Hurricane Irma changes schedules
Hurricane Irma’s looming arrival is already preventing the Miami Dolphins and Florida International from hosting their respective home openers this weekend, with more changes almost certain to happen in the coming days.
The Dolphins were scheduled to host Tampa Bay on Sunday; FIU was to host Alcorn State on Saturday night. Officials decided Tuesday that neither game will be played in South Florida, though they may be played elsewhere this weekend.
And it wasn’t just the Miami area keeping a close eye on Irma. All over Florida, teams were bracing for what might happen.
Central Florida’s Saturday game against Memphis was moved to Friday, and No. 10 Florida State was reviewing options regarding its Saturday night game against Louisiana-Monroe, with moving kickoff earlier in the day possible.
The Miami Marlins won’t have any home games affected by Irma; the team leaves for a road trip Wednesday night. Families of Marlins players have been invited on the trip, so they wouldn’t have to ride out what could be a devastating storm at home.
Irma’s winds were 185 mph Tuesday, a strong Category 5 storm, and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said it could strengthen more as it neared the eastern-most Caribbean islands. College football: Florida State slipped to the No. 10 spot in the Associated Press poll after falling to Alabama and losing quarterback Deondre Francois to a season-ending injury.
The Crimson Tide are No. 1 again, securing 60 of 61 firstplace votes in the first Top 25 of the regular season. Ohio State remained No. 2 in the media poll and received the other first-place vote. Defending champion Clemson moved up to No. 3. Penn State is No. 4 and Oklahoma moved up to No. 5, meaning for the second straight week, there will be a top-five matchup. The Sooners play at Ohio State on Saturday.
Florida State was No. 3 in the preseason poll and lost an opening matchup with Alabama, 24-7. Francois went down with a knee injury.
USC slipped two spots to No. 6 after playing a tighter-than-expected game against Western Michigan. Washington is No. 7 and Michigan moved up 11 spots to No. 8 after it beat Florida. The Gators dropped five spots to No. 22. No. 9 Wisconsin and Florida State round out the top 10. Stanford remained No. 14. College basketball: Notre Dame senior center Brianna Turner, who suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the NCAA Tournament in March, will miss the season to continue rehabilitation.