Former Marana Broncos youth football President Steve Leslie Marshall Jr. will be arraigned on eight felony charges tomorrow afternoon.

Following a 16-month investigation by the Oro Valley Police Department and picked up by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Marshall is accused of embezzling more than $54,000 from the nonprofit youth sports organization.

The investigation into Marshall centers around the use of an account linked to the Broncos organization to cover various personal expenses for Marshall and his family.

Marshall, an Oro Valley resident who did not immediately respond to messages from Tucson Local Media, resigned as president of the organization during its annual board meeting to decide its leadership last March.

According to OVPD reports related to the investigation, current Broncos President Juliette Gutierrez went to Canyon Community Bank to gain access to the organization’s account after Marshall resigned, only to find that Marshall was the only active person on the account.
That information evidently came as a surprise, given that organization by-laws require all financial transactions be approved with two signatures.

Board members found out that Marshall had closed the Broncos’ account on March 6, 2017, opening a new one to place, as the report states, “a couple thousand dollars of the organization’s funds into said account.”

Board members asked Oro Valley police to investigate Marshall in May 2017 after they discovered that Marshall had opened a debit card linked to the organization’s bank account, which was also in clear violation of their by-laws.

According to the investigation, some of the items Marshall is accused of using organizational funds on include more than $850 in repairs to a personal vehicle, as well as charges for rental cars, rent payments, dental work and hotel rooms.

A board member told the investigating officer at that time that she believed Marshall had knowingly under-reported earnings for the Broncos and provided false information to the Internal Revenue Service.

The OVPD investigation references a breakdown of the Broncos’ finances, stating that the organization raised funds through summer football camps, as well as registration fees for the club’s cheerleading and football squads.

Multiple interviewees told police they had no idea that Marshall was using the organization’s funds in an improper fashion, as he never told them anything about the charges or opening a debit card and cashing checks linked to the Broncos.

According to a police report, a former Broncos general manager told the investigating officer that she thought Marshall was improperly moving money between teams, going so far as to question him on why he was using money to take teams to Florida for a national youth sports championship game.

The same person told an officer she initially joined the Broncos board when Marshall became president in 2009 because she “didn’t want Marshall on the board without someone watching him.”

Gutierrez reported the club generated $52,500 from camps and registration fees on average between 2014 and 2017, starting each season with $56,000 deposited into its bank account.
The organization also raised funds through an in-season cash raffle, which cost $10 per ticket, with 4,500 tickets distributed, raising an additional $45,000 for the league.

In total, the Broncos organization raised $106,500 in 2015, with expenses totaling at $57,732.
Tucson Youth Football and Spirit Federation Commissioner Julius Holt and Gutierrez met with concerned parents Wednesday night at Arthur Pack Park, addressing a crowd of more than 50 about several subjects.

One such topic was how the federation’s members file their taxes, with Holt assuring the crowd that steps have been taken to ensure that each club reports its taxes through the same accountant, so there are no discrepancies.

The OVPD investigation cited multiple Broncos board members and Gutierrez as not knowing exactly where the organization’s excess funds go, with Gutierrez telling the officer that their CPA would file taxes for the non-profit organization, with the CPA giving the teams’ financial numbers to whoever the club president was at the time.

Outside of the Broncos organization, Marshall is known in Oro Valley for his work as a volunteer assistant coach for the Canyon del Oro High School football team from 2015 to 2017.
He also previously operated a 7-on-7 football team, known as Team 520, which disbanded in 2018.

Marshall was indicted on Sept. 13 in Pima County Superior Court with eight felony charges, including fraudulent schemes, forgery and theft.

TYFSF and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office declined comment for this story, the latter explaining that the case is an “ongoing matter.”

A quartet of Arizona football players took turns spitting out idioms and soundbites at the team's weekly media availability within the glass walls of the Lowell-Stevens Football complex on Tuesday afternoon.

The players—including defensive lineman PJ Johnson, linebacker Tony Fields II, tackle Bryson Cain and receiver Shawn Poindexter—addressed a barrage of questions.

Johnson discussed everything from his bright gold "grills," or gold plates that surround his actual teeth, to more pressing football-related topics, like the defensive line's progress in consecutive wins over Southern Utah and Oregon State.

Fields addressed the linebacking corp's improvements, the progress of fellow sophomore Colin Schooler and where the team is as we near the midway point of the year.

Poindexter, the elder statesman of the group, discussed quarterback Khalil Tate's maturation under center and his ability to use his height and speed to his advantage.

The thread that brought the four Wildcats together was their take on this week's home game against divisional foe, Southern California.

The mighty Trojans of USC are 2-2 this season, the same as the Wildcats, but enter Saturday's 7:30 p.m. clash with the added bonus of having won five straight over Arizona.

The Trojans have dominated Arizona through the years, with a 33-8 lead in the all-time series, with 13 wins in 17 trips to Arizona Stadium.

The ensemble of Arizona players weren't shy in their prognostications about this week's contests, however, expressing confidence in their ability to thwart the Trojans.

Johnson was the first to take to the stage, describing the visiting squad in rather ho-hum fashion.

"I feel like if we take the game as more than just a game that it’ll get over our heads," Johnson said. "So, we’ve just got to treat them the same way we would any other team."

The Wildcats will look to improve upon their last meeting with USC, a year after the Trojans cruised past them, 49-35 in LA to snap the team's four-game win streak.

That loss set in motion a year-end tailspin for Arizona, with the Wildcats losing three of their last four games to end the season.

The Trojans success against Arizona a year ago came largely because of their ability to fluster quarterback Khalil Tate, holding him to 146 passing yards, and a year-low 45.2 percent completion percentage.

Tate did cut up the Trojans on the ground last year, with 161 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in the loss.

Poindexter, who was held to one catch and 11 yards in last year's contest, believes this year's game will be different, that it provides the Wildcats a shot at making a statement to the rest of the conference.

"I think [winning] would be huge," Poindexter said. "I think we made a good statement win against Oregon State. I think that should speak volumes for itself ... I think beating USC would really establish us and maybe the city will believe in us a little bit more."

Fields, who had a team-high 11 tackles in last year's contest, knows that much has changed in the 11 months since the two teams last met.

The Las Vegas native said the team's defense is prepared to go against USC's freshman quarterback, JT Daniels, a week after the 18-year-old led a come-from-behind win against Washington State.

Fields believes the unit can pounce on Daniels' youth and inexperience this week, forcing him into making bad decisions.

He also believes that a win against the Trojans could be a statement for the team as a whole, as well as first-year coach Kevin Sumlin.

"It'd be a great boost. Not just for the program, but for our fans too," Fields said. "I believe our fans would be all here, they'll be all in. A couple days ago I posted something on Twitter, we need the fans to be here completely out ready to roll."

Sumlin addressed Saturday's contest and what a win would mean to him and his players in his weekly press conference on Monday.

He believes that his team is in fine form on both sides of the ball right now, but knows that the Trojans will test their newfound mettle.

"We’ll see this week because USC is a very talented team, they’ve had their struggles, but they still have a lot of talent across the board," Sumlin said. "They've got a young quarterback (JT Daniels) but he’s talented, a veteran offensive line in front of him, explosive on the perimeter.”

Poindexter summed up the team's viewpoint heading into Saturday's game, describing the contest with a hint of revenge in his voice.

"We want to go into the game and we want to win. We don't just want to win, we want to blow them out," Poindexter said. "We're just going to continue to work every single day and hope for the best on Saturday."

How to Watch: Arizona and USC will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Arizona time on Saturday, with ESPN2 carrying the contest.

Who to Watch: USC is loaded with young offensive talent, including freshman QB JT Daniels, who has 1,060 passing yards and four touchdowns this year. Another name to keep an eye on is freshman receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who leads the Trojans in receiving yards (342) with 2 touchdowns and 20 receptions this season.

How to Bet: USC is currently a 3.5-point favorite, as of Wednesday morning. The over/under for the contest is at 61.

Who Will Win: Arizona hasn't beaten USC since 2012, when the Wildcats edged them out in Tucson, 39-36. It's hard to see the Trojans losing this week, so I'll go with USC to win, 45-28. 

Welcome to the sixth week of the college football season, where we finally have a full-slate of conference games.

We're going to be treated to several must-see games this Saturday, including Arizona-USC, Oregon-Cal and Washington-BYU (in the lone non-conference clash).

We've learned a lot about the Pac-12's dozen programs this season, especially given the clash in Eugene between Stanford and the Oregon Ducks (which was an instant classic).

Saturday's Washington State-Utah battle has the potential to be an underrated contest, given how well each squad has played so far.

No matter which contest you tune into, you'll likely be treated to a hell of a lot of scoring and a dizzying display of Capital-F Football.

Without further ado, here's how I see the Conference of Champions stacking up from top-to-bottom right now:

1. Stanford Cardinal (4-0, 2-0)

Last Week: Defeated Oregon, 38-31

The Cardinal won what might be the game of the year in the Conference of Champions last Saturday, storming back from a 24-7 deficit in the game's third quarter to defeat Oregon in Eugene. The craziest play of an absolutely crazy contest was the score that ignited Stanford's comeback. The play I'm referring to was the 80-yard fumble return touchdown by Cardinal defender Joey Alfieri, which brought the Cardinal within 10 points of the Ducks, 24-14, with 2:43 left in the third quarter. That score only happened because of a questionable review of an Oregon score the play before, which overturned said touchdown, giving the Cardinal a second chance. Lucky or not, the Cardinal dominated from there, scoring a touchdown and a field goal in the game's final stanza to draw even at 31 at the end of regulation. Stanford pounced in the game's lone overtime session, with quarterback K.J. Costello connecting with sophomore tight end Colby Parkinson for what would be the winning score. The Cardinal's defense closed out the night on the next drive, intercepting Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert in the end zone to close out a seven-point victory. The Cardinal's quest to make the College Football Playoff doesn't get any easier this week, however, as they head to South Bend on Saturday to face fellow unbeaten Notre Dame at 4:30 p.m. Arizona time.

2. Oregon Ducks (3-1, 0-1)

Last Week: Lost to Stanford, 38-31

I refuse to knock a team down for losing a hell of a game to the number-one team in the conference. The Ducks may have blown a 17-point second half lead to the Cardinal in Eugene, but they played a helluva ballgame against a great team. Junior quarterback Justin Herbert deserves to be a favorite in the Heisman Trophy race, after completing 26/33 passes for 346 yards and a touchdown, while earning 35 yards on the ground. Oregon showed itself a bona fide contender to make a New Years Six bowl game this year, which speaks to the talent of first-year coach Mario Cristobal and his staff. The Ducks' quest doesn't get any easier this week, however, with a daunting road game against a talent Cal team in Berkeley at 7:30 p.m., against a Bears team hungry to spring the upset.

Maroon 5 will be performing at the 2019 Super Bowl LIII Pepsi halftime show on Feb. 3 at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Guest appearances for the performance have not been chosen, but there are speculations of potential artists.

Maroon 5’s recent single “Girls Like You” features Cardi B and is currently No. 2 on The Hot 100 list on Billboard, leaving us to wonder if the Bodak Yellow superstar and new mom will be at the Super Bowl.

The NFL faced a challenge this year in choosing a performer due to the controversy involving Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback whose decision to take a knee during the National Anthem for protest caused controversy and outrage throughout the United States, recently highlighted by the Nike campaign.

Last year, there were reports that Jay-Z turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl to show support for Kaepernick. So this year, the Super Bowl had speculations for who the halftime performer should be.

One of the toughest challenges for choosing a halftime performer isn’t just the appeal to the audience, but finding an artist who hasn’t already performed. Maroon 5 is more similar to recent performers like Justin Timberlake than to the more polarizing choices such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, we love you Left Shark.

Halftime Show Performers at the Super Bowl since 2008:

2008: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
2009: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
2010: The Who
2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Slash
2012: Madonna, LMFAO, Cirque de Soleil, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., Cee Lo Green, Andy Lewis
2013: Beyoncé, Destiny's Child
2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers
2015: Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, Missy Elliott
2016: Coldplay, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Gustavo Dudamel
2017: Lady Gaga
2018: Justin Timberlake

On Thursday night Tucson's Indoor Football team finally received a name, The Tucson Sugar Skulls. The name was decided after a contest for fans to name the team, with over 1,000 submissions, sugar skulls won out.

The Tucson Sugar Skulls are an expansion team to the Indoor Football League and are coached by former Iowa Barnstormers defensive coordinator, Marcus Coleman.

Tucson’s newest sports team is set to start their inaugural season in March. They will play their games at the Tucson Convention Center where they will share the space with The Tucson Roadrunners.

A boisterous crowd in excess of 2,500 did everything it could to boost the Arizona Wildcats' chances against in-state rival Arizona State on Thursday night.

The Wildcats (12-1, 1-0) responded to their efforts, sweeping their longtime rivals from Tempe in straight sets to pick up a win in their Pac-12 opener—25-18, 25-21 and 25-18.

Longtime Arizona Coach Dave Rubio addressed the importance of beating the Sun Devils in his post-match remarks, praising the crowd of 2,685 for their support, including members of the school's student section, the ZonaZoo.

"For us, the last four weeks it was nice to play in front of a terrific crowd," Rubio said. "I really want to thank the ZonaZoo for coming out in full force. The Tucson community really supported our match tonight and that was great, but especially the ZonaZoo. That was the biggest number of ZonaZoo people that I’ve ever seen in my 27 years here. So, I really appreciate those guys coming out and supporting us."

The Wildcats fought off a few missteps in the first set, thanks to an overwhelming show of force by its front line.

Two of the match's most-impactful players were Shardonee Hayes, Katie Smoot and Kendra Dahlke, who combined to earn 32 kills and 8 blocks for the Wildcats.

Their efforts kept the Devils' attack at-bay, crushing their rival's resolve with deft spikes and thunderous blocks.

Smoot addressed the team's front line dominance, attributing their success to Rubio's game plan and their ability to put the ball in tough spots for the Devils' players.

"I think offensively it was all about putting the ball in places where we knew that they couldn’t respond and using the block really to our advantage tonight," Smoot said. "That really allowed us to get a lot of kills."

Smoot and her teammates took pleasure in their ability to cruise past their longtime rivals, saying the squad took extra motivation from their shared drive to dominate the match.

"I think, personally I had a lot of adrenaline going into the game," Smoot said. "And personally, I wanted to beat them in three [sets] because I don't want to see them succeed, which sounds pretty aggressive, but maybe that's because it's a rivalry game."

Rubio believes his team is in excellent form ahead of their toughest match to-date, on Sunday against number-two-ranked Stanford in Palo Alto.

"In a young season, getting that first win in the conference is a big deal, and it’s always nice to do it against your in-state rival," Rubio said. "We have a tall order, we’re on the road our next three matches, so we’ll see how we do. You never know, Stanford looks really good right now. We’re all kind of chasing them in the conference, but we’ll give it a shot."

The Wildcats and Cardinal (9-1, 1-0) square off at 12 p.m. Arizona time on Sunday, with the Pac-12 Network airing the contest live.

Welcome to the fourth week of the college football season, with the treat of watching our desert-dwelling Wildcats battle it out in the rainy city of Corvallis, Oregon.

The hometown Arizona Wildcats and Oregon State Beavers meet at 1 p.m. PDT Saturday in a battle of two of the Pac-12's bottom men on the totem pole. The dueling ball clubs enter this week's contest with one each win to their name, with wins over Southern Utah for their lone victory.

The Wildcats slugged the Thunderbirds last week, 62-31, thanks to a career-high 349 passing yards from junior QB Khalil Tate.

Tate's passing acumen covered up the Wildcats sorry defensive effort, giving up 31 points and 463 offensive yards to a Football Championship Subdivision squad many had never heard of.

Arizona managed to right some of their early season rushing woes last week, gaining a year-high 268 yards on 38 carries.

That lofty number covers up the fact that the Wildcats have not had a player break the 100-yard rushing plateau in three games, a year after racking up more than 4,000 yards as a team on the ground.

Sophomore back Gary Brightwell had arguably his best outing as a college player last week, with a team-high 81 yards on 9 carries.

Senior receivers Tony Ellison and Shun Brown showed their pass-catching abilities, with Ellison grabbing 4 catches for a game-high 111 yards and a touchdown, while Brown had 5 receptions, 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Tate and his band of merry men will face the conference's worst defense statistically, with the Beavers surrendering 46.3 points per game and 522 yards per game, both ranking 12th in the Conference of Champions.

It'll be interesting to see how the Wildcats fare in the Willamette Valley, where they lost by 25 the last time they played in 2016.

How to Watch: The Pac-12 Network will carry the game at 1 p.m. Arizona time on Saturday, Sept. 22.

Who to Watch: Keep an eye on OSU sophomore QB Conor Blount, who will reportedly make the start for the Beavers. Blount has completed 63.9 percent of his passes this season for 570 yards and four touchdowns. Freshman running back Jermar Jefferson is another young Beaver to keep an eye on, as he leads the squad in rushing yards (391) and touchdowns (6). Jefferson has rushed for 238 and 106 yards in his last two games, against Southern Utah and Nevada, with six rushing scores in those games.

How to Bet: Vegas currently has Arizona as a 5.5-point favorite, as of Thursday morning. The over/under on Saturday's game is 75.5 points.

Who Will Win: The Wildcats are 2-4 against the Beavers since 2010, having beaten them 49-28 last fall in Tucson. I expect Arizona to win on Saturday, 31-28, with a late Lucas Havrisik field goal sealing the victory for the Wildcats.

Saturday Sept. 15:

Liverpool 2, Tottenham 1

Liverpool found its fifth win in five games with an impressive victory against Tottenham Hotspur. Georginio Wijnaldum opened the mark for the Reds in the 39th minute after some messy clearing in the box by the defenders, before he headed the ball across the line with the referee granting the goal. Roberto Firmino then gave the away side some breathing room in the 54th minute with a tap-in after some messy play from the goalkeeper and the defenders. Erik Lamela gave the home team a goal in the third minute of stoppage time, but it was too late to salvage a point. Firmino was named “man of the match” and Liverpool now sits atop  the league standings, behind Chelsea on goal differential.

A.F.C. Bournemouth 4, Leicester 2

Bournemouth sits in fifth position after their exciting goal-filled game against Leicester. Eddie Howe’s men started the game strong, scoring three goals in the first half, including two break-away goals by Ryan Fraser and a penalty by Joshua King. The Foxes were slow to come back into the game, especially with Wes Morgan receiving a red card in the 69th minute. Adam Smith then knocked down a fourth goal for the home side in the 81st minute, guaranteeing three points for Eddie Howe and his men. Leicester were able to score two quick goals in the 88th and 89th minute from James Maddison and Marc Albrighton, respectively, but were unable to mount a comeback. Ryan Fraser was named “man of the match” and now has a total of three goals and two assists in this year’s campaign.

Chelsea 4, Cardiff City 1

Chelsea continue their red-hot start to the season with their fifth consecutive win over a struggling Cardiff City, who have yet to find their first win since their promotion. Sol Bamba gave the away team the lead at the 16th minute with a short-distance volley, before Eden Hazard took over the game for the home team with a hat-trick. Willian then sealed the victory for the Blues with a beautiful curling shot into the top right corner from outside the box. Hazard was named man of the match and now leads the league in goal scoring with now 5 goals to his name.   

Crystal Palace 1, Huddersfield Town 0

It was a tight game between the two lower-half placed teams, with Wilfried Zaha’s 38th minute goal being the only difference. Zaha had missed Palace’s previous game versus Southampton with a groin injury but was able to bounce back with a superb goal. Zaha came down the left wing, pushing the ball past two defenders before slotting it in the right side of the goal from a difficult angle, barely inside the box. Zaha was named “man of the match” and continues to be Roy Hodgson’s stand-out man. Huddersfield still awaits their first win of the season.

Manchester City 3, Fulham 0

Despite their hiccup against Wolves in late August, Manchester City continue to show why they are still favorites to win this year’s Premier League. The Citizens dominated all statistics of the game and cleanly took the three points they came looking for. Two early first-half goals from Leroy Sané and David Silva put the home team in the lead and two minutes into the second half Raheem Sterling extended that lead. Bernardo Silva was awarded “man of the match” for his playmaking on offense, including five key passes. Manchester City now sits in third only two points behind the top two, while Fulham fell to 15th place.

Arsenal 2, Newcastle United 1

After dropping two tough games to Chelsea and Manchester City in August, Arsenal have started to find their footing and now boast a three-game winning streak. Both teams finished the first half goal-less, but Granit Xhaka was able to score a beautiful free-kick at the start of the second half to give the Gunners the lead. Mesut Özil then gave the away side some cushion with a second goal in the 58th minute. The hosts were not able to fire back until stoppage time, where Ciaran Clark headed the ball home on a counter-attack, but it was not enough to salvage a point. Alexandre Lacazette was named “man of the match” for his constant attacking threat despite claiming a goal himself. Arsenal continue to climb the table, while Newcastle remain in the relegation zone with only one point.

Manchester United 2, Watford 1

Manchester United have now won two games in a row for the first time this season after their tight win over Watford. The Red Devils scored twice in the space of three minutes in the first half, with Romelu Lukaku scoring off of an Ashley Young cross in the 35th minute and Chris Smalling getting his own shot off in the 38th minute. Andre Gray pulled back a goal for the home team with a goal in the 65th.  Manchester United held on, despite constant pressure in the last 20 minutes and even a red card for Nemanja Matic in stoppage time. Marouane Fellaini was named “man of the match” as the club tries to push its way into the top teams. This was Watford’s first loss this season, but they still remain in the top four.

Sunday Sept. 16:

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Burnley 0

Wolves have now won three games in a row after their victory over last-placed Burnley. Despite 30 attempts, the home side was only able to score one goal, but it was enough. In the 61st minute, Raúl Jiménez was able to score from the center of the box with a shot to the bottom-left corner of the goal.  Burnley were rarely a threat with only a few chances coming to Johann Berg Gudmundsson late in the game. Joao Moutinho was named “man of the match” as he controlled the game with 77 passes, more than anyone else on the field. The Wolves are now in the top half of the table and hope to stay. Burnley, however, continue their worst start to a top-flight season in 91 years.  

West Ham United 3, Everton 1

West Ham finally put an end to their disastrous start with their first win. Andriy Yarmolenko’s two first-half goals put the away side in comfortable position before Gylfi Sigurdsson scored just before the half time whistle went off. Manuel Pellegrini’s men faced a difficult second half but were able to extend their lead in the 61st minute with a clinical strike from Marko Arnautovic, right after a one-two with Pedro Obiang. The Hammers were able to hold the lead for the rest of the game and climb out of last place. Felipe Anderson was named “man of the match” and showed why the club spent $47 million on him over the summer.

Monday Sept. 17:

Southampton 2, Brighton & Hove Albion 2

Monday’s game featured a lot of action as the two lower-half teams battled it out for important points. Southampton took the lead in the 35th minute after a beautiful 35-yard strike from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg finished in the bottom left of the goal. Danny Ings gave the home side a second goal from a penalty in the 65th minute, but Brighton were quickly to crawl back Shane Duffy’s header off of a free-kick. Glenn Murray ultimately tied the game with a late penalty in stoppage time, resulting in a point for each side. Højbjerg was named “man of the match” for his wonder-strike and midfield dominance. Both sides now have five points sitting in 13th and 14th place, with Southampton ahead on goal differential. This is second week in a row that Brighton have crawled back for a 2-2 draw.

Zach’s Team of the Week:

Goalkeeper: David De Gea

Defenders: Chris Smalling, Virgil van Dijk, Shane Duffy, Joseph Gomez

Midfielders: James Milner, Ryan Fraser, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Attackers: Andriy Yarmolenko, Roberto Firmino, Eden Hazard

Honorable Mentions: Marouane Fellaini, Wilfried Zaha.

Welcome to the fourth (official) week of the college football season, better known as the unofficial opening weekend of conference play in the Pac-12.

It's been a no good, ugly year so far for most of the conference, with last week's disastrous defeats by Southern California (to the University of Texas) and ASU (to San Diego State) sucking the air out of an already well-worn cadre.

The relative winners last Saturday, in Oregon, Stanford, California, Colorado, Washington State and Arizona did so by beating up a litany of middling squads.

It's hard to get too worked up about your team's potential when you beat one of the following colleges: University of California-Davis (Stanford), San Jose State (Oregon), New Hampshire (Colorado), Eastern Washington (Washington State) and Southern Utah (Arizona).

Three of those teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as 1-AA), with UC-Davis, New Hampshire and Southern Utah combining to go 23-14 in the lower level of competition, with Oregon surviving against a mediocre San Jose State team at home.

It's arguable that the lone quality win that was earned last week occurred during one of the few intra-conference battles, with Washington surviving in the SLC against Utah, 21-7.

This week's slate of games will tell us a lot about the true pecking order within the Conference of Champions, with an undefeated Washington State squad squaring off against USC on Friday.

Elsewhere, Oregon and Stanford put their dueling 3-0 records on the line at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, while Washington and ASU meet late at Husky Stadium.

The only conference stinker of the week is Arizona's clash against Oregon State, which the Pac-12 banished to the depths of its TV network at 1 p.m. PDT.

Without further ado, here's how I see the conference stacking up heading into the fourth week of the season.

1. Stanford (3-0, 1-0)

Last Week: Beat University of California-Davis, 30-10

The Cardinal won a glorified scrimmage over in-state squad UC Davis in front of an announced crowd of 31,772 (Stanford Stadium seats 50,000, for perspective). David Shaw's squad rolled over Dan Hawkins' squad to improve to 3-0 for the season, despite one-man highlight reel running back Bryce Love missing the game with a concussion. They won by three scores over the Broncos, despite only out-gaining their foes by 43 yards (351-to-308), thanks to a defense that forced three UCD turnovers. The Cardinal won't have anywhere near as much fun this Saturday, when they'll make the trek into Eugene to face another undefeated team, Oregon, in a late-afternoon showdown. It'll be interesting to see how the Cardinal do in slowing down the Ducks' dynamic offense, led by quarterback Justin Herbert, who ranks fifth in the Pac-12 among QBs in passing yards per game (280.0) and first in touchdowns scored (12). The matchup to watch in the Cardinal-Duck clash is between Stanford's explosive wideout JJ Arcega-Whiteshide and Oregon WR Johnny Johnson III, who have 460 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches combined this season.

2. Washington (2-1, 1-0)

Last Week: Beat Utah, 21-7

Washington did what it needed to in order to survive in the Wasatch against Utah on Saturday, knocking off the Utes, 21-7, to improve to 2-1. The Huskies offense, behind senior QB Jake Browning, did just enough to get the win, with Browning throwing for 155 yards and a touchdown, while back Myles Gaskin pounded the ball up the middle, gaining 143 rushing yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. The Huskies' defense was the real MVP on the road, limiting Utah to 138 passing and 123 rushing yards, while forcing three turnovers in the process. The Huskies haven't looked like world-beaters so far, losing to Auburn to open the season, before rebounding against North Dakota in week two. They do, however, appear to be the conference's second-best team so far, ahead of an intriguing home game against ASU at 7:30 p.m. PDT in Seattle.

3. Oregon (3-0, 0-0)

Last Week: Beat San Jose State, 35-22

The Ducks are a mystery wrapped in an enigma, mostly due to the pathetic schedule they've played under first-year coach Mario Cristobal. Oregon has beaten a trio of no-name opponents, in Bowling Green, Portland State and San Jose State this season, by a combined score of 155-60, with the aforementioned Justin Herbert leading the way at QB, throwing for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns, to a mere four interceptions this season. We'll know for sure whether the Ducks early-season success is a fluke or not come Saturday, when they'll host the Cardinal in the heart of the Willamette Valley.

4. Colorado (3-0, 0-0)

Last Week: Beat New Hampshire, 45-14

The Buffaloes have looked awfully impressive this season, against in-state rival Colorado State, former Big 8 rival Nebraska and New Hampshire, outscoring the four by a score of 123-55. It's clear that the Buffs are the class of the classless Pac-12 South, which says more about their competition than their accomplishments to-date. Their success rests on the rocket arm of quarterback Steven Montez, who's looked phenomenal to-date, with 855 passing yards and 8 passing touchdowns in four games, throwing two measly interceptions so far. Montez is one of, if not the best all-around QBs in the conference, and has the potential to guide the Buffs to heights unreached since their pinnacle in the early-1990s. It'll be interesting to see how CU fares in its conference opener against UCLA a week from Friday, and whether their early season success is for real, or simply a Rocky Mountain aberration.

5. California (3-0, 0-0)

Last Week: Beat Idaho State, 45-23

The Bears' first three games, against UNC, BYU and Idaho State have shown that coach Justin Wilcox's Berkeley-based football renaissance is alive and well. The Golden Bears have looked sharp in their three games, with their 21-18 win over the Cougars in week two looking better and better by the day. The Bears don't have the sexiest offense in the conference by any means, with QB Chase Garbers slinging the ball modestly well, with 454 yards and 6 touchdowns in three games, while Patrick Laird leads the team in rushing, with 147 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. The biggest difference between Wilcox and his predecessor, Sonny Dykes, is on the defensive side of the ball—with Cal ranking third in points allowed (19.3), fourth in yards per game allowed (302.3) and first in interceptions forced (7) this season. They'll have a chance at proving their early success is for real a week from Saturday, when Oregon comes to Berkeley in what could beat a battle of undefeated teams, depending on how the Ducks fare against Stanford this week.

6. Washington State (3-0, 0-0)

Last Week: Beat Eastern Washington, 59-24

Washington State's early success has, like most of its conference mates, come at the expense of mediocre competition, beating Wyoming, San Jose State and EWU. That said, they have looked dominant in those three contests, outscoring their foes to the tune of 131-43 in three games. The Cougars open conference play on Friday night, when they'll face the daunting task of traveling to the City of Angels to face Southern California, who's gotten waxed by Stanford and Texas in consecutive weeks. It'll be interesting to see if the Cougs, and senior QB Gardner Minshew can continue their early success, with Minshew leading the conference in passing yards (1,203), to go with a respectable 8 passing touchdowns this season.

7. Utah (2-1, 0-1)

Last Week: Lost to Washington, 21-7

The Utes had a grand opportunity to take a monumental first step in their quest to clinch their first Pac-12 South championship on Saturday night against the Huskies. Unfortunately for Kyle Whittingham's squad, they fell flat in that endeavor, losing in a listless effort, 21-7, to the Huskies. The Utes enter their bye week with more questions than answers on the offensive side fo the ball, looking sloppy against their first two opponents, Weber State and Northern Illinois, before looking downright incapacitated against the Huskies. The Utes rank in the middle of the conference offensively, sitting seventh overall in rushing (153.0 YPG) and ninth in passing (247.7 YPG). The Utes will have to step it up on that side of the ball on the other side of their week off to have a shot in their division, which is ripe for the picking, with USC and UCLA at historical low points right now.

8. Arizona State University (2-1, 0-0)

Last Week: Lost to San Diego State, 28-21

The New Leadership Model in Tempe crashed to earth in spectacular fashion against San Diego State on Saturday night, with the Devils' inept rushing attack cursing them to a 28-21 defeat against the Aztecs. The Devils, who captured the nation's hearts after a butt-ugly 16-13 win over Michigan State in week two, with a last-second Hail Mary that was originally called complete subsequently getting overturned in the game's final seconds. It was an odd final sequence, as SDSU defensive back Trenton Thompson was called for targeting after tackling ASU wideout Frank Darby near the Aztecs' goal-line. The refs decided to review the targeting penalty, as well as whether Darby actually caught the ball or not. They decided that Thompson did in fact commit targeting, but that Darby did not maintain possession of the pass, which meant that the Devils only got a 15-yard penalty, instead of the ball at the SDSU 5 yard line with mere seconds left on the clocks and a seven-point deficit. The Devils' final play from the line of scrimmage fell incomplete, capping off a wild win for the Aztecs and a crippling defeat for first-year ASU coach Herm Edwards. Edwards' squad looks to get back on-track this week in the Emerald City against Washington, kicking off in Seattle at 7:30 p.m. Arizona time.

9. USC (1-2, 0-1)

Last Week: Lost to Texas, 37-14

Few teams have looked more discombobulated this season than Clay Helton's Trojans squad, with Saturday's embarrassment in Austin serving as the latest chapter. The once-mighty Trojans were drummed by the Longhorns, 37-14, with UT scoring 34 unanswered points to bury their visitors from LA. The Trojans defense wasn't terrible against the Longhorns, holding them to 394 offensive yards in the loss. The problem, as has been the case for much of the young season, was the team's inability to do anything constructive on offense, with the Trojans once-vaunted rushing game racking up negative yards on the ground. True freshman quarterback JT Daniels showed flashed of brilliance, with 322 passing yards. The problem is that no offense can survive when there's literally no threat of running the ball for positive yards, and USC is no exception. Expect Helton's bunch to do everything they can to establish the rush on Friday, in a must-win game against Washington State in the Coliseum.

10. Arizona (1-2, 0-0)

Last Week: Beat Southern Utah, 62-31

The Wildcats found salvation against an FCS school that most in attendance had likely never heard of before Saturday's clash, beating Southern Utah to the tune of 62-31. There were several highs for the Wildcats, no doubt, in their first win of the season, including QB Khalil Tate's passing explosion and Tony Ellison's 111-yard receiving performance at wideout. The Wildcats did what they had to against a lesser opponent to pick up coach Kevin Sumlin's first W in Tucson, but still managed to surrender 31 points and 463 offensive yards to an FCS program. This week's clash against Oregon State shouldn't be a lot tougher, providing the 'Cats a final punching bag before their real conference foes line up in succession. It'll be interesting to see whether Tate, who had 19 rushing yards on four carries against SUU, will be healthy enough to run it more against the Beavers this week, or if Arizona's offense will rely on its stable of running backs to provide balance as the season progresses.

11. UCLA (0-3, 0-0)

Last Week: Lost to Fresno State, 38-14

It's hard to imagine a worse way for Chip Kelly's time in the City of Angels to begin, losing to Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Fresno in successive weeks. Kelly's squad has looked incoherent on both sides of the ball, with an offensive line that appears to be made of house brand Swiss cheese and a defense that's sprung more leaks than the Titanic. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been a sitting duck for the Bruins so far, completing a mere 54.7 percent of his passes, with two passing touchdowns in three games. The team's rushing attack hasn't fared much better this year, averaging 3.5 yards per rush in three contests, ranking dead-last in the conference in rushing yards per game, at 130.7 yards per game. It'll be interesting to see if Kelly can hammer things out before their next game, against Colorado in Boulder on Friday, Sept. 28, or if this season's dead on arrival.

12. Oregon State (1-2, 0-0)

Last Week: Lost to Nevada-Reno, 37-35

The conference's favorite punching bag of-late took another haymaker to the chin on Saturday, when the Mountain West's favorite sparring partner, Nevada, beat them 37-35 in Reno. The Beavers have what might be the Pac-12's worst defense, giving up 46.3 points per game, to go with 552 yards per game, 295.7 passing yards per game and 226.3 rushing yards per game (all of which are worst in the Pac-12 this season). The Beavers will look for salvation at home against the men from Tucson this week, playing the conference's second-worst defense, statistically. It'll be interesting to see whether Jonathan Smith's Beavers squad can hang with the Wildcats, who are 6.5 point favorites on the Beavers. Fans of both teams might need to keep a bottle of eye wash nearby, as this one has the potential to be rather ugly for all involved. 

The University of Arizona football team is off to its worst start since 1981, after consecutive losses to teams named the Cougars (BYU and Houston).

Lucky for first-year coach Kevin Sumlin and his players, this week's opponent is Southern Utah of the Football Championship Subdivision.

The Thunderbirds of SUU have somehow gotten off to an even rockier start than Sumlin's bunch—falling to North Alabama and Oregon State to start the season.

The Wildcats will look to right their litany of wrongs with the game scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

The good news, besides the fact that Arizona gets to play a team that's lost to two no-name teams, is that Arizona gets its most experienced offensive lineman (Layth Friekh) back after a two-game suspension.

Friekh and his offensive linemates will look to a rushing attack that has been abysmal in two games—averaging a measly 3.3 yards per carry (half of what they averaged in 13 games a year ago).

The main beneficiary of Friekh's return is junior quarterback Khalil Tate, who has looked lost at times in the team's two losses.

Tate, who entered with a chorus of Heisman Trophy hype, has been stymied in all aspects of the game—completing 53.6 percent of his passes for 578 yards and 1 TD this season.

More importantly, Tate's legs have been a non-factor through two games, with 22 rushing yards on 15 carries and 2 rushing touchdowns this season.

It'll be interesting to see if Tate, who appeared lost for much of last week's game in Houston, can get back to his wily ways against the Thunderbirds this week.

Here's what you should keep an eye out for come Saturday night, when the two teams square off at Arizona Stadium:

Can Tate and Noel Mazzone coexist?

Much of Tate's aforementioned struggles this season have come from his offensive line's inability to open up space in the trenches. That aspect is out of his control, obviously—though first-year offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone's offensive scheme doesn't appear to be helping much. Mazzone has been a fixture in college football the last quarter-century, coaching NFL quarterbacks like Phillip Rivers and Josh Rosen at North Carolina State and UCLA. The issue is that Mazzone's traditional offense relies on a lot of drop-back, drawn-out pass plays, which doesn't really fit Tate's run first, pass second quarterback style. Tate is a gifted passer, but has traditionally used his explosive run capabilities to force defensive backs to inch up toward the line of scrimmage, when he then proceeds to crush them over the top. He can't really do that if he's not given the opportunity to run the ball in the first place, or if the line can't free up space for him to make timely decisions. There's still plenty of time left in the season, and no reason to hit the panic button in Tucson. It'll be important to keep an eye on whether Mazzone allows Tate to do what he needs to to succeed, though, with the fate of the Wildcats' season hanging in the balance.

Can anyone make a defensive stop?

The Wildcats were absolutely trounced for much of last week's road game in the Space City, losing 45-18 to the Cougars. Defensive coordinator Marcel Yates' unit looked abysmal for much of the day, surrendering 297 rushing and 254 passing yards to the Cougars, while failing to force a single turnover in the process. This is flat-out embarrassing, given the fact that Yates is now in his third year as the team's D-coordinator, with a talented roster full of young-but-experienced players. His unit had no pass rush a week ago, which led to frequent humiliation when Houston QB D'Eriq King proceeded to sit back in the pocket and dissect their overmatched secondary. It's early, but the Wildcats' defense will need a major turnaround to save face, and the season while they're at it.

Shawn Poindexter on-pace for historic season

All is not lost in Tucson, no matter what you, the discerning reader, take from my first two bullet-points. Senior wideout Shawn Poindexter has looked excellent so far, with 11 catches for 202 yards this year. If Poindexter keeps it up, he'll become the first Wildcat since Cayleb Jones in 2014 to crack the 1,000 yard plateau. The 6-foot-5-inch receiver has looked explosive at times this season, a year after hauling in a measly 294 yards in 13 games for Arizona. Poindexter believes his early season success speaks to the team's potential going forward, expressing confidence that the team will shake off its early funk.

“Anytime you get a new coaching staff and a whole new system, especially under a young quarterback, you expect growing pains and guys are still learning it and guys are still trusting it," Poindexter said at Tuesday's media availability.

It'll be interesting to see whether his prognosis is correct or not, with the Pac-12 season kicking off on Sept. 22 against Oregon State.

Prediction: Arizona 56, Southern Utah 10