SEATTLE -- When Chris Petersen decided to come to Washington, there was no set timetable on returning the Huskies to prominence.Headed into his third season, the Huskies seem poised -- between talent and a favorable schedule -- for a return to the top of the Pac-12 Conference and perhaps the national stage.We expect to win every game we play. And so the outside noise that might have changed their expectations, that doesnt change anything, Petersen said.Washington goes into the 2016 season with expectations not seen on Montlake in more than a decade.Gone is the patience of waiting for Washingtons potential. This is the year the Huskies should graduate from hovering around .500 and being stuck in the middle of the Pac-12 discussion.With a defense that could be among the better ones in the Pac-12 and a sophomore backfield combo of quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin, Washington at least has the pieces in place to potentially find itself in the national conversation.Petersen will be the last person to buy into the hype.If we can slow this thing down and pay attention to building skill and getting better and getting our competitive spirit where it needs to be, then I think well feel good about things, Petersen said. But thats where we are. Were in good shape. They trained hard. But we still have a lot of work to do.MONTLAKE JAKE: Browning is thrilled he doesnt have to hear any more about being a true freshman playing quarterback in the Pac-12.Im glad the whole true freshman thing is over. I dont have to hear true freshman this, true freshman that, Browning said. Now its like, just go win.No longer having that label means greater expectations for Browning to build on a solid freshman season. Browning threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns last season, but improving on those numbers will rely heavily on the development of wide receivers slim on experience and another huge season from running back Myles Gaskin. Browning should be helped by the return of speedy wide receiver John Ross, who missed all of last season due to a knee injury.For a true freshman quarterback to come in and play in our league is really hard and to see him do so well, I was very excited about this year, Ross said.SECONDARY TO NONE: There may not be a deeper secondary in the country than Washingtons, led by safety Budda Baker, and cornerbacks Darren Gardenhire and Sidney Jones. Theyre athletic, physical and have a knack for the ball.How successful that secondary is in the pass game may be predicated on whether Washington is able to find pass rushers to replace Travis Feeney and Cory Littleton and get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It does help that the Huskies return middle linebacker Azeem Victor, who led the team with 95 tackles last season.SEASON OPENER: Welcome to having expectations. Petersen became comfortable with always being in the national conversation when Boise State was on its rise to prominence. But its been 16 years since Washington went into a season where it was receiving this much notoriety before ever playing a down. The only real test before the start of Pac-12 play comes in the Sept. 3 opener against Rutgers.KEY GAMES: All the focus will be on an eight-day stretch in late September and early October that will determine the arc of Washingtons season. The Huskies host Stanford on Sept. 30 then travel to rival Oregon on Oct. 8 having not beaten the Ducks in their previous 12 meetings.The end of Washingtons season isnt easy either with USC and Arizona State at home, before facing rival Washington State in the Apple Cup. The Huskies have lost 10 straight to the Sun Devils.PREDICTION: Washington may be a year away. Of their projected starters, there are only four or five seniors depending on training camp competitions. But the schedule is favorable and if the Huskies can shake their 12-year losing streak to Oregon, this could be a special season. Ten wins and a return to the national conversation seems possible. Kyle Clifford Jersey . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. 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NEW YORK -- Max Scherzer celebrated aboard a boat off the British Virgin Islands, doused by college pals on a floating party.Rick Porcello enjoyed the moment at his parents home in New Jersey, surrounded by family, friends and a few bottles of wine.As for Justin Verlander, well, fuming supermodel Kate Upton brought the heat for her fiance.Rotation mates for five seasons in Detroit, the three right-handers topped the Cy Young Award talk Wednesday: Scherzer easily won the NL prize, Porcello edged out Verlander for the AL honor.Thats just the weird thing about these, said Scherzer, who ruled the majors with 284 strikeouts and topped the NL with 20 wins for Washington. Its the voting.Porcello led baseball with 22 wins for Boston, and had a 3.15 ERA.Porcello won despite getting just eight of the 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America -- this was the first time the AL Cy winner didnt get the most firsts.Verlander went 16-9 with a 2.40 ERA while leading the AL in strikeouts and other categories. He got 14 first-place votes, but didnt draw as much support across the board -- he was left off two ballots, too.Overall, Porcello won 137-132 in the second-closest vote since 1970 (Verlander lost by four points to David Price in 2012).Voters list their five picks in order. A first-place vote is worth seven points, four for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. Verlander needed to pick up five more points to match Porcello.Upton fired off three tweets, one of them rather saucy, telling Porcello you didnt win.Asked whether he was bothered by the brouhaha, Porcello simply said, No, I honestly dont care.Im not the one who made the decision, he said on a conference call.Porcello got a $100,000 bonus for winning the Cy. Verlander, who won the 2011 award, wouldve gotten $500,000 for this win.Porcello bouunced back from going 9-15 in his first season with the Red Sox, finishing 22-4 for the AL East champs.ddddddddddddHe shared this last win of 2016 with those who never wavered in their support, admitting, It was hard not to start bawling and crying.Clevelands Corey Kluber was third and got three first-place votes. Baltimore reliever Zach Britton, who went 47 for 47 on save chances with a 0.54 ERA, had five first-place votes and was fourth.Scherzer breezed, drawing 25 first-place votes to beat out Chicago Cubs teammates Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks.Scherzer became the sixth pitcher to earn the Cy Young in both leagues. After earning the AL honor in 2013 with the Tigers, Scherzer joined Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Gaylord Perry and Roy Halladay as winners in both leagues.This award, Scherzer said, meant even more than the first one.It just verifies everything I try to achieve, he said.Scherzer posted a record-tying 20-strikeout performance for the NL East champion Nationals, a year after he threw two no-hitters in his first season with Washington.I want to find a way to be better, he said.Scherzer is the first pitcher from a Washington franchise to win a Cy Young. The award was first presented in 1956.Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw got three first-place votes and finished fifth. Jose Fernandez, the Miami star killed in a boating accident in September, was seventh.The final major postseason awards will be presented Thursday when the MVP honors are announced.Cubs slugger Kris Bryant, Washingtons Daniel Murphy and newly presented Rookie of the Year Corey Seager of the Dodgers are up for the NL award. Mike Trout of the Angels, Mookie Betts of the Red Sox and Jose Altuve of the Astros are the AL contestants. ' ' '