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SEATTLE (AP) — Coming off a berth in the national semifinals, the biggest question surrounding Washington is whether it will be able to replace four players taken in the first 43 picks of the NFL draft, three of them in the secondary. The biggest spotlight to begin the year will be how the situation plays out in the secondary where the Huskies are trying to replace cornerbacks Kevin King and Sidney Jones, and do-everything safety Budda Baker.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — USC running back Ronald Jones II gained 10 pounds in the offseason, including three on top of his head. Jones' signature dreadlocks are back this year as he hopes to demonstrate the same electric running he displayed as a freshman. He cut off the dreadlocks last year and struggled early before rallying to rush for more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah starting safety Chase Hansen is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. After Monday's practice, Coach Kyle Whittingham called the issue a "lingering thing" from before camp started last week. He hopes the 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior will be ready for the season opener against North Dakota on August 31. Utah does not typically detail injuries unless they are season-ending.
UNDATED (AP) — The Pac-12 and Mid-American Conference are taking steps to shorten football games this season. The average length of Football Bowl Subdivision games was a record 3 hours, 24 minutes in 2016. ESPN also will make a greater effort to get in and out of commercials on time and strictly adhere to 20-minute halftimes. One sociologist says sports leagues would be wise to address this issue because fans have so many other entertainment options.
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