A prized recruit wooed from California by head coach Steve Sarkisian, Chris Polk rushed for more than 1,400 yards and scored nine touchdowns last year as a sophomore, and deserves a sizable share of the credit for helping the Washington Huskies morph from the worst team in college football-they won zero games just three seasons ago-to a competitor for the Pac-12 title. Polk racked up 284 yards rushing-the second-most ever in a single game by a Husky tailback-in the all-important Apple Cup, and bowled over countless Cornhuskers in the Huskies’19-7 Holiday Bowl victory over Nebraska. Rather than bolt for the NFL draft, Polk chose to stick around for his junior year, where he’ll start the season on the short list of contenders for the Heisman Trophy. KEEGAN HAMILTON