Michigan State fans received some good news on Tuesday.

Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio told reporters at his weekly press conference that the injury that caused left tackle Jack Conklin to leave Saturday’s win over Central Michigan is not season-ending.

According to Mlive.com, Conklin suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter while blocking on an extra point attempt. Dantonio is not one to talk about injuries, but MSU does announce when injuries are of the season-ending variety (see: Ed Davis and Vayante Copeland).

Additionally, Dantonio offered no timetable on a potential return for Conklin, one of the Big Ten’s top offensive linemen.

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“We’ll see what happens by Friday or Saturday. Usually we’ll make those announcements prior to the game,” Dantonio said.

No. 2 Michigan State (4-0) opens its Big Ten schedule on Saturday against Purdue at home. 

Elsewhere in injury news, Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said Monday that standout corner Kendall Fuller to return to the lineup in the Hokies’ ACC opener against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

“I would think it would be very doubtful that he’s back,” Beamer said per the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Fuller, a junior, was expected to play over the weekend against East Carolina, but had issues with his lingering knee injury during pregame warm-ups and did not play. Beamer said Fuller has been dealing with the knee injury, which the team has called a “spain,” since preseason practice. The ECU game is the first game Fuller missed this season.

With Fuller out, sophomore Greg Stroman started for the Hokies, who fell to 2-2 in the team’s 35-28 loss to the Pirates.

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Georgia wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie is being investigated for accusations that he made "terroristic threats or acts" Monday evening.

According to The Red & Black, McKenzie was at an Athens, Georgia, Chili's Monday evening and threatened a female. The complaint was received at approximately 10:40 p.m.

According to the incident report, Maya Labat said McKenzie “said he was going to call some friends and they were going to come out and he was going to kill her.”

No one has been charged in the incident, which is still under investigation according to ACCPD. 

The report lists as witnesses safety Dominick Sanders, wide receiver Terry Godwin, linebacker D’Andre Walker and safety Jarvis Wilson.

Georgia said coach Mark Richt would comment if or when necessary about the incident. The report does not detail McKenzie's relationship with the woman who made the complaint.

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McKenzie has five catches for 89 yards in 2015. Four of the catches game in the Bulldogs' 48-6 win over Southern on Saturday. McKenzie also has a punt return for a touchdown. He took a punt back 77 yards for a score against Vanderbilt.

A sophomore, McKenzie was a four-star recruit in the class of 2014 and the No. 35 wide receiver in the country according to Rivals. Georgia plays Alabama on Saturday.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.

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Missouri starting quarterback Maty Mauk has been suspended for Saturday’s game against South Carolina for disciplinary reasons, according to a release from the school.

Offensive tackle Malik Cuellar, a junior college transfer, also is suspended.

The release did not elaborate on the reason for the suspension and said both players’ statuses would be evaluated going forward.

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According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the suspension is not related to a legal matter.

Mauk started the Tigers' first four games of the season, completing just 51.8 percent of his passes for 654 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. Mauk also rushed for 145 yards and a score.

Cuellar played in the season opener against Southeast Missouri, but hasn’t played since.

With Mauk out, freshman Drew Lock, who has appeared in all four games, likely will get the first start of his career. Lock has completed 15 of 25 passes for 225 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

For more Missouri news, visit PowerMizzou.com.

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UPDATE: North Carolina State said Wednesday that Thornton had been dismissed from the program.

“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, but we’ve made the decision to dismiss Shadrach from our program,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said in a statement. “We will continue to support him academically and help him earn his degree.”

North Carolina State senior running back Shadrach Thornton was charged Tuesday night in a scooter accident.

Thornton, who was driving the scooter, allegedly hit a pedestrian. The pedestrian was not seriously injured. Thornton was then arrested and charged in the incident.

From WRAL.com:

Police found Thornton, 22, in his apartment at the College Inn Residence Hall nearby. They charged him with failure to stop and render aid and failure to provide information. Court records show Thornton paid a $500 bond and was back at home just after midnight.

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Thornton missed the first two games of the 2015 season because of a team-issued suspension. The suspension was related to a violation of athletic department policy. He also missed a game in 2013 after a misdemeanor assault charge involving the woman he was dating at the time.

Thornton has excelled in the two games he's played in 2015. He has 30 carries for 203 yards and had 12 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns against South Alabama on Saturday. He's had over 600 yards in each of his first three seasons at N.C. State and led the team with 907 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014.

For more N.C. State news, visit The Wolfpacker.com.

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Drown your sorrows for free, UCF fans.

Well, you better do it quickly. If your team wins a game, the drowning of the sorrows will come with a price tag. So enjoy the free beer while you can.

The Basement, a bar in Orlando, is offering free beer during UCF games until the Knights get into the win column. UCF is 0-4 so far and has lost to Florida International, Stanford, Furman and South Carolina. Two of those wins seem understandable. The other two are a bit questionable.

So you can understand why UCF fans would be a bit depressed. The school beat Baylor in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. And now it's got a loss to an FCS school.

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According to ESPN, the free beer will be your typical American mass-market beers and the special will go from kickoff until the end of the game.

"We have taken great pride in the team and we very much consider ourselves a UCF bar, as we're operated and staffed by graduates and even some current students," marketing director Jake Whitacre told ESPN. He also told the site the bar was a third full for the South Carolina game. UCF took an early lead against the Gamecocks before loss No. 4.

UCF plays Tulane on Saturday in its first American Athletic Conference game of the season. Bo Schneider is expected to start at quarterback following a hand injury that Justin Holman suffered in the Stanford game. Running back William Stanback, an all-AAC selection in 2014, was dismissed a week ago for a violation of team rules.

For more UCF news, visit UCFSports.com.

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Cincinnati quarterback Gunner Kiel will miss Thursday’s game against Miami.

Coach Tommy Tuberville announced on his radio show Tuesday that Kiel had not been cleared by doctors after suffering a neck injury on a scary hit against Memphis last Thursday. Kiel was motionless on the turf for several minutes before he was placed on a stretcher and carted to the locker room. He was able to speak and did have movement in his extremities before being transported to the hospital for further evaluation.

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Kiel did not practice Monday or Tuesday and Tuberville had been doubtful that he would be able to play this week.

Redshirt freshman Hayden Moore will start against Miami. Moore threw for a school-record 557 yards in the 53–46 loss after replacing Kiel late in the first quarter. He did, however, throw the game-ending interception as the Bearcats were attempting to tie the game late.

For more Cincinnati news, visit BearcatReport.com.

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A panel of appeals judges agreed with a ruling that the NCAA is not above federal anti-trust laws. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel also ruled against the deferred compensation plan proposed by judge Claudia Wilken in her August 2014 ruling in the O'Bannon case.

The three-judge panel's ruling came down Wednesday. The O'Bannon case, centers around the NCAA's use of its athletes' images and likeness and the compensation the athletes feel they are entitled to receive for that use. NCAA athletes currently do not receive any compensation for their images.

As part of Wilken's ruling last year, she said that schools should set aside no fewer than $5,000 per year per player for the use of the players' likenesses. She also said preventing players from profiting off their images was a violation of anti-trust laws.

From the New York Times:

“The N.C.A.A. is not above the antitrust laws, and courts cannot and must not shy away from requiring the N.C.A.A. to play by the Sherman Act’s rules,” the three-person panel wrote in what is known as the O’Bannon case.

In July, the panel issued a stay on the judge’s order, which was set to go into effect Aug. 1. Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas filed a separate opinion concurring in upholding the finding that N.C.A.A. rules are subject to antitrust law but dissenting from the finding that struck down the $5,000 cap.

The NCAA had immediately appealed Wilken's decision last August. After the appeals decision Wednesday, the sanctioning body issued this statement.

The governing body has given conferences the freedom to institute cost-of-attendance stipends along with the athletic scholarships currently given out. But the $5,000 per-year proposal that Wilken included would be in addition to any COA money given to players. The money would have been payable upon the completion of an athlete's collegiate career.

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The stipends have also been pitched as additional assistance rather than payments to players because they are calculated via a formula and uniform for each player at a school. The judges' opinion drew a line between those stipends and any possible image payments. Former college football players have said before that they were hard up for food money in their college careers. The NCAA also passed a rule allowing unlimited meals for players.

From CBS Sports:

The opinion, written by Judge Jay Bybee, offered support as well to the NCAA's amateurism principles. “The difference between offering student-athletes education-related compensation and offering them cash sums untethered to educational expenses is not minor; it is a quantum leap,” the opinion stated. “Once that line is crossed, we see no basis for returning to a rule of amateurism and no defined stopping point. … At that point the NCAA will have surrendered its amateurism principles entirely and transitioned from its 'particular brand of football' to minor league status.”

The NCAA's appeal centered around a 30+ year-old Supreme Court ruling. A line from the opinion in the NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma, says to "preserve the character and the quality of the 'product,' athletes must not be paid."

The legal wranglings in the case are likely not over. Depending on their reactions to the 78-page document issued Wednesday, either party could continue the legal process and NCAA chairman Mark Emmert told CBS that the case could head all the way to the Supreme Court.

A separate lawsuit against the NCAA that seeks a free-market payment system for college athletes is asking for class-action status. A hearing with Wilken is set for Thursday.

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It has been a rough year for star college football defensive players and meniscus injuries.

Virginia Tech announced Wednesday that cornerback Kendall Fuller was done for the season because of a right knee injury. Fuller had surgery to fix a meniscus injury on Tuesday. He missed Saturday's game against East Carolina.

"We felt like it was a possibility he could play and be ok, but it didn't turn out that way," Beamer said on the ACC teleconference Wednesday via HokieHaven.com. "We certainly do what's best for him and his future."

Fuller suffered the injury before the season even started. He played in the first three games of the season but sat out Saturday's game in rainy conditions at East Carolina. Virginia Tech had previously classified Fuller as doubtful for the team's Week 5 game against Pitt.

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Fuller was an All-American selection in 2014 as a sophomore. Before the knee injury he was considered a top NFL draft prospect if he chose to declare after the 2015 season. Because it's a meniscus injury and not an ACL injury, his draft stock shouldn't slide too much if he does decide to end his collegiate career.

"I'm not gonna talk about things we don't know right now," Beamer said about Fuller possibly still leaving for the NFL Draft. "We'll talk about that and make an announcement when we do know."

Arizona All-American linebacker Scooby Wright tore a meniscus in Arizona's first game of the season. Wright returned Saturday against UCLA but suffered a foot sprain against the Bruins. According to coach Rich Rodriguez, Wright is out several weeks.

UCLA LB Myles Jack is also out for the season with a meniscus tear. Jack suffered the injury against BYU in Week 3 and had surgery.

Fuller had 54 total tackles and two interceptions in 2014. He had seven tackles so far in 2015.

For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com.

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Georgia running back Nick Chubb is one game away from matching Herschel Walker’s school record of 13 straight games of 100 or more yards and nothing would be sweeter for Chubb than notching the record against a team that hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher all season — Alabama.

The Crimson Tide is allowing just 56.8 yards rushing per game. Not only have they not allowed a 100-yard rusher, they also haven’t allowed a team to have 100 yards on the ground. The closest effort was 92 by Ole Miss. In that game Rebels’ running back Jordan Wilkins led all Ole Miss rushers with 39 yards on seven carries. That’s the highest individual total the Tide has allowed.

But that won’t deter Chubb, who hasn’t rushed for fewer than 113 yards (Charleston Southern, Nov. 13, 2014) during his 12-game 100-yard rushing streak. This season, he hasn’t rushed for fewer than 120 yards and that came in the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

But he knows Saturday's game against the Tide will be his toughest challenge of the year.

“I’m more motivated to get 100 yards not because I could break the record but just because they haven’t allowed anyone to get 100 yards on them this season,” Chubb said of Alabama. “I know my [offensive] line is also very excited about it. They’re probably more excited about breaking the record, just being a part of this, what we’ve got going on.

“I just think it will be very interesting. We’ll see what happens.”

While Alabama has been fantastic against the run, it’s been susceptible against the pass, which should provide an opportunity for quarterback Greyson Lambert, who is completing 76.5 percent of his passes for 733 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The Tide is allowing 210 passing yards per game and Ole Miss threw for 341 in its win against the Tide.

However, Georgia says it’s not going to get away from its balanced attack, which has led to its undefeated start. And that means Chubb is going have to find his way through what has otherwise been a stingy defensive line.

“It’s going to be hard,” Chubb said, “but I think we can do it.”

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.

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A strange debate started brewing this week about LSU running back Leonard Fournette and whether he should sit out the 2016 season.

Yes, you read that right.

The theory being that if Fournette’s 2015 season continues at the pace it’s been on — he has 631 yards and eight touchdowns in three games — that he shouldn’t risk injury by playing in 2016 and instead use the time to prepare for the 2017 NFL Draft.

Here are some pearls of “wisdom” from Mike Florio of College Football Talk:

Fournette is ready to play in the NFL, but he can’t play in the NFL until 2017. Unless the rule changes before April (it won’t), Fournette can’t get in to the NFL before 2017. So if he’s ready to play in the NFL and if he has maxed out his draft value, why should he continue to assume the risk of injury while playing for compensation that doesn’t come close to matching Fournette’s value?

There’s no doubt Fournette is a rare and special talent, but he’s also a guy who values playing for LSU.

There’s always a risk of getting injured. It’s happened to some great running backs in the SEC in recent years. But coach Nick Saban, who weighed in on the Fournette debate, doesn’t think skipping a year is a way to keep a player preserved for the draft. He cited former Alabama receiver Julio Jones, who played three years with the Crimson Tide and is now the most productive receiver in the NFL.

“It certainly is my opinion [that players should stay for a third year]. I think players develop while they’re here,” Saban said. “I think you only get better by playing. And the notion that, “I guess you shouldn’t play because you might get injured” — I don’t look at football as a dangerous game. You can get injured playing any game, so that means you can never play. You can actually get injured when you go on to the NFL. So, I think guys that are worried about their own things rather than focusing on being a teammate for their team, playing the best that they can play… I think those things always create more value for every individual player.”

Great Georgia running back Herschel Walker shared similar thoughts with TMZ when he acknowledged, “[Fournette] was better than I was.” But then noted, “It's a bad idea to talk about leaving early, just wait and your time will come."

This obviously isn’t the first time talk about a player missing a season to stay healthy for a draft that’s two years away has surfaced. Some thought Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott should have sat out this season after his dynamic second half and playoff run a year ago. His numbers have not been as good as they were last season, but he also has a chance to win another national title.

So far, no player has intentionally missed a season to preserve their body and I agree with Saban that doing something like that would speak ill of a player’s character and the type of teammate he might be in an NFL franchise.

Not every player who plays college football is in it for the (future) money. Sometimes guys just like the camaraderie that comes with being a teammate, especially if the team is successful. To oversimplify that and say every talented player should be out for a money grab is shorting who the player is as a person.

For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.

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Oregon receiver Byron Marshall is “likely” lost for the season after undergoing surgery on Tuesday, according to Aaron Fentress of Comcast Sportsnet Northwest.

Fentress said his sources did not know the procedure Marshall underwent, but Marshall did suffer a lower leg injury during last Saturday's 62-20 loss to Utah. Marshall ultimately had to be carted off the field.

Marshall was not listed on the Ducks’ depth chart for their upcoming game against Colorado on Saturday.

Fentress said, according to his sources, the length of time Marshall could miss varied, but at the very least, Marshall wouldn’t be back on the field anytime soon.

Oregon usually does not discuss injuries, however players usually remain on the depth chart unless the injury is season-ending.

Marshall, a senior, has been more effective for the Ducks this season as a kick returner than a receiver. He is averaging 27.5 yards per return, which leads the Pac-12. He also has nine catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns for the 2-2 Ducks.

Last season, Marshall had 74 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns.

This injury is just another smack in the face for a program that suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Utes and fell out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2009.

For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.

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Athens-Clarke County police will not file charges against sophomore receiver Isaiah McKenzie after he was accused of making "terroristic threats" at an Athens, Ga., Chili's Restaurant on Monday evening.

According to the incident report, McKenzie threatened that he "was going to call some friends and they were going to come out and he was going to kill” a female patron. He was not charged with a crime at the time of the incident.

Police said the alleged victim declined to prosecute, which resulted in the case being closed. The incident report did not detail McKenzie’s relationship to the alleged victim.

McKenzie has five catches for 89 yards this season. He also returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown against Vanderbilt.

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.

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Ranking any player or team after one month of the college football season is tough. With one-sided matchups skewing the statistics, and conference play not yet underway for most teams, it's hard to say whether these players will carry that momentum throughout the season.

Still, September has been a great month for running backs. Here’s Athlon Sports’ take on the top 10 performers through the first month of the season. Note: This is not strictly based on stats. Opponent strength, injuries, snaps due to blowouts and preseason projection were all considered.

1. Leonard Fournette, LSU

There’s no debate as to the No. 1 running back in college football from the month of September. Fournette is the Heisman Trophy frontrunner after rushing for 631 yards and eight scores in three games. The sophomore has recorded back-to-back 200-yard contests.

Related: College Football's Top 10 Quarterbacks from September

2. Nick Chubb, Georgia

While Fournette has been the best running back through September, Chubb isn’t too far behind on the stat sheet. The sophomore has rushed for 599 yards and six scores on just 71 carries. Chubb’s 8.4 yards per carry average ranks second in the SEC and enters Week 5 with 12 consecutive 100-yard games.

3. C.J. Prosise, Notre Dame

Injuries hit the Fighting Irish hard in September, including a season-ending ailment to starting running back Tarean Folston in the opener against Texas. But Notre Dame’s rushing attack hasn’t missed a beat behind Prosise. The junior has recorded three consecutive 100-yard games and averaged at least nine yards per carry during that span.

Related: College Football's Awards from September

4. Jordan Howard, Indiana

While the focus (and rightfully so) has been on Fournette this season, Howard quietly leads the nation with 675 rushing yards. The UAB transfer was expected to be a solid replacement for Tevin Coleman and has picked up where he left off with the Blazers in 2014 (1,587 yards). The competition will get tougher, but Howard should push for first-team All-Big Ten honors this season.

5. Dalvin Cook, Florida State

With new quarterback Everett Golson still settling into coach Jimbo Fisher's scheme, Cook has carried Florida State’s offense so far this year. Boston College's tough defense limited Cook to 54 yards, but the sophomore recorded 156 yards in the opener against Texas State and 266 against USF in Week 2.

Related: College Football's All-Injury Team for 2015

6. Paul Perkins, UCLA

Perkins might be the nation’s most underrated running back. Through four games, the junior has accumulated 514 rushing yards and six scores, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. He also has eight receptions for 99 yards and leads all Pac-12 running backs with four rushes of 30 yards or more this season.

7. Derrick Henry, Alabama

Henry is one of the most physically impressive running backs in the nation. After working for two years as the 1b option to starter T.J. Yeldon, Henry is now the No. 1 back for Alabama and rushed for 422 yards and eight scores in September. Henry also has two 100-yard performances against Power 5 opponents in 2015.

8. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State

Elliott was a little quiet in September, but the junior is still one of the top running backs in the nation. In four games this fall, Elliott has rushed for 455 yards and five scores and recorded a 100-yard performance in each contest. Expect to see Elliott’s numbers climb now the Buckeyes have reached Big Ten play.

9. Devontae Booker, Utah

Booker’s numbers may not be as prolific as some of the other names on this list, but he remains the centerpiece for an improving Utah offense and shouldn’t see as many stacked defensive fronts in the next two months as quarterback Travis Wilson is off to a good start. Booker faced a tough Michigan defense in the opener and managed only 69 yards in that game. However, he recorded back-to-back 100-yard games against Utah State and Fresno State, caught 15 passes through the first four games and threw a touchdown pass in the win over Oregon.

10. Justin Jackson, Northwestern

A couple of players could fit in this No. 10 spot, but let’s give a tip of the cap to Jackson. The sophomore leads the nation with 118 rushing attempts after four games and recorded 516 yards and a score in that span. Jackson was instrumental in the upset win over Stanford (134) and recorded 120 yards against Duke.

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Watch for more rankings, previews and predictions from the good folks at Athlon here on Dr. Saturday. And don't forget to follow @YahooDrSaturday and @AthlonSports for all your college football information.

Could TCU have Mike Tuaua and Andre Petties-Wilson back for Saturday's game against Texas?

Both players are now practicing according to coach Gary Patterson. The two were arrested for a September 4 incident in which they're accused of assaulting three TCU students and taking a case of Keystone Light beer.

The two still face charges for the incident.

“As an ambassador for this university, I’m sad for all parties, not just my guys, that the incident happened,” Patterson said Wednesday via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “They’ve had a three-game suspension. I’m saddened that the whole situation went down. Hopefully my guys learn from it.”

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TCU's defense is missing a lot of key players including DT James McFarland, CB Ranthony Texada and LB Mike Freeze. Tuaua's return would be greatly beneficial for a team that's got College Football Playoff aspirations. He's a senior captain and Patterson has previously defended him as he took a poke at Baylor's situation with Sam Ukwuachu.

The Horned Frogs' wide receiver depth is also thinning. WR Ty Slanina was lost for the season with a collarbone injury he suffered against Texas Tech. And the Star-Telegram that Kolby Listenbee didn't participate much in practice Wednesday while Emanuel Porter is questionable for the Texas game. Porter suffered an ankle injury against Texas Tech.

4-0 TCU plays the 1-3 Longhorns at Noon ET.

For more TCU news, visit PurpleMenace.com. 

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Wisconsin RB Corey Clement isn't going to a local doctor for his sports hernia surgery.

The team said last week that Clement would be out 4-6 weeks because of a sports hernia injury. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, he's having the surgery in Germany by a doctor who's considered to be a specialist 

According to sources, Clement was scheduled to travel Tuesday to Munich, Germany, for treatment from a surgeon who specializes in the injury.

Ulrike Muschawek is the chief surgeon and founder of the Hernia Center in Munich, the largest European facility that specializes in hernias of the abdominal wall and groin area.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Muschawek specializes in minimally invasive techniques to help patients return to activities as soon as possible. An athlete going to Germany for surgery isn't new. Los Angeles Lakers G Kobe Bryant routinely heads to Germany for knee treatment.

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The school can pay for any of Clement's expenses related to the surgery that aren't covered by his insurance. Wisconsin senior associate athletic director Justin Doherty explained it in an email to the State Journal.

“That bylaw obviously leaves each individual institution the latitude to handle these types of expenses in a manner that best fits the institution’s means and philosophies,” Doherty said in an email Wednesday.

“In our case, we operate as follows. For any student-athlete who sustains an athletics-related injury, our medical personnel (team doctors and athletic trainers) decide the best course of action for treating said injury. … There is no ‘out-of-pocket’ expense to the student-athlete or his/her family.”

We understand why Wisconsin would be willing to pay for Clement's surgery in Germany. He's an important part of the football team and it would like to have him back on the field as soon as possible. It is interesting to note, however, his surgery and the increased expenses associated with it in the context of the discussion of cost of attendance stipends. A talking point from the standpoint of universities when it comes to COA is how much more revenue schools will need to cover the stipends.

Clement has eight carries for 16 yards this season. He got all eight of those carries against Alabama and hasn't played since.

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Florida State running back Mario Pender, who has been hospitalized with a collapsed lung, had successful surgery on Wednesday.

Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher previously said that Pender could be released earlier this week, but Fisher said on his radio show Wednesday that Pender was dealing with an infection and other complications.

“He had some infection in his lungs,” Fisher said per Warchant.com. “They went in today and did some surgery and they closed the hole up. It was just a little hole. They thought it would recover quickly but it never did. Now it looks like an extended stay (in the hospital).”

Pender, who had already been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Wake Forest, suffered the injury during practice and has been hospitalized since Sept. 22 – the day it occurred. Fisher said Pender’s initial timetable for a return was two weeks.

Pender is Florida State’s primary backup behind Dalvin Cook and has 140 yards and a touchdown so far this season.

Fisher said sophomore Johnathan Vickers and freshman Jacques Patrick are in line for more carries with Pender out.

For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.

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Who are the favorites in the Pac-12? Is it Utah and UCLA in the South? Stanford and Cal in the North? Join Dr. Saturday's Nick Bromberg and Graham Watson as we try to find some clarity within the Pac-12.

We also discuss who we think would be our No. 1 team in college football at this very moment, the ridiculousness that is the debate surrounding LSU running back Leonard Fournette's junior season and wonder if Georgia RB Nick Chubb can get 100 yards rushing against Alabama.

[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for things you won’t see on the blog]

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Indiana will be without one of its top defensive players for the foreseeable future.

IU announced earlier this week that junior defensive tackle Darius Latham has been suspended indefinitely. According to the Indianapolis Star, the school said in a release that Latham cannot play “pending the resolution of a proceeding with Indiana University Office of Student Ethics.”

No specifics on what led to Latham’s suspension were included in the school’s release.

Latham already served a one-game suspension earlier in the season by sitting out the team’s opener against Southern Illinois. Despite missing a game, Latham leads the team with five tackles for loss. He also has 10 tackles and two sacks in three games played.

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Latham had 26 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2014 and 22 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in 2013.

The Hoosiers beat Wake Forest last weekend to improve to 4-0 on the season. The team hosts top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday. 

For more Indiana news, visit Peegs.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @SamDCooper

Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan for Charlie Strong during his tenure as Texas head coach, but he reportedly still has the support of one the program’s most influential boosters.

According to Orangebloods.com, billionaire donor Red McCombs “reached out to Strong and offered his support via email” this week in the days following the Longhorns’ loss to Oklahoma State. The loss, which came on a late-game special teams gaffe, dropped the team’s record to 1-3 on the season.

McCombs, the former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, has donated millions to Texas and his name adorns both UT’s business school and the north end zone of Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium. McCombs initially expressed his opposition of Strong’s hire in Jan. 2014 but has reportedly changed his tune.

From Orangebloods.com:

McCombs wanted Strong to know how much he supported the team, the coaches, and what is being done to turn around the program. After Strong was hired, McCombs blasted the decision during a radio interview.

However, McCombs has gone out of his way recently to inform Strong he supports the coach.

Strong has also received support from interim athletic director Mike Perrin, who replaced the fired Steve Patterson last month.

The Longhorns play No. 4 TCU on the road on Saturday.

For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @SamDCooper

The folks behind the “#FireAlGolden” movement have taken their banners on the road.

The flying banners that have been a staple at Sun Life Stadium since last season, made an appearance over Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati prior to Thursday’s game between Miami and Cincinnati.

The banner cleverly read: “I flew 1124 miles just to say #FireAlGolden.”

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You really have to admire the dedication it takes to pay for these banners and fly them every week, especially when Miami is 3-0 and the ACC is in a down year.

Seems like Golden’s once hot seat has gotten significantly cooler in the past couple months and these banners are more for entertainment than anything anyone's taking seriously.

But hey, everyone needs a hobby, right?

For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook