The quarterback, Tim Couch, served as a pallbearer for his best friend and former teammate, Christopher Scott Brock. The starting center, Jason Watts, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and drunken driving in connection with Brock’s death and the death of another teammate, Arthur Steinmetz.

This has been a heart-wrenching week for the University of Kentucky Wildcats — bus rides to funerals, football practices at night, tearful sessions with ministers and bereavement counselors. Breaking down film for their biggest game of the season — against border rival and the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, the Tennessee Volunteers — could wait. The grieving could not.

”There is still disbelief and shock,” Gabe R. Smith, a junior wide receiver, said earlier this week. ”Especially when you have seven wins and you think you are invincible. This brings you back to earth and makes you realize what is important. There were two lives lost. Bowl games aren’t as important as that.”

Inside the World of Sports

Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping professional, collegiate and amateur athletics.

• Ejected for a ‘Political’ Hat: A man was kicked out of a Toronto Blue Jays’ opening game for wearing a cap that read “Canada is not for sale” because of a rule against political slogans. The team later apologized.

• LeShon Johnson Indicted: The federal authorities said they charged the former N.F.L. running back with felonies related to dogfighting after seizing 190 animals in what they described as the most ever taken from a single person in a federal case.

• New York Liberty’s Upgrade:  In an effort to attract talent, the team unveiled plans for a 75,000-square-foot building with state-of-the-art training facilities and child care rooms — as well as a zenlike locker room.

• DNA Sex Testing: Track and field will introduce mandatory DNA testing for athletes entering female competitions, making it the first Olympic sport to do so.

• Could a Woman Run a 4-Minute Mile?: Researchers say it’s possible, at least for Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, who holds the world record for the distance