because of a knee injury. Conner had 69 tackles,

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Eight years ago, Washington walked off the field at Martin Stadium engulfed in a sea of crimson, its football program at the lowest point in its history.When they left that same field on Friday night, the Huskies were passing the Apple Cup trophy like a baton -- from teammate to teammate -- hoping its the first of a few trophies to be celebrated this year.Next up, perhaps a Pac-12 championship trophy. And after that, who knows what kind of hardware will be at stake for No. 6 Washington.I think the really good teams, the special teams can finish, Washington coach Chris Petersen said. The hard part about that is youre playing better teams here as we finish. And so the next team well play will be a really good and elite team. So its hard to finish, and then the one after that will be a really good team. Well figure all this out after were done playing, because we just feel like weve got some good football left.Washingtons dominant 45-17 win over No. 23 Washington State on Friday was complete affirmation of what Petersen has accomplished in three seasons in charge of the Huskies. More than just the Apple Cup and bragging rights within the state were at stake. A loss to the Cougars would have left Washington (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) out of the Pac-12 title game and out of the College Football Playoff.It was a game of enormous magnitude. And its importance was seemingly met with a collective shrug by the Huskies, who rolled to a 28-3 lead in just 14 minutes, 37 seconds, and simply overwhelmed Washington State.It all comes back to the details that coach (Petersen) preaches. Just comes back to practice and how we study our opponents, all of that, Washington left tackle Trey Adams said.Washingtons first reward is a spot in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday against either Colorado or Southern California. Matchup wise, Colorado is probably the preferred opponent. From a revenge standpoint, the Huskies wouldnt mind another shot at USC, who beat Washington 26-13 in Seattle earlier this month.Its the reward waiting after next Friday that looms as being the ultimate statement of how far the Huskies have climbed since that 0-12 season in 2008. That lost season was punctuated by a loss to a Washington State team that finished 2-10.A win next Friday should put the Huskies into the CFP final four and a shot at the schools first national title since the Huskies were co-champs with Miami in 1991.I really dont care. Whoever we play, it will be awesome. Itll be a great game and great experience, Washington WR John Ross said.The loss to USC appeared to expose flaws hidden by Washingtons soft schedule through the first three quarters of the season. The pass rush disappeared. Quarterback Jake Browning was flustered and made careless mistakes. The 13 points Washington scored against the Trojans were the fewest in 21 games.This is why the last two games -- a blowout of Arizona State and the romp over Washington State -- eased those concerns and made the slog against USC appear as the outlier.Browning rediscovered the form that had him in the Heisman Trophy conversation earlier this season. He was 13 of 17 for 202 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone Friday, and finished 21 of 29 for 292 yards. He has 40 TD passes for the season, joining Jared Goff and Marcus Mariota as the only Pac-12 QBs with 40 or more TD passes in a season.Equally important is a defense that stymied Arizona State, then held Washington State to its lowest output of points and yards since last years Apple Cup when quarterback Luke Falk was injured and didnt play. Washington made a trio of goal line stands and held the Cougars to a season-low 334 yards.It means a lot, but at the end of the day its about us. We didnt listen to the outside noise. We didnt let it leak into our locker room, Washington running back Lavon Coleman said. We were focused on getting ready to play a championship game with championship effort and take care of our business.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. Dylan Larkin Red Wings Jersey . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Michael Rasmussen Jersey .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/ted-lindsay-jersey/ . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Danny DeKeyser Jersey . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Jonathan Bernier Red Wings Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. OXFORD, Miss. -- A big chunk of Mississippi stars power from last season is gone, off to the NFL after helping push the program into the upper tier of the Southeastern Conference.But the Rebels who remain are pretty good, too.And thats exactly the reason Ole Miss feels it can be even better than last season, when the team won 10 games and took home the Sugar Bowl trophy for the first time since 1970.But players and coaches say there is plenty more to prove for a program that hasnt won a Southeastern Conference title since 1963.We could talk a long time on that one, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. I assure you theres motivation.The Rebels do have one legitimate star still on the roster. Senior quarterback Chad Kelly is viewed as a long-shot Heisman Trophy candidate after throwing for more than 4,000 yards and running for 500 more in his first season as the teams starter.But Ole Miss must replace standouts like offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who were all selected in the first round of the NFL draft in April.Freeze is confident in the internal replacements.Freshman left tackle Greg Little was one of the nations top recruits last season -- though he may not start right away. Receivers Damoreea Stringfellow and Quincy Adeboyejo, along with tight end Evan Engram, are back after being important parts of last years passing game. And veteran defensive linemen like Fadol Brown, Marquis Haynes and D.J. Jones -- along with the arrival of touted freshman Benito Jones -- could make the Rebels even deeper at that spot this season.Ole Miss needs to be ready right away. The Rebels have a brutal September schedule that starts with a neutral site game against Florida State on Sept. 5 in Orlando. There are also back-to-back home games against Alabama and Georgia later in the month.Ive never been on a staff that faced a September quite like what were facing, Freeze said. Its not hard to motivate our kids. They understand whats in front of them, so thats a positive.Here are a few things to watch for the Rebels this season:KEEP MOVING UP: Freeze is in his fifth season has improved the program by one win each season. The Rebels had aa 7-6 record in 2012 before eight wins in 13, nine wins in 14 and finally 10 last season.dddddddddddd Considering the Rebels difficult schedule, 11 wins in 2016 would be quite a feat.PATTERSON IN WAITING: Kelly will run the show at quarterback this season, but the Rebels hope his eventual replacement will be just as good. Freshman Shea Patterson was one of the nations top quarterback recruits and both Freeze and Kelly have raved about his quick release and ability to learn the playbook.NCAA DISTRACTION: Ole Miss might be good on the field, but a four-year NCAA investigation into the athletic program, including football, continues to fester. Freeze and the players say the investigation wont be a distraction but its certainly something to watch if big news happens in the case during mid-season.CONNERS BACK: The Ole Miss defense is welcoming the return of senior safety Tony Conner, who missed a big chunk of last season because of a knee injury. Conner had 69 tackles, which ranked second on the team, as a sophomore in 2014.TRYING FOR BALANCE: Ole Miss was one of the nations elite passing teams last season, but sometimes struggled to run the ball. The Rebels hope a combo of veterans like Jordan Wilkins and Akeem Judd can help the team improve after averaging 183 yards on the ground last season, which ranked 7th in the SEC.KEY GAMES: If Ole Miss can get past its difficult September schedule, there are still a lot of tough games, including back-to-back road trips to Arkansas and LSU in October. And, of course, theres always the Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi State on Nov. 26.PREDICTION: Ole Miss is good, but the schedule is nasty and its hard to see a scenario where the Rebels are able to roll through September unscathed. Look for Ole Miss to win a few big games and lose a few, too, putting them in the middle of the pack in the SECs Western Division.SEASON OPENER: A neutral site game against Florida State in Orlando on Sept. 5.-----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP-----AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '