The Devils will only go as far as senior QB Manny Wilkins can take them, with the veteran gunslinger tossing 11 touchdowns to one interception this season, showing that he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Devils have a fighting chance against the Cardinal this week, with a win setting off what's likely to be a bowl season along the mistake of a lake in Tempe, which is something that few, if any, of the so-called "experts" predicted in the offseason.

9. UCLA Bruins (1-5, 1-2)

Last Week: Beat Cal, 37-7

This Week: Vs. Arizona, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Chip Kelly and his team got a massive win in Berkeley on Saturday night, taking out five weeks worth of frustration on a suddenly listless Bears squad. Running back Joshua Kelley looked untouchable in the win, with 157 yards and three scores on 30 carries, while freshman QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson did a good job managing the game, completing 13-of-15 passes for for 141 yards. Thompson-Robinson didn't have any touchdowns in the win, but more importantly never turned the ball over for the Bruins, while establishing a solid connection with wideout Caleb Wilson, who had five catches for 92 yards in the win. The Bruins' aren't going to go bowling this season in all likelihood, but they've got a good shot at beating Arizona this weekend and possibly playing the spoiler against Oregon, USC and Stanford down the stretch.

10. Arizona Wildcats (3-4, 2-2)

Last Week: Lost to Utah, 41-10

This Week: At UCLA, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Raise your hand if you have any idea what the Wildcats will do on a week-by-week basis? If you raised your hand, you're a damn liar, as this team has zero consistency, thanks mainly to Khalil Tate's bad ankle and Noel Mazzone's bad play-calling. The Wildcats looked putrid in their loss to Utah last week, with Tate going down early to an injury and freshman Jamarye Joiner of Cienega High School in Vail looking like—well, a freshman. it's going to be a long rest of the season in Tucson. Luckily for everyone, basketball season is back and beer is now available inside the confines of Arizona Stadium to dull the pain of losing.

11. Cal Bears (3-3, 0-3)

Last Week: Lost to UCLA, 37-7

This Week: At Oregon State, 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Cal has fallen and can't get up. Justin Wilcox's team has lost to Arizona and UCLA in consecutive weeks, and there's no guarantee they won't do the same against Oregon State in Corvallis this Saturday. Brandon McIlwain might be the real deal (eventually) for the Golden Bears, but right now, the getting is awful in the beautiful Strawberry Hills of Berkeley.

12. Oregon State Beavers (1-5, 0-3)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: Vs. Cal, 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Pour one out for your friends in Corvallis, it's going to be be a long, long, long season up there. They will likely go 1-11 this year, though there's a chance they might beat Cal this week. Nonetheless, just remember friends, basketball season is around the corner, and Wayne Tinkle might actually win a few games for the Beavers this season. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks will strip Chase Field of its grass playing surface and replace it with synthetic turf, according to an article in Friday's Arizona Republic. 

The stadium, which opened alongside the team's inaugural season in 1998, will feature high-performance B1K synthetic grass, the article said.

The synthetic playing surface is supposed to replicate the effects of natural grass, limiting any learning curves for players next spring.

The team evidently made the change to cut back on the stadium's water use, with environmentally friendly materials being used for its infill.

The move will also allow the team to leave the stadium's roof closed more often on game days, which will cut back on the amount of air conditioning that the 20-year-old facility requires.

According to the Republic's article, the move is expected to give the team a  90 percent savings in water usage, or nearly 2 million gallons of water, thanks to not having to water and maintain the grass each day.

The surface, which is designed by Shaw Sports Turf, will be added to several of the playing fields at the team's spring training facility, Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, in time for next year's schedule.