Arizona was able to sit back and watch the opening weekend of the college football season.

When all the action was done, they probably let out a sigh of relief that they were home instead of playing in one of the four games that showcased schools across different levels of the sport.

Before Week 0, the slate was largely looked upon as an appetizer since there wasn’t a single game projected to finish within a single-digit margin.

Instead, it delivered some surprising results.

First, the preseason ACC favorites, Florida State, were upset by Georgia Tech in a shocking game that has been the talk of the college football world since the walk-off field goal went through the uprights.

That was followed by FCS program Montana State getting dominated as double-digit favorites by Arizona’s upcoming opponent, New Mexico, before mounting a late 17-point fourth quarter comeback.

Massive favorites SMU and Hawaii were also pushed a bit during their contests, something that was unexpected.

So, as the Wildcats get ready to take the field in Week 1 against New Mexico, head coach Brent Brennan is making sure his players took notice about what occurred over the weekend, and what can happen if they don’t come ready to play.

“It’s definitely something we talk about. Every game is a different game, and it’s all about how you prepare, and what your mindset is going into it. I don’t know why those things happened the way they did on Saturday, but credit to those teams that either pressed those teams to the edge or, when it comes to Georgia Tech, found a way to get it done,” he said at his weekly press conference.

Brennan thinks they benefited by being able to watch the Lobos take on Montana State, since it gave him and his team an idea about what they should expect when these two teams face off on Saturday.

“They look like they play hard. They’re definitely creative defensively, and offensively they’ve got some weapons. I feel like they were one catch away from it being over. They’re going to be ready to play,” he said.

So how can Arizona avoid the fate of Florida State, or almost being upset like the other big favorites in Week 0?

“My message to the team is, it’s all about us. It’s about our process and how we prepare. It’s very, very simple, it’s boring and it’s not sexy … It’s about us and this football team and how we go about our business this week preparing for this game, and then how we show up on Saturday,” he added.

That’s certainly the right mindset to have.

This is a game Arizona should dominate if they are truly going to contend for a Big 12 Conference title, let alone a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Whether that happens or not will be determined on Saturday.

For a more in depth preview of this matchup, click here.

The Arizona Cardinals preseason was, for the most part, an ugly affair. They went 0-3, played few starters, and often looked lost offensively. But a handful of players on the roster bubble showed impressive flashes, with head coach Jonathan Gannon particularly encouraged by his rookies.

That creates some roster conundrums for the Cardinals ahead of Tuesday’s cut-down day. The 53 players that the Cardinals have at the end of those moves will likely not be their final 53 as they bolster their roster with claims from other teams. But for now, here is a projection of what the 53-man roster could look like on Tuesday afternoon:

Offense

Quarterback (2)

Kyler Murray, Clayton Tune

After Sunday, when both Tune and Desmond Ridder struggled to create any offense of note, it seems increasingly likely that the Cardinals will look to acquire a backup quarterback from outside the organization. That could take the form of a waiver claim or a cheap trade, like the one they executed last August to acquire Joshua Dobbs from Cleveland. For now, though, Tune has the upper hand. He looked more comfortable than Ridder throughout training camp and preseason, earning the starting nod Sunday.

Running back (4)

James Conner, Trey Benson, Emari Demercado, DeeJay Dallas

Sunday’s running back usage was quite strange. Gannon opted against using any of these four running backs or veteran Michael Carter — outside of a few special teams snaps for Demercado and Dallas. That seemed to indicate that the Cardinals could go with five running backs. But when asked why Carter didn’t play, Gannon responded, “Saw enough from what we needed to see for him.” That comment did not come across as encouraging for Carter’s chances, especially given that he only saw two late-game carries in the second preseason game. So now, it once again looks as if the Cardinals will go with four backs. Demercado’s role — if he makes the roster — will mainly be on third downs and special teams, while Dallas is set to primarily be a return man.

Wide receiver (6)

Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zach Pascal, Chris Moore, Xavier Weaver

With veteran Zay Jones suspended for the first five games of the season, the Cardinals will likely want a steady veteran to fill his place on the roster. That seemingly creates an opening for Moore, who had 22 catches for 424 yards with the Titans last year. Weaver, meanwhile, has impressed on offense and special teams after signing as an undrafted free agent in the spring. He looks likely to have a role alongside Dallas in the return game. Sixth-round pick Tejhaun Palmer should clear waivers and land on the practice squad.

Tight end (3)

Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman

The tight-end group is cut and dry. The Cardinals could conceivably go with four tight ends, but it probably makes more sense to use that spot elsewhere on the roster. Reiman, in particular, has had a nice month, showing the blocking chops that made him a third-round pick. He adds some versatility to a room led by two players who excel as pass catchers.

Offensive line (9)

Paris Johnson, Evan Brown, Hjalte Froholdt, Will Hernandez, Jonah Williams, Kelvin Beachum, Jon Gaines, Isaiah Adams, Christian Jones

It was a rough preseason for the Cardinals’ reserve offensive linemen, which makes keeping only nine a plausible option. That said, they could still easily choose to go with 10. Beachum is a steady backup swing tackle, but the only backup interior options here are Gaines and Adams — two players who have never played a regular-season snap. Adams, a third-round pick this year, looked excellent as a run blocker in preseason but struggled mightily as a pass blocker. So, if the Cardinals don’t trust Gaines as their top reserve on the interior, they could opt to keep a veteran like Elijah Wilkinson or Trystan Colon. Wilkinson entered camp looking like an important backup but allowed six pressures and two sacks in three preseason games.

Defense

Interior defensive line (7)

Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, Darius Robinson, Roy Lopez, L.J. Collier, Dante Stills, Khyiris Tonga

None of these seven interior defensive linemen played on Sunday — a strong indicator that their roster spots are safe. The wild card is Robinson, who is dealing with a calf injury. If he avoids the injured reserve to start the season, the Cardinals will likely want seven players here to help provide cover. If he goes on the injured reserve, they could opt for six and use his spot on the 53-man roster to provide help elsewhere.  

Edge rusher (5)

Zaven Collins, Dennis Gardeck, Xavier Thomas, Victor Dimukeje, Cameron Thomas

Xavier Thomas, a fifth-round pick, did not play Sunday, a reward for his excellent preseason. Dimukeje only played 12 snaps early on and should be a member of this rotation. That likely leaves one roster spot for Cameron Thomas or Jesse Luketa. Both players had strong preseasons but Thomas was slightly more consistent at generating pressure. He earns the final spot here, but it’s close to a toss-up.

Linebacker (4)

Kyzir White, Mack Wilson Sr., Owen Pappoe, Krys Barnes

There’s no more settled group on the Cardinals’ roster outside of the specialists. White and Wilson will start; Pappoe and Barnes will back them up.

Cornerback (6)

Sean Murphy-Bunting, Garrett Williams, Max Melton, Starling Thomas V, Kei’Trel Clark, Elijah Jones

If the Cardinals opt for five corners, Clark could be a roster casualty. But the second-year player has flashed some positive signs over the past month and only played nine snaps Sunday, indicating that he’s in position to earn a reserve spot. Plus, Jones doesn’t look like a player the Cardinals can trust right now. The third-round rookie has enticing raw tools but is a likely candidate to be inactive early on as he acclimates to the speed of the NFL.

Safety (4)

Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Joey Blount

It was an encouraging summer for the Cardinals’ safeties. Baker and Thompson performed at their usual high standard during training camp and Taylor-Demerson impressed in preseason. He could be the future of the position if Baker hits free agency after the season. Behind those three, the final roster spot comes down to Blount and Andre Chachere. Chachere saw significantly more playing time last year, but Blount is a special teams standout. If the Cardinals are comfortable with Taylor-Demerson as their primary backup safety, Blount could have the edge due to his special teams role. Sunday’s usage suggested that could be the case, with Blount sitting out while Chachere played 48 snaps.

Special teams

Kicker: Matt Prater

Puner: Blake Gillikin

Long snapper: Aaron Brewer

The Cardinals released undrafted free agent long snapper Joe Shimko last week, finalizing this group of veterans as their specialists.

I sent plenty of people to prison during my career as a judge. Now I’m working to get one man out, and not because I think he’s innocent.

I participated in hundreds of sentencing hearings in my 44-year career as a prosecutor and as a judge.

Most of the sentences imposed were within the range I thought reasonable given the crime committed and the defendant’s background. 

Occasionally, the law mandated an excessive sentence, which I had to impose.

By far the most egregious example of an excessive mandated sentence that I was ever required to impose came in 2007. The defendant, Carl Ray Buske, was a 47-year-old aviation mechanic with no criminal record other than a 15-year-old conviction for drug possession.

His offense: the possession of 29 printed images of child pornography.

I was required to sentence him to 290 years

Buske did not create the images, sell them or even share the images with anyone.

Yet Arizona law required that his sentence be not less than 10 years for each image, with each sentence to be consecutive to the others — that is, one stacked on top of the other — for a total of 290 years in prison. 

Like most people, I abhor child pornography. The possession of such images should be illegal and severely punished.

However, one of the guiding principles of our criminal justice system is that the punishment should be proportionate to and commensurate with the crime.

A sentence of 290 years in prison (a life sentence, in effect) for this conduct is not only disproportionate, it’s unconscionable. 

Average sentence in other states is about 5 years

This is not a question of guilt.

It is a question of whether the 17 years the convicted man has already spent in prison is an adequate penalty for his conduct.

To me, the obvious and inescapable answer is yes. This opinion is shared by eight other retired Pima County Superior Court judges who signed a petition in support of Buske’s application for commutation, seeking his release. 

It is further supported by the fact that federal law, unlike Arizona law, mandates no prison time and provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years for similar offenses.

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A 2022 Federal Sentencing Commission report found that the federal sentences imposed for possession of child  pornography for 1,435 defendants with profiles similar to Buske’s was an average of about five years.

It is astounding to realize that his sentence far exceeds the minimum sentence provided in Arizona law for many crimes involving serious violence and physical injury to the victim, such as second-degree murder (10 years), rape (seven years) and sexual assault of a child under 12 (13 years).

Arizona’s harsh sentencing scheme is out of step with all other states. In no other state would he have been exposed to as severe of a sentence as he received here. 

Child porn offenses rarely lead to escalated crime

Some worry about releasing those convicted of possessing child pornography, believing that they may graduate to sexual contact offenses. But this same Federal Sentencing Commission report found that for those convicted of non-production child pornography offenses, the overall sexual recidivism rate was 4.3% and for contact sex offenses it was 1.3%.

This is miniscule compared to the overall recidivism rate of 43% for all released federal prisoners and approximately 40% for all Arizona released state prisoners. 

The injustice of this sentence has haunted me for the 17 years since it was imposed.

It is an embarrassment to our criminal justice system. To rectify the injustice, I have been working with the University of Arizona Law School on an application for commutation of sentence, which is now pending before the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency.

The board represents the last chance for the Arizona criminal justice system to correct this injustice by recommending that the governor commute Buske’s sentence to time served.

Furthermore, if this injustice is not to be repeated, the Arizona Legislature must amend the mandatory sentencing law that allowed it to happen.

Both acts will require political courage. I hope that justice will not be sacrificed for political expedience.

John Leonardo is a retired Pima County Superior Court judge and a former assistant United States Attorney and United States Attorney for the District of Arizona.