UNDATED (AP) — No. 16 Louisville hosts Wake Forest on Saturday to headline the Week 4 slate for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cardinals are coming off a win against a ranked SMU team in a matchup of the top contenders to preseason ACC favorite Miami. Wake Forest lost at home to Miami on Friday night. The slate includes Clemson and Georgia Tech making their first cross-country trips for league games since the ACC's expansion for a coast-to-coast footprint ahead of the 2024 season. The schedule includes another chance for national rushing leader Nate Sheppard at Duke to add to his gaudy stats.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State’s former director of sports medicine faces felony and misdemeanor criminal charges after being accused of sexually abusing former Wolfpack male athletes under the guise of treatment. Authorities in Florida arrested Robert M. Murphy Jr. on Wednesday night. He was being held on out-of-state fugitive warrants from North Carolina. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman says a grand jury indicted Murphy on nine felony counts of sexual contact under pretext of medical treatment and 23 counts of sexual battery. More than 30 athletes have accused Murphy of misconduct in civil lawsuits dating to 2022.
UNDATED (AP) — Week 4 of the college football season is rife with games between Associated Press Top 25 teams that could be ready to reveal their true selves. No matchup fits the theme more than No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 Southern California given the Ducks’ shocking loss at Oklahoma State and the Trojans’ defensive issues. Can No. 4 Mississippi validate its win over LSU with another one as an underdog at No. 21 Florida? Is No. 17 Iowa’s offensive improvement fool’s gold or will it get shut down at No. 18 Michigan? Will No. 13 Penn State keep rolling against Wisconsin? AP makes its picks.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Central Michigan coach Matt Drinkall is determined to pull off an upset against No. 6 Miami this weekend. Drinkall praised the Hurricanes as a professional organization. Miami is unbeaten but dealing with injuries to key players like wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. Central Michigan sees this as a chance to play without pressure. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah has been impressive with 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in three games. Central Michigan has a tough history against ranked teams with only two wins in 22 attempts.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State quarterback CJ Bailey says he's “waking up on the right side of the bed every morning, feeling good” while moving past a last-second fumble in a loss to Vanderbilt. Bailey's fumble was recovered in the end zone to give the Commodores a shocking win as the Wolfpack appeared on the verge of closing the game out. Bailey said Wednesday he was holding the ball trying to burn the clock. The third-year starter says the team has showed him support to help him move forward for Saturday's visit from Appalachian State.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlantic Coast Conference teams have opened the season by losing their first five games against Southeastern Conference teams. The slow start has included some late comeback wins for SEC teams but still has left the ACC with a 6-9 mark so far in nonconference games against Power Four teams. It also has played a role in the ACC having only three teams in this week's AP Top 25 poll. It's a disappointing start after the ACC finished last season with an 8-6 record against the SEC, including Miami's College Football Playoff wins over Texas A&M and Mississippi.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Linebacker and safety Antonio Watts will miss the rest of the season for the 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals with an injured knee. Louisville announced the injury update Thursday night with a short statement. Watts played in each of the first three games for the 2-1 Cardinals and had seven tackles and a pass defensed. He led Louisville with three interceptions last season. This was his fifth season all with the Cardinals. Louisville hosts Wake Forest on Saturday.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Chris Spatola, a college basketball analyst and son-in-law of retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, has died. He was 47. The Krzyzewski family announced Spatola’s death in a statement released by the school Tuesday night. No cause of death was announced. The family called his death an “unimaginable loss.” Spatola played at Army and served in Iraq. He had worked on Krzyzewski's Duke staff from 2007-12. He later shifted into broadcasting, notably with ESPN and SiriusXM.
