There are no ICE or federal immigration enforcement operations planned for Super Bowl 60 or events around the big game, NFL leadership said during a Feb. 3 press conference.

Those plans were revealed at the annual NFL and law enforcement security briefing ahead of Super Bowl 60. The NFL’s chief security officer, Cathy Lanier, noted that the presence of federal public safety and law-enforcement officials is consistent with previous Super Bowls. In other words, it appears to be business as usual with federal officers supporting state and local agencies.

Lanier told reporters that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is made up of more than 20 different departments, will send a variety of different agencies to the Super Bowl, but that does not include U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

‘There is not ICE deployed with us at this Super Bowl and I don’t believe there has been in the last several, but most of the other departments from the Coast Guard to … many other agencies are here.’

When asked if immigration enforcement could show up unannounced, Lanier said that the league is confident in its partnership with Homeland Security. DHS agent Jeffrey Brannigan deferred to Lanier when asked to confirm that there would be no immigration enforcement associated with Super Bowl 60.

The presence of immigration enforcement agents is among the top points of discussion surrounding Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California, especially given recent protests and violence stemming from the ongoing ICE operations in Minnesota.

The league noted that security planning has been ongoing for the last 18 months.

The Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls have reportedly agreed to pull off an intriguing deal ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

There’s an impending three-team trade, as reported by ESPN, which sends Pistons guard Jaden Ivey and Timberwolves veteran Mike Conley to Chicago, while guard Kevin Huerter and forward Dario Saric of the Bulls are re-routed back to Detroit.

Minnesota also gets a 2026 first-round pick swap and moves under the first apron of the league’s salary cap, with speculation that it’s a contender to potentially land Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

Ivey, 23, was the No. 5 overall pick by the Pistons in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Purdue, but was limited by injuries last season. He was logging a career-low 16.8 minutes per game this season as Detroit emerged atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Ivey, the son of Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey, will be a restricted free agent this offseason. Conley, Huerter and Saric are each on expiring contracts.

Bulls, Timberwolves, Pistons trade details

Bulls get: Jaden Ivey, Mike Conley
Pistons get: Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric
Timberwolves get: 2026 first-round pick swap

MILAN — Lindsey Vonn said Tuesday she ruptured the ACL in her left knee in a downhill crash on Jan. 30. However, she said she went skiing earlier Tuesday and her knee feels stable and strong and she plans to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Vonn said she is not in pain and her knee is not swollen. She said she needs to go through downhill training to truly assess how she feels. She said her main goal is to compete in the downhill and will make decisions on the team combined and super-G later.

‘I’m still here. I think I’m still able to fight. I think I’m still able to try. And I will try as long as I have the ability to, I will not go home regretting not trying,’ Vonn said. ‘I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate.’

Vonn is among the greatest skiers of all-time, a three-time Olympic medalist whose 84 World Cup wins are behind only Mikaela Shiffrin and Ingemar Stenmark. Vonn was forced to retire in 2019 because of the physical pain from a series of injuries to her right knee. But after having a partial knee replacement in April 2024, Vonn felt so good she began contemplating a comeback.

“I retired in 2019 because my body said no more, not because I didn’t want to continue racing,” Vonn told USA TODAY Sports in October. “So I feel like this could be an incredible moment to end this chapter of my life and move forward in a really exciting and peaceful way.”

Here’s what you need to know from her news conference.

Lindsey Vonn injury updates

Here is what the superstar skier said about rupturing her ACL in her Jan. 30 crash.

‘I had a feeling it was bad, but I held out hope until I saw the MRI in front of me. But I haven’t cried.’
‘It’s only been a few days. So if you’re looking at it scientifically, you don’t lose strength that quickly. So as long as my swelling is down, my muscles are firing, my strength is what it was a few days ago.’
‘I have not deviated from my plan. I’ve been determined. Normally in the past, there’s always a moment where you break down and you realize the severity of things and that your dreams are slipping through your fingers. But I didn’t have that this time. I’m not letting this slip through my fingers. I’m gonna do it, end of story. So I’m not letting myself go down that path. I’m not crying. My head is high, I’m standing tall, and I’m gonna do my best, and whatever the result is, that’s what it is. But never say I didn’t try.’

Lindsey Vonn on Olympic team combined and super-G

Vonn said her ability to compete in the team combined on Feb. 10 and the super-G on Feb. 12 depends on how downhill training goes.

‘I don’t know exactly. I have to see how I feel,’ she said. ‘My intention is to race everything. That’s my goal. I’ll finish the season if I can. I don’t know, I can’t tell you that until I have a downhill training run and see how I feel. Normally in situations like this, your knee is good until it’s not … I have to really be diligent with everything we’re doing and be strategic and systemic in everything we’re doing … we’ll see how it holds up. I’ll go as long and as far as I can take it.’

Will Lindsey Vonn compete in 2026 Winter Olympics?

Vonn said Tuesday she will try to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Hours after her Jan. 30 crash, Vonn said she was consulting with her doctors and will have further tests. ‘This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics … but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback,’ Vonn wrote. ‘My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you all (for) the love and support. I will give more information when I have it,’ she added.

She closed the post by saying, ‘It’s not over until it’s over,’ adding heart and bicep emojis.

Why Lindsey Vonn ski to compete in Cortina

Cortina has always been one of Vonn’s favorite places. She made her first World Cup podium there, winning a bronze medal in the downhill in 2004, and 12 of her 84 World Cup victories came there.

To ski in an Olympics there, maybe have those be her final races, seemed a fitting end.

“It’s such a special place for me,” Vonn said in October. “I don’t think I would have tried this comeback if the Olympics weren’t in Corina. If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it.

“But for me, there’s something special about Corina that always pulls me back.”

Lindsey Vonn injury history

Here’s a list of Vonn’s significant injuries throughout her career.

January 2019: Impact injury to peroneal nerve.
November 2018: Torn lateral collateral ligament and meniscus in left knee, three tibial plateau fractures from crash during training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
November 2016: Fractured humerus in right arm from crash during training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
August 2015: Broken ankle from crash during training in New Zealand.
February 2016: Multiple fractures in left knee from crash during World Cup super-G in Andorra.
December 2013: MCL sprain in right knee.
November 2013: Torn right ACL from crash in training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
February 2013: Torn ACL and MCL in right knee and tibial plateau fracture in right leg following crash in super-G at world championships.
February 2010: Broken right pinkie from crash in giant slalom at Vancouver Olympics. (Where she’d previously won the downhill gold.)
December 2009: Microfractures in left forearm after crash during giant slalom in Lienz, Austria.
February 2009: Severed tendon in right thumb cutting open champagne bottle at world championships in Val d’Isère, France.
February 2007: Sprained right ACL after crash during training at the world championships in Åre, Sweden.

How many Olympics has Lindsey Vonn been to?

The 2026 Milano Cortina Games are her fifth Olympics.

March Madness is so ingrained as a national spectacle at this point the controversial selections and snubs are an inevitability, and even an expected part of the show when college basketball fans gather on Selection Sunday for the reveal of the bracket.

Bracketology sprouted from our collective thirst to know what teams must do to hear their name on Selection Sunday, and where those teams might be ranked. So too did a collection of rankings based on computer models and formulas and, like last year, seven of those metrics will be listed on the team sheets used by the selection committee as it meets heading into Selection Sunday to determine the field for the 2026 NCAA tournament.

Each ranking or rating is separated into two distinct categories — predictive metrics and results-based metrics. The NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), KenPom, ESPN’s BPI and the Torvik rankings are considered predictive rankings that measure how good a team is based on its offensive and defensive efficiency, adjusted for opponent strength and location. The KPI, ESPN’s Strength of Record (SOR) and Wins Above Bubble (WAB) are results-based rankings that judge how hard it was for a team to attain its résumé.

For many teams, the two types of ratings largely converge by the end of the season. For others, however, there can be a wide swath of outcomes based on how a game was played and whether it was won or lost. These are the schools from major and mid-major conferences that could inspire the most robust conversation and debate among committee members, either over their selection into the 2026 NCAA tournament as an at-large and/or their potential seeding in the field, due to the differences between their ranking in predictive metrics and results-based metrics.

Here’s an early look at 10 teams with polarizing profiles ahead of Selection Sunday based on the metrics used for the men’s NCAA tournament:

March Madness 2026: NCAA tournament metrics’ most polarizing teams

All records and rankings through games played on Feb. 2

Florida (16-6)

NET: 12
KenPom: 7
BPI: 7
Torvik: 6
KPI: 20
SOR: 18
WAB: 18

How the NCAA tournament selection committee seeds the defending national champions is developing into a fascinating subplot for Selection Sunday after Florida didn’t get wins in high-profile nonconference games against Arizona, Duke and UConn. But the Gators remain in the SEC driver’s seat with a huge matchup against Texas A&M looming on Feb. 7. Predictive rankings have them already in contention for a top-two seed, but results-based metrics have Florida hovering just inside the top-20. Will committee members give the Gators the benefit of the doubt over teams with fewer losses?

Louisville (15-6)

NET: 17
KenPom: 16
BPI: 11
Torvik: 16
KPI: 28
SOR: 32
WAB: 26

The Cardinals are 11-2 when freshman Mikel Brown is in the lineup, with losses to only Duke and Arkansas, and look poised to return to the NCAA tournament in coach Pat Kelsey’s second season. But Louisville is 4-4 without Brown, including three losses in four games last month as ACC play got underway. So the Cardinals are positioned as high as No. 11 in predictive metrics as a result of their ceiling with Brown, but their results-based rankings are as low as No. 32. If those dynamics remain the same over the next month, there will be lingering questions about how Louisville will be seeded by the selection committee.

Indiana (15-7)

NET: 30
KenPom: 33
BPI: 25
Torvik: 23
KPI: 49
SOR: 37
WAB: 39

The Hoosiers are as high as No. 23 and as low as No. 49 among the seven metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee, with a weak schedule and lack of significant wins until recent triumphs over Purdue and UCLA leaving them in an interesting spot to start February. Indiana hasn’t slipped up against inferior competition and had several metric-boosting blowouts to help juice its predictive metrics. The Hoosiers would likely make the NCAA tournament field as an at-large team if Selection Sunday were this week, but they’re only a loss or two away from being on the wrong side of the bubble again.

UCF (17-4)

NET: 37
KenPom: 45
BPI: 51
Torvik: 46
KPI: 15
SOR: 21
WAB: 19

The Knights’ résumé won’t be straightforward for selection committee members if UCF continues on its current trajectory, with the predictive metrics of a bubble team and results more in line with a top-six seed. The Knights didn’t test themselves much in the nonconference schedule, but got a key road win over Texas A&M, already beat Kansas and Texas Tech in Big 12 play and have no bad losses. Coach Johnny Dawkins is having his best season since he last made the NCAA tournament in 2019.

Texas (13-9)

NET: 39
KenPom: 34
BPI: 35
Torvik: 38
KPI: 63
SOR: 54
WAB: 52

The Longhorns could present challenges for the committee if they linger along the NCAA tournament bubble around Selection Sunday. Their predictive metrics rank among the top-40 after some impressive SEC wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama last month, but they’ve also got a Quad 3 loss at home to Mississippi State and only one nonconference win of note on their résumé. Texas still has chances to boost its profile with games looming against Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas at the end of SEC play, but its profile can’t withstand too many more setbacks.

Washington (12-10)

NET: 47
KenPom: 46
BPI: 44
Torvik: 44
KPI: 64
SOR: 60
WAB: 60

The Huskies would be a fascinating test case if Selection Sunday were this week instead of next month as no Big Ten team has a wider gap between its metrics. The predictive rankings are all mostly the same, ranging from No. 43-47, and put Washington on the bubble. The results-based rankings are similar as well, only those range from No. 60-64 because of the team’s 10 losses. That would put the Huskies in danger of missing the NCAA tournament. None of those defeats, however, are outside of the first two quadrants.

California (16-6)

NET: 51
KenPom: 54
BPI: 69
Torvik: 56
KPI: 40
SOR: 48
WAB: 41

The predictive metrics haven’t caught up to the results-based metrics after Cal knocked off UNC, Stanford and Miami to emerge from a three-game losing skid. The Golden Bears have played their way onto the NCAA tournament bubble and have no bad losses on their ledger. A few closer-than-expected results facing a weak nonconference schedule leaves them limited margin for error the next month.

Oklahoma State (15-6)

NET: 68
KenPom: 57
BPI: 71
Torvik: 70
KPI: 46
SOR: 44
WAB: 46

The Cowboys look like they could provide a window into how the NCAA tournament selection committee judges a team that does well in nonconference play only to then stumble in conference action. Oklahoma State is considered the 12th-best team in the Big 12 by predictive metrics after it started league play with five losses in eight games. But it’s nearly 22 spots higher nationally, on average, in results-based metrics thanks to early wins over Texas A&M, USF, Northwestern and Grand Canyon that have aged better than expected. The Cowboys still have a shot based on the strength of the Big 12.

George Mason (20-2)

NET: 65
KenPom: 76
BPI: 68
Torvik: 108
KPI: 35
SOR: 40
WAB: 43

This one-time Final Four phenomenon could be poised for another mid-major NCAA tournament run involving a borderline Selection Sunday résumé. The Patriots have won 20 of their first 22 games, but both losses came in rare Quad 1 or 2 opportunities. Their predictive metrics continue to lag significantly when compared to their results-based rankings. It doesn’t help that George Mason won’t face Atlantic-10 Conference favorite Saint Louis until its regular-season finale. The Patriots need more quality win opportunities.

Miami (Ohio) (22-0)

NET: 53
KenPom: 90
BPI: 91
Torvik: 80
KPI: 54
SOR: 24
WAB: 33

The SEC will make its schedule more difficult in 2026. Won’t that make it tougher to qualify for a 12-team playoff?
A 9-3 team has not earned selection to 12-team playoff. That seems relevant to the SEC.
SEC wanted 16-team playoff, but Big Ten said no thanks.

When the SEC’s membership voted to add a ninth conference game, you must wonder whether they thought a 16-team playoff would be in place by the time the expanded conference schedule went into effect.

You also must wonder whether those SEC members still would’ve voted to expand the conference schedule, if they’d known the 12-team playoff would endure for the 2026 season.

On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams unpack the SEC’s inability to strike a compromise with the Big Ten to reach on playoff expansion — and why the nine-game conference schedule might work to the SEC’s detriment in 2026.

They also debate whether the SEC should have gotten on board with the Big Ten’s plan for a 24-team playoff.

Will SEC regret adding a ninth conference game in 2026?

Adams: I’ve long advocated for the SEC expanding its conference schedule to create a better product. However, I’m skeptical that the extra conference game will help the SEC’s playoff pursuits in 2026. You must ask: How much will the selection committee reward strength of schedule? Answer: Probably not as much as the SEC desires.

A nine-game SEC schedule would have paired neatly with a 16-team playoff. SEC teams that finished 9-3 would’ve been prime candidates for at-large selection, in a 16-team field.

The selection committee still places a lot of value win-loss record, and an extra conference game will make it more difficult for SEC teams to reach 10-2.

Toppmeyer: The SEC needed a 16-team bracket for its nine-game conference schedule to pay off. The playoff committee has never selected a 9-3 team for a spot in the 12-team playoff, consistently rejecting SEC teams that pair nine wins with a lofty strength of schedule. Will the committee suddenly start admitting 9-3 SEC teams just because the conference added another league game? I’m skeptical of that.

Kudos to the Big Ten’s maneuvering. It argued for the SEC to add a ninth conference game, then threw up a roadblock toward expanding to a 5+11 playoff bracket that the SEC, Big 12 and ACC favored.

Without Big Ten support, the 5+11 playoff idea could not get approved. So, the SEC strengthened its schedule without successfully creating any more playoff bids. A 12-team playoff that’s worked well for the Big Ten persists.

Unlike the SEC, the Big Ten does not require its members to play either a Power Four opponent or Notre Dame in the non-conference schedule, although many do.

Overall, the Big Ten played the SEC like a fiddle.

Should the SEC have embraced a 24-team playoff?

Adams: No. This combination of a nine-game SEC schedule with a 12-team playoff might not work to the SEC’s benefit, but that’s not enough reason to get lured into a 24-team playoff. A playoff of such size would turn the sport on its head and devalue the regular season.

When we’re talking about almost the entire US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 making the playoff, it’s gotten too big.

Toppmeyer: No. If the SEC wants 16, then continue negotiating to try to bring that into effect in subsequent years.

Committing to 24, when three of the four power conferences want 16, just wouldn’t make sense. College football’s regular season is its greatest attribute. I’m skeptical of any playoff format that would dilute the regular season. The Big Team’s 24-team proposal would do that.

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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.