HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- First-year Southern Mississippi coach Jay Hopson walks into a situation that many of his peers would envy.Theres the loaded roster that includes 13 returning starters and an experienced quarterback. Theres a fan base thats second to none in Conference USA and hungry for a return to prominence.But with that comes the expectations. And Hopson knows nothing less than a C-USA title will be accepted.On our Eagle Walk, they only put the champions up there, Hopson said. At the end of the day, the goal at Southern Miss is to win a championship -- thats our charge.Hopson takes over a program thats seen a remarkable variation of highs, lows and turnover since 2011. A quick history lesson:- Coach Larry Fedora and quarterback Austin Davis led Southern Miss to a 12-win season and Conference USA title in 2011. Fedora left for North Carolina in the offseason while Davis went to the NFL.- Coach Ellis Johnson took over the program and the Golden Eagles had one of the most remarkable collapses in college football history, falling to 0-12 in 2012.- Johnson was fired after one season and Todd Monken inherited a depleted program and lost its first 11 games in 2013. But he slowly rebuilt the roster and led Southern Miss to a 9-5 record in 2015, including a trip to the C-USA championship game before a loss to Western Kentucky. Monken left to become offensive coordinator for the NFLs Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.That brings the Golden Eagles to present day and the arrival of Hopson, who led Alcorn State to two straight SWAC championships in 2014 and 15.The pressure for Hopson will be intense. The Golden Eagles were especially effective on offense under Monken -- quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 4,476 yards, 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.Mullens says even with a new coach, he expects the same results.Every coach has to adjust to their personnel and they all have their little twist, Mullens said. So its a little different. But there are also a lot of similarities. So I think you can look forward to a balanced attack thats going to score a lot of points.Here are a few other things to know about Southern Miss this season:THOMPSONS TURNSouthern Miss top two receivers from last season -- Michael Thomas and Casey Martin -- are gone. That means Mullens likely top target will be D.J. Thompson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior who caught 55 passes for 779 yards and six touchdowns last season.HOPSONS DEFENSEWhile Monkens background was mostly on offense, Hopson has spent most of his career on the defensive side of the ball. The Golden Eagles return five of their top seven tacklers from last season, including safety DNerius Antoine, who had 103 tackles and two interceptions in 2015.KEY GAMESThe Golden Eagles have a couple big opportunities against Southeastern Conference opponents, including the Sept. 3 season-opener at Kentucky. Southern Miss also travels to face LSU on Oct. 15. In C-USA play, the Golden Eagles conference title hopes could come down to showdowns against Marshall on Oct. 29 and Louisiana Tech on Nov. 25. Both of those games are at home.PREDICTIONSouthern Miss has the talent to win the C-USAs Western Division for a second straight year. Its just a matter of if Hopsons system can gel with the new personnel in time.-----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP-----Online: AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.orgNike Vapormax Scontate Uomo ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. Vapormax Nere Senza Lacci . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. http://www.vapormaxscontateoutlet.it/vapormax-plus-scontate-outlet.html . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Air Vapormax Outlet . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. Vapormax Plus Scontate .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The NFL is investigating whether Buffalo Bills linebacker Manny Lawson has violated the leagues personal conduct policy, the team has announced.The Bills didnt provide any further details in releasing a one-sentence statement Thursday.The announcement comes after The Buffalo News reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources, that the league is investigating Lawson.Lawson on Wednesday said he was shocked by the report and isnt aware of what he might have donee wrong.ddddddddddddThe Bills resume practice Thursday night.Lawson is an 11-year veteran who is projected to start in place of injured linebacker Shaq Lawson.Buffalo defensive tackle Marcell Dareus and backup running back Karlos Williams have both been suspended by the NFL for the first four games for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. ' ' '