DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference is eliminating “cupcake weekend.” The league’s athletic directors voted at their annual spring meetings for everyone to play conference games on the second-to-last week of the regular season beginning in 2027. It means no more Football Championship Subdivision or lower-tier Football Bowl Subdivision opponents before those rivalry games that typically take place during the final week of the season. The conference expanded to a nine-game league schedule beginning in 2026, prompting the need for more significant matchups in late November.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The senators trying to fix college sports will introduce a bipartisan bill designed to break a congressional logjam that would regulate payments to players, limit them to one “free” transfer over their careers and create a “Lane Kiffin Rule” to restrict coach movement during the season. Senators Ted Cruz, a Republican, and Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, briefed The Associated Press on details of the bill they crafted in hopes it could get the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate. They are trying to overcome more than a year of inaction in Congress, which is seeking to enshrine rules created by a lawsuit settlement that allowed players to be paid.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Top overall seed Alabama, defending national champion Texas, and Big Ten Conference champion Nebraska headline a balanced field of contenders at the Women’s College World Series. Alabama, with star pitcher Jocelyn Briski (22-3, 1.30 ERA), is capable of knocking off the second-seeded Longhorns and six others, including newcomers fifth-seeded Arkansas and unseeded Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide (54-7)) will open on Thursday against No. 8 seed UCLA, which boasts NCAA single-season home run leader Megan Grant and the top scoring team in the nation.
UNDATED (AP) — The 64-team NCAA baseball tournament starts Friday with first-round games in regionals. The Lincoln Regional appears to be the toughest of the 16. Nebraska won 40 regular-season games for the first time since 2003, Mississippi played the fourth-toughest schedule in the country and Arizona State brings a powerful offense featuring conference player of the year Landon Hairston. Alabama State and The Citadel are the hottest teams coming in. Each has won eight straight games. Boston College has lost five in a row. Tarleton State is the only team making its first appearance.
