MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Light the cigars, folks, and score a noteworthy step toward the preservation of SEC rivalry games.

A longstanding discussion point around SEC circles has been that, unless the conference moves to a nine-game conference schedule, prominent secondary rivalry games like Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia could fall off the annual schedule.

But, there’s a conference schedule model on the table that would preserve multiple annual rivalry games for at least some SEC schools, even within an eight-game conference schedule format.

The rivalry games for those teams would come in addition to other rivalries like the Iron Bowl, Florida-Georgia and Oklahoma-Texas.

“We’re attentive to real, key rivalries, and we have (eight-game) models that can accommodate those,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said Tuesday.

The conference eliminated divisions after expanding to 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas. That prompted a renewed look at schedule format and rivalry preservation. Debate on the SEC’s schedule continues among stakeholders this week at the conference’s spring meetings.

Two years ago, the conference considered two primary schedule models: An eight-game model that would preserve only one rival per team; or, a nine-game model that would earmark three annual rivals per team.

The nine-game model would have assured Alabama would keep playing the Iron Bowl and the “Third Saturday in October” game against Tennessee, after which the victorious team lights cigars.

For Georgia, the nine-game model would mean continuing to play Florida every year, but also keeping alive the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” against Auburn.

The SEC voted in 2023 to retain an eight-game conference schedule for two years. But, the conference devised the eight-game lineup so that it kept key secondary rivalries like Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee on the schedule.

Now, the SEC’s schedule is up for review again. The SEC has not voted on a schedule format for 2026 and beyond.

So, will it be eight or nine games? No verdict yet.

But, even if it stays at eight, that doesn’t mean Alabama-Tennessee, Auburn-Georgia or Texas-Texas A&M must go on the chopping block. Sankey made that clear Tuesday.

Sankey wouldn’t commit to every SEC team being assigned two rivals within an eight-game schedule model, but keeping multiple rivalry games alive is an option for certain teams.

“We have ideas,” Sankey said.

Sankey would not commit to a timeline on when the SEC will vote on its schedule format for 2026.

One item affecting that decision: The College Football Playoff format for 2026 has not been approved. Multiple athletics directors and coaches expressed reluctance to determine a conference schedule model before the future CFP format is decided.

And, in fact, Sankey said the future playoff format might not be finalized until several months from now. The uncertain nature of the CFP “is a bit of an inconvenient reality, but that’s reality,” Sankey said.

Sankey, at least, sounded open to the SEC deciding the conference’s 2026 schedule format before the playoff format is hammered out.

“You can make decisions about what you can control,” like the conference’s schedule, Sankey said, “and then you can have influence over” the playoff format.

One element within the SEC’s control: Whether to retain primary rivalry games, plus at least some secondary rivalry games. And Sankey made clear that multiple avenues remain to retain some prominent secondary rivalries.

“The conversation about annual games that need to be played has been a focus” for several years, Sankey said.

That’s encouraging news for those wanting to smell the cigar smoke every year after the “Third Saturday in October,” or those who want to see Auburn and Georgia continue a rivalry that dates to 1892.

The rivalries continued throughout the conference’s division era, even though those rivals were in opposite divisions.

Even as the conference swelled to 12 teams, then to 14, and now at 16, Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee have remained a fixture of the SEC’s schedule in every season since World War II.

“We’ve presented (a model) to protect those in an eight-game schedule, going forward,’ Sankey said.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Former Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton was arrested earlier this month in West Virginia for DUI.

She was later released after posting $1,500 bond.

Retton was in the news last year when her daughter revealed on social media that the 1984 Olympic all-around champion was ‘fighting for her life’ with ‘a very rare form of pneumonia’ and was not insured.

That led to a flood of donations totaling over $450,000 – but also to questions about basic details of Retton’s illness, whether or not she had health insurance and exactly how the money collected was being spent.

Retton did agree to an interview with NBC’s ‘Today Show’ in January 2024, appearing with an oxygen tube in her nose and describing a harrowing, month-long hospital stay, including a moment when ‘they were about to put me on life support,’ she said.

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Retton’s daughter, McKenna Kelley, told USA TODAY Sports at that time Retton could not get affordable health care because of pre-existing conditions, which she said include ‘over 30 orthopedic surgeries, including four hip replacements.’

Retton later told NBC in the interview that she was able to get medical insurance.

Retton’s family said that any funds remaining after her medical expenses were paid would be donated to a charity of her choice. But no further information was ever revealed.

The WNBA announced it could not substantiate any reports of racism during the season-opening game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky.

‘We have investigated the report of racist fan behavior in the vicinity of the court,’ the league said in a statement. ‘Based on information gathered to date, including from relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well as audio and video review of the game, we have not substantiated it.

‘The WNBA is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for everyone and will continue to be vigilant in enforcing our fan code of conduct.’

The investigation launched on May 18 stems from alleged hateful comments made inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Fever. While the specifics of the allegations weren’t made clear, a person with knowledge of the situation told IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network, that hateful comments to Sky forward Angel Reese were the center of the investigation.

Reese said ‘there’s no place in this league’ for racism and discrimination and ‘obviously in the moment it’s hard to hear’ comments being made toward her during the game. The Fever, Sky and WNBA players’ union welcomed the investigation, and players like Caitlin Clark denounced the reported hateful comments.

‘We appreciate the quick action by the league and the Indiana Fever to take this matter seriously and to investigate,’ Sky president Adam Fox said in a statement. ‘This process demonstrates the league’s strong stance on stopping hate at all WNBA games and events, and we will continue to support those efforts.’

It was never specified when the alleged acts happened during the game, but things got heated during the contest between Clark and Reese.

In the third quarter, Clark intentionally fouled Reese on the arm and shoved her as the Chicago forward attempted a layup. Reese immediately got up and went toward Clark and appeared to say something to her before Indiana forward Aliyah Boston intervened. Clark walked away while the situation was quickly de-escalated by the players on the court and coaching staff.

Referees reviewed the play and upgraded the foul by Clark to a Flagrant 1, while Boston and Reese were given offsetting technical fouls. Reese was heavily booed by the Indiana crowd throughout the game, but the intensity picked up as she shot the free throws following the Flagrant 1 call.

With racism, discriminatory comments and bullying at high levels during the 2024 season, the WNBA launched the ‘No Space for Hate’ initiative for 2025 to combat hate and promote respect. It features a task force of league and team representatives that use ‘enhanced technological features’ to detect hateful comments online and puts extra emphasis on providing security measures in arenas during games.

‘We appreciate the swift and thorough process undertaken by the WNBA to investigate these allegations, which we substantiated,’ the Fever said in a statement. ‘At Gainbridge Fieldhouse, we are committed to providing the best possible basketball experience for players and fans where hate speech has absolutely no place.’

This story was updated with new information.

The Caitlin Clark effect has brought a plenty of attention and high demand to see the Indiana Fever, but the WNBA is seeing a the opposite side of that effect: less intrigue when she’s injured.

Clark will be sidelined for at least two weeks as she suffered a left quad strain following Indiana’s 90-88 loss to the defending champion New York Liberty on Saturday. Missing two weeks means Clark will miss at least the next four games, and it’s had a dramatic effect on ticket prices for those contests, particularly the two road games during that stretch − at the Washington Mystics on May 28 and at the Chicago Sky on June 7.

Indiana Fever ticket prices plunge with Caitlin Clark injured

Ticket prices have drastically fallen since Monday’s news of Clark’s injury. For the four games Clark will miss, the average purchase price was 71% more expensive prior to the news than Tuesday, as the average has dropped from $137 to $80, according to TickPick data provided to USA TODAY Sports.

The road games in Washington and Chicago have been heavily impacted, as both were moved to bigger arenas to accommodate the demand to see Clark.

Washington moved the game from its home CareFirst Arena to the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, which has more than 6,000 extra capacity. Prior to the injury news, the cheapest ticket sold for the game was $41, per TickPick. Now, the get-in price is $14, as of Tuesday night. The average purchase price went from $115 to $83.

The Sky vs. the Fever game was even more affected as it was supposed to be another edition of Clark vs. Angel Reese. The contest was moved to United Center, the first time WNBA games would be played at the 20,000-plus seat arena. On Sunday, the cheapest ticket was $86 on TickPick. As of Tuesday night, it’s now $25. The average purchase price was $210, 121% more expensive than Tuesday’s average of $95, TickPick said.

For the home games − May 30 against the Connecticut Sun and June 3 vs. the Mystics − the cheapest ticket option on TickPick are $13 and $11, respectively.

Indiana Fever ticket prices when Caitlin Clark returns

It’s evident how impactful Clark’s availability determines the secondary market should she return after a two week absence.

The first game she might be available to return is June 10 at the Atlanta Dream. The cheapest ticket for that contest at Gateway Center Arena is $147. The next four road games after that − against the Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings − all have get-in prices of at least $100, with the June 27 contest against Paige Bueckers and Dallas starting at $141 on TickPick.

Meanwhile, the first home game Clark is eligible to return to is June 14 against the Liberty, which has a get-in price of $43.

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Boxer Ryan Garcia had surgery on his right hand Tuesday for an injury his manager says plagued him during his May 2 loss to Rolando “Rolly’’ Romero.

“Yes, his injury was a problem during the Romero fight,’’ Guadalupe Valencia, Garcia’s manager and attorney, told USA TODAY Sports by text message. “But, that is in the past, and we don’t want to make excuses. …

‘He is feeling good and positive and will be back in the fall.”

Garcia, 26, got knocked down in the second round by Romero and looked hesitant for much of the fight, which Romero won by unanimous decision.

Valencia did not say when Garcia (24-2) hurt his right hand, but Sports Illustrated reported the injury took place during training camp before the 12-round welterweight bout.

“When Ryan is well, he will be back and will have an elite level performance,’’ Valencia said. “This past fight vs. Romero is a minor setback. Ryan at 100% is unbeatable.’’

Garcia’s loss to Romero cast doubt on a possible rematch against Devin Haney. Valencia said Garcia fighting Haney remains an option. Oscar De La Hoya, Garcia’s promoter, recently told Fight Hype a rematch against Romero, not Haney, would be ‘the right move” for Garcia. 

“Honestly, right now, we just need his hand to heal,’’ Valencia said. “We will discuss his future plans in the coming weeks. There are several important options, including Haney.’’

Recovery from the hand surgery will take Garcia four to six weeks, according to Valencia.

The date was Jan. 15, 2016, long before anyone conceived of a 16-team College Football Playoff, a transfer portal or seven-figure NIL deals for replacement-level basketball players. The place was San Antonio, where NCAA officials and college administrators gathered for their annual convention. And the topic; oh boy, was it a hot one. 

By the second year of so-called “autonomy” for the Power Five conferences – a power grab that theoretically allowed the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 to expand athletes’ benefits without being slowed down by smaller schools – they were already out of big, controversial ideas. 

But there was one issue creating significant debate within the room: A proposal that would allow schools to pay for lodging, meals and entertainment for up to four family members on official recruiting visits.

To normal people, unencumbered by the bureaucracy of tedium that rules college sports, this is common sense. Of course an athletic department with a nine-figure budget trying to attract top talent should pay lodging, meals and entertainment expenses for up to four family members. 

But for these folks, College Athletics Brain always takes over. So naturally, someone in the room wanted to litigate exactly what that meant. After all, if you’re at UCLA, entertainment expenses could mean four courtside seats to a Lakers game that might be worth more than a two-bedroom house in, say, Starkville, Mississippi. And wouldn’t providing that for recruits just be … unfair?

That was the moment I realized most of these people representing the richest schools and conferences – many of whom are still in position to shape the future of college sports a decade later – were simply incapable of governing themselves, even though they had portrayed the ability to govern themselves as necessary to save the NCAA.  

It’s not that the people who work in college sports lack the intellectual capacity to understand that these tiny, perceived competitive advantages from school to school and conference to conference are ultimately inconsequential to their collective business interests. Their culture simply doesn’t allow them to see the big picture through a froth of constant concern that one of their competitors is pulling a fast one.  

It’s slightly humorous – but mostly pathetic – how little has changed in what drives the so-called leadership of college sports even as everything else in their world has changed immensely in the decade since. 

Now here comes SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, the thin-skinned pedant of Birmingham, all up in his feelings as the league’s spring meetings get underway this week in Florida because some of his colleagues have dared to question the motivations behind Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti jockeying for four automatic bids each in a new 16-team CFP.

“I don’t need lectures from others about good of the game,” Sankey said Sunday, meeting with reporters before what will surely be intense internal discussions about what the next CFP should look like. “I don’t lecture others about good of the game. And coordinating press releases about good of the game, OK, you can issue your press statement, but I’m actually looking for ideas to move us forward.”

Keep in mind, this was Sankey’s response to a series of questions about a proposal that would assign four CFP bids every year to the SEC and Big Ten before a single game has been played, while the ACC and Big 12 get only two guaranteed bids. If Sankey was expecting his colleagues to lap up that gruel and leave a five-star review, he’s not living in the land of reality. You can’t offer a strongarm and expect a handshake in return.   

“In our own room, I’ve had athletics directors tell me directly that we’ve given too much away to arrive at these political compromises, that we move teams from outside the (top 12 in the rankings into the playoff),” Sankey explained. “How many of those compromises does it take?”

The scale of structuring a 16-team playoff may not be comparable to free meals on a recruiting visit, but they come from the same place: A never-ending battle in college athletics between those with the most power stacking the deck in their favor and those fearing that every acknowledgement of inherent inequality will be a ticket to second-class citizenry. 

And the especially childish part of this debate is the SEC and Big Ten would be virtually assured of getting at least four teams into the Playoff organically nearly every year, notwithstanding a possible outlier here or there. It should be equally clear that codifying the so-called “4-4-2-2-1-1-1-1” structure into the CFP format would be a toxic indulgence by the SEC and Big Ten, yielding no practical value either for themselves or greater public confidence in the sport. 

But the underlying takeaway is the same as it was when I listened to those debates in 2016 between the really rich schools and the kinda rich schools over recruiting visits: If this is how difficult it’s going to be for the SEC and Big Ten to reach an accord with the ACC and Big 12 over something that should be driven by common sense, what chance in hell do they have of pulling together and fixing the truly difficult issues swallowing their industry? 

Intelligent, well-educated men and women making seven figures to be executives of a sports league are being reduced to children in a fight over playground territory because they overthink themselves into paranoia that one decision on the margins of a $1.3 billion annual enterprise is going to be unfair to them. 

And you wonder why college sports is at a complete gridlock, now in Year 6 of begging Congress for legislation that will mitigate the chaos of the transfer portal and NIL.  

But what gums up progress in college sports isn’t an ideological battle between the big schools and the small schools over the direction of the NCAA and how flexible its rules should be. It is, was and has always been the inability of the big schools to treat each other fundamentally as business partners rather than competitors. 

The CFP debate is merely a symptom of a much more invasive disease, one that the key stakeholders in college sports would rather pout about than make any significant concessions to cure.

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – Alert the statue makers. Their services would be needed in January, if a college football team navigates this season undefeated.

That’s the way Steve Sarkisian sees it, anyway.

The Texas coach boldly predicted Tuesday that college football might have seen its last undefeated national champion. And in the off-chance that another perfect team emerges, bust out the bronze, Sarkisian says.

Michigan most recently pulled off perfection with its 2023 team. The Wolverines went 15-0, emerging victorious from a four-team College Football Playoff.

Now, with a 12-team playoff in place and a bigger playoff likely on the horizon, national champions play more than 15 games.

This season’s national champion will play a minimum of 16 games. Ohio State captured glory with a 14-2 record last season. The Buckeyes lost twice during the regular season before winning the national championship from the No. 8 seed line.

Ohio State became the first two-loss champion since 2007 LSU. Get used to more of that, says Sarkisian.

“This idea of somebody is going to go 16-0 in college football, man, put a statue up somewhere of that team,” Sarkisian said before the SEC’s spring meetings began here this week, “because I just don’t know if that’s going to happen again.”

Interesting opinion.

Count me among the skeptics, though, that we’ve seen the last of the undefeated national champions. This sport isn’t known for parity. It’s known for a small batch of schools dominating.

Sarkisian himself built a roster that could be poised to do some dominating this year.

Kirby Smart explains why perfection remains possible

Consider Georgia coach Kirby Smart skeptical of Sarkisian’s prediction that we’ve seen the sport’s last undefeated team.

Smart’s 2022 squad went undefeated, one of five teams to achieve the feat during the 10 years of the four-team playoff.

Smart’s thinking goes like this: Unless some framework is put in place to keep a team from outspending everyone else in this pay-for-play era, what’s to stop the emergence of an undefeated super team filled with highly paid players?

“You could end up with some haves and have nots out there,” Smart said, “and ultimately teams could drive prices and go buy a championship with a super team. I think we could see that if there’s not parity. We don’t really know if there’s going to be or not.”

A federal judge is considering whether to approve a legal settlement that would unlock revenue-sharing with athletes. That settlement would cap how much revenue each institution could share with athletes, functioning as something of a salary cap on rosters. However, even in that revenue-sharing landscape, separate NIL deals outside the school framework still could be brokered, allowing a roster to exceed the revenue-sharing cap.

College football’s landscape started evolving after NIL deals launched in 2021. Transfer rules also loosened that year. Those changes made it more difficult for one team – say, Alabama or Georgia – to stockpile a three-deep of all-stars.

“The portal and the lack of the depth” made going undefeated more difficult, Smart acknowledged.

Also, a longer season increases the runway for injuries. Both Texas and Georgia dealt with injuries to their starting quarterbacks last season. Georgia lost in the CFP quarterfinals to Notre Dame while starting a backup quarterback, after Carson Beck injured his elbow in the SEC championship game.

Texas is top candidate to be next undefeated national champion

Sarkisian ranks among the likeliest coaches to produce an undefeated champion within this structure.

The Longhorns possess the necessary ingredients to go undefeated:

∎ A lush bankroll. A handsomely paid roster doesn’t guarantee success, but let’s not kid ourselves, no pauper is winning a title in this pay-for-play model. Ohio State won with the help of spending $20 million to improve its roster. Texas, with its deep war chest, is believed to be among the teams driving up the market price this season.

∎ A good quarterback. Ohio State’s Will Howard peaked at the right time last season and delivered some of his finest performances throughout Ohio State’s four playoff victories. Texas will hand its quarterback reins to Arch Manning. He’s among the preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy.

∎ A coach (and a school) that attracts talent and develops it. Ohio State’s Ryan Day can recruit and develop. So can Sarkisian. Day entered last season on the shortlist of best coaches without a national championship. Sarkisian heads up that list this season, after Texas’ consecutive trips to the CFP semifinals.

Arch Manning leads a talented Texas team that’s transitioning

Perfection talk aside, it’s evident that Sarkisian likes his roster. Texas must transition to new starters at key positions, including quarterback, but fresh starters doesn’t equate to a youthful roster.

“We’re not necessarily young. We’ve just got some new faces (starting),’ Sarkisian said, ‘guys who have been in our program, who have been working on their craft, who have been developing, and now it’s their opportunity.’

Take Manning, for example. He’s no pup, after two seasons as Quinn Ewers’ backup.

Manning started two games last season while Ewers recovered from an injury, and Sarkisian kept using Manning in select situations after Ewers returned.

The toughest roadblock to Texas achieving perfection probably isn’t the season’s length, but rather the location of its toughest regular-season games.

The Longhorns will play at Ohio State in the season opener and at Georgia in November.

If Manning and the Longhorns beat the Buckeyes at The Horseshoe, the victory would trumpet a message that Texas perfection is possible.

Anyone know any statue makers in Austin?

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.