Unexpected bye weeks
Hurricane Florence has forced the cancellation of several Top 25 games this weekend, including No. 13 Virginia Tech’s home game against East Carolina and No. 14 West Virginia’s trip to North Carolina State.
Hurricane Florence has forced the cancellation of several Top 25 games this weekend, including No. 13 Virginia Tech's home game against East Carolina, No. 14 West Virginia's trip to North Carolina State and No. 18 UCF's game at North Carolina.
The Category 4 storm's approach led to a series of schedule adjustments Tuesday for teams in the Carolinas and Virginia.
The University of Virginia's scheduled home game Saturday against Ohio was relocated to Nashville, Tennessee and the start time for Wake Forest's Atlantic Coast Conference home game Thursday against Boston College was moved up.
The decisions were made as Florence appears set to come ashore along the Carolinas' coastline late Thursday or early Friday with strong winds and heavy rain.
Several of the schools appeared to be publicly in agreement on the need for schedule changes due to Florence, though East Carolina's decision not to travel to Blacksburg nixed Saturday's game.
ECU — which has already called off the rest of the week's classes — cited "significant imminent safety concerns" that included "the high probability of a catastrophic impact on the region and perilous travel conditions before, during and after the storm."
Wisconsin receiver ordered to trial
A judge ordered Wisconsin receiver Quintez Cephus to stand trial Tuesday on charges that he sexually assaulted two drunken women this spring, rejecting a motion from his attorneys to dismiss one of the counts alleging that the women weren't as impaired as investigators say.
Prosecutors charged Cephus in August with second- and third-degree sexual assault, both of which are felonies.
The second-degree charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
According to a criminal complaint, Cephus sexually assaulted two drunken women at once in the bedroom of his apartment in April.
Cepus, a 6-foot-1 junior from Macon, Georgia, has said the sex was consensual and denied any wrongdoing. He attended the hearing but did not testify. Afterward, he told reporters he was innocent and doing "great."
Cephus was suspended indefinitely from the Badgers and did not play in either of the team's first two games.
According to the criminal complaint,
Cephus amassed 501 yards receiving last season and led the Badgers with six touchdown catches despite breaking his right leg last November.
Georgia Tech running back out for season
Georgia Tech's top running back is out for the season.
Coach Paul Johnson announced Tuesday that KirVonte Benson will undergo surgery next week for a knee injury, depriving the Yellow Jackets of a player who rushed for 1,053 yards last season.
Benson was injured in Saturday's 49-38 loss at South Florida, an especially bitter defeat after the Yellow Jackets gave up two kickoff returns for touchdowns, had two defensive stalwarts ejected and squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Love to miss UC Davis game
All-America running back Bryce Love will miss No. 9 Stanford's game against UC Davis on Saturday with an injury.
Cardinal coach David Shaw would not disclose specifics about Love's injury.
Love was the Heisman Trophy runner-up last season after running for 2,118 yards.
He had 126 yards on 22 carries last week in a victory against Southern California after being held to 29 yards by San Diego State in the opener.
Stanford plays at No. 20 Oregon on Sept. 22.