It’s unshakeable and unmistakable, this rare and real lifelong bond of college football championship teams. There is no greater truism.

Yeah, well, money changes everything.

Money is the very reason Ohio State star freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith – the best player on the field in Monday’s national championship victory over Notre Dame – should enter the transfer portal and test the open market. 

The engraving isn’t set on the national championship trophy, but the writing couldn’t be more on the wall in the now age of get yours. Millions are available in NIL deals, why ignore it?

More to the point: with the NFL still two years away for Smith, why risk a potential career-defining injury without earning as much as you possibly can?

This isn’t about staying true to your school. It’s about financial security in a physically-demanding business, where the end is always one play away.

“I’ve got two, three years left of college,” Smith said. “I’m just focused on college right now.”

And that’s the point. That’s where this uncomfortable but necessary conversation must begin.

Because football, at the college or NFL level, has always been a game of what can you do for me now? And when you can’t do it anymore, for whatever reason, it’s next man up.

If you think college football has moved closer to the NFL in every aspect over the last four years of the NIL boom, it’s obvious what ugly reality comes next. The NFL uses players until they’re not physically able to play at an elite level, and once that happens, they cut players loose. 

Thanks for your help, we’re moving on. That’s not college football, you say. It’s not a cold, cutthroat business. 

College football is not only a business, it’s more player-friendly than anything the NFL Players Association could dream of demanding. It’s free player movement every single season.

It’s outperforming your contract in one season, and jumping into the portal and finding another team to pay you more. The NFL, for first-round picks in the annual draft, may as well be a career sentence. 

The team has players guaranteed for the first five years of their career (if it picks up the option year of the first contract), and has exclusive negotiating rights thereafter. In other words, if players can’t come to an agreement on a deal, the team can use a franchise tag to force a one-year deal ― a tag that can be used as many as three times.

And if players sustain a career-defining injury during that one-year franchise deal, they’re out of luck. Guess who’s moving on? 

This is how Smith must see his next two seasons of college football. It would be fiscally reckless to see it any other way.

Former Ohio State star wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. was the first wide receiver selected in last year’s draft, going No.4 overall to the Cardinals. He signed a fully-guaranteed $35.3 million contact.

Smith would not only be the first wide receiver selected in this year’s draft, he would likely be picked in the Top 5. In other words, a near identical deal.

That’s what a transfer portal move means for Smith. No matter what he’s earning from Ohio State now, he has outperformed it.

He can enter the portal and return to Ohio State with a better deal, and we can all still talk about loyalty and lifelong bonds of championship teams. The grand statement can be made that at least one player still values school and money.

But by entering the portal, he can also see what the market will bring — then go back to Ohio State and see if the Buckeyes will match it. And if they don’t or can’t, he moves on with a championship and memories that will still last a lifetime.

Maybe he returns to Miami, where he grew up and won three state titles at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna. That’s four titles in four seasons, and the best player on the field in each season.

“It just shows that I picked two great schools,” Smith said.

Now it’s time to choose again, to hit the open market and see what it brings. Be it at Ohio State, or somewhere else.

This has nothing to do with chasing money, or a lack of loyalty or leaving teammates behind. It has everything to do with financial future.

Again, it’s fiscally reckless for Smith, or any elite college player on a one-year deal, to not see what else is out there. If college football truly is a mini-NFL, there’s one truism that really is undeniable.

They’ll use you until they can’t, and then move on. The only difference is college players control movement and money. 

And money changes everything.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

The Colorado athletic department decided to stop livestreaming its weekly coaches show with Deion Sanders and also removed two episodes of the show from YouTube last fall after the name of a prominent football recruit was mentioned on it in violation of NCAA rules, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

This minor violation happened in November, when the name of quarterback recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis came up before he signed with Colorado Dec. 4. According to NCAA rules, schools generally may not publicize or comment on a recruit before officially signing that recruit. Colorado self-reported this violation and decided to impose corrective measures as a result, including additional rules education for Sanders, the head coach, and a reduction of four recruiting-person days in the spring 2025 contact period.

The school also agreed to “implement new institutional controls on the football weekly coaches show,” according to school’s report on the matter. “The content will no longer be livestreamed. External relations will therefore be able to review and edit content that could be construed as impermissible publicity of (recruits).”

This was among at least six self-reported infractions in the Colorado football program that were processed in 2024, according to records obtained by USA TODAY Sports. Before that, Colorado processed at least 11 other self-reported minor violations in the first year under Sanders since his hiring in December 2022.

To be clear, these types of minor violations are fairly common in college sports and are not considered major issues unless they become part of a bigger pattern or are not reported by the school after discovering them. For example, Georgia and Ohio State also each self-reported four minor violations in their football programs during various periods in 2023-24.

What exactly happened in the Julian Lewis case?

Lewis did nothing wrong. His eligibility at Colorado was not affected. But after he publicly committed to Colorado on Nov. 21, his name came up twice on Sanders’ weekly show, which is produced by the school on a public YouTube channel.

This would have been OK if Lewis had officially signed with CU before that. The problem was he hadn’t signed yet and wasn’t allowed to sign until Dec. 4, the first day of the early signing period.

The first mention came on the day that Lewis announced his commitment to Colorado on Nov. 21. The show’s host, Mark Johnson, referenced this big news on the show but didn’t mention Lewis’ name. He asked Sanders how he gets involved with communicating with recruits and their families.

Sanders then gave an example of how he recruited Lewis.

“Hey, get JuJu on the phone and get his pop on the phone,” Sanders said as an example. “See if his dad want to come down and just sit down and chop it up with me.’

‘He sat in my office I think a few weeks ago for a couple hours,’ Deion Sanders said on the show about the father. ‘I said, `C,mon, give it all to me because I know you’ve got a bunch of questions on your mind. Let’s go.’ And we did that. And he walked away feeling really comfortable about where we’re headed.’

`Pulled off YouTube’

The show was taken off YouTube a few hours later after the school noticed “the impermissible publicity” of the unsigned recruit.

Six days later, the same coaches show went live again with Sanders and a different host filling in for Johnson. That host is not a school employee and simply mentioned Lewis when asking Sanders about preparation for a bowl game – a relevant question for any journalist to ask. Sanders didn’t even say Lewis’ name this time in response after a university official immediately interrupted the show to change the subject.

Yet it was still deemed to be impermissible since Lewis was mentioned on the school’s coaches show.

“This time the show was pulled off YouTube within less than an hour,” the school’s report on the matter states. The report states that both incidents were unintentional and “not a direct effort to gain any recruiting advantage.” It also noted that Sanders and Johnson “have both received past rules education about recruiting publicity.”

Self-reporting and correcting such violations is considered a sign of diligence and integrity in the NCAA, as opposed to sweeping them under the rug to avoid trouble. The school didn’t immediately provide additional comment but said in a similar story last year that it was committed to complying with NCAA regulations and that it takes ‘all infractions seriously, regardless of the severity.’

Why was this a violation of NCAA rules?

Like many other NCAA rules, the gag order on unsigned recruits was put in place by member schools for a reason even if it seems trivial. It makes life easier for all NCAA coaches, because without it, they’d feel constant pressure to publicly hype up every recruit they might want to sign.

“The NCAA’s recruiting publicity bylaws were written with the intent of keeping the recruiting process private between university staff and prospective student-athletes, in large part to both help minimize intrusion into prospective student-athletes’ lives and to keep the recruiting environment equitable,” said Joshua Lens, an associate professor at Iowa who previously worked in NCAA rules compliance at Baylor.

Variations of this NCAA rule have been around for decades, according to NCAA records. In 1972, the NCAA reprimanded St. John’s University after its athletic department arranged a press luncheon to announce the commitment of two recruits. In 1982, the NCAA reprimanded West Virginia when its basketball coach participated in a press conference conducted by a recruit to announce his commitment to the program.

What were other Colorado football violations?

The other NCAA reports obtained by USA TODAY Sports all involved minor violations of technical rules, including some that originated in 2023 but apparently didn’t get finally processed until 2024.

In one case, a recruit signed with Colorado on Dec. 20, 2023, and was vacationing in Florida when he met up with an active Colorado player who was in Florida at the time. The active Colorado player’s brother was there, too, and had contact with the same recruit on Dec. 22.

But because the contact came during the NCAA’s recruiting “dead period,” and because this brother is considered a “representative of Colorado’s athletic interests,” this contact was deemed to be a minor violation. As a result, the schools said it would provide rules education and reduce recruiting-person days by two.

The school’s report stated the brother believed that the contact was permissible because he is not on the football staff and not recruiting for Colorado.

In another incident that originated in September 2023, a recruit was taken to a go-karting event for entertainment, which cost $67. But according to NCAA rule 13.6.7.4, an institution may provide only up to $60 per person to entertain a prospective student-athlete. To resolve this $7 transgression, the recruit was declared ineligible for competition until repayment was made to a charity.

“Rules education on entertainment during official visits was provided to the football recruiting staff, and the entire football staff,” the school’s report states.

Other minor violations involved prospective recruits entering a premium seating area at a football game when they shouldn’t have and the impermissible observation of a contact drill by a strength and conditioning coach.

None resulted in serious penalties.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

The Philadelphia Eagles have aspirations of reaching their second Super Bowl in three seasons with a win this Sunday when they host the Washington Commanders, but without a healthy Jalen Hurts those hopes could be squashed.

Hurts missed the final two games of the regular season after suffering a concussion and gave Eagles fans a scare again in the divisional-round win against the Los Angeles Rams.

In Sunday’s divisional-round victory, he came up hobbled after a third-quarter sack. He was bent backward by Desjuan Johnson and Jaylen McCollough.

The quarterback promptly went to the medical tent after the drive. Hurts returned to the game on the Eagles’ next possession, wearing a knee brace and finished the contest.

Here’s the latest on Hurts, including updates on his practice status heading into the NFC championship:

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Jalen Hurts injury update

Hurts was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday. The Eagles held a walkthrough, meaning that the injury report is an estimation.

It’s expected that the quarterback will suit up, especially after he was able to finish the game against the Rams. Whether or not that limits his mobility this week remains to be seen.

Hurts said he is taking it a day at a time, but believes he is on track to play in the NFC championship game.

With the focus shifted to Hurts’ availability for Sunday, his practice status is worth monitoring the rest of the week.

Who is the Eagles backup QB?

The Eagles backup quarterback is Kenny Pickett. Tanner McKee will likely be the emergency quarterback on Sunday afternoon. He can only enter the game if both Hurts and Pickett leave and do not return.

Who are the Eagles playing in NFC championship?

No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 6 seed Washington Commanders

The Eagles will host the Commanders in the NFC championship game this Sunday.

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Hate on the Chiefs.

When you’re winning (most of the time) like Patrick Mahomes and Co., chasing immortality and an historic Super Bowl three-peat mission, this is part of the package.

Not everyone loves you, Andy Reid. Or at least they are not feeling the excellence that your team represents as it prepares to host yet another AFC championship game.

I mean, it flows from back-to-back Super Bowl crowns and three in five years. It involves all of those close calls and clutch moments. There’s the flood of TV commercials, too, that have revealed the coach and star quarterback as appealing pitchmen. Travis Kelce. And the sentiments don’t ignore Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, who has helped make watching NFL games fun for a whole new demographic.

Are people just sick and tired of the Chiefs? Just to be sick and tired?

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Take it from Marlon Humphrey, the All-Pro cornerback now sitting at home with the Baltimore Ravens. Here’s how he summed it up with a social media post on X:

“I have no reason of saying this other than being a hater,” Humphrey posted. “The Bills or whatever NFC team gotta beat the Chiefs. We can’t let them keep getting away with this.”

You might think that Humphrey is a bit salty after just suffering a setback at the hands of the Chiefs.

Nope. That was last year, when the Ravens blew the home-field advantage that they worked so hard to achieve and lost to Kansas City in the AFC title game. This time, Humphrey’s mistake-prone team fell on the sword at Buffalo on Sunday, when the Bills advanced with a divisional playoff win.

So, when Humphrey talks about the Chiefs “getting away” with stuff, he’s apparently speaking for the masses.

Or the Houston Texans. Kansas City’s divisional playoff triumph on Saturday included two controversial Texans penalties for actually touching Mahomes in the heat of the action. How dare they.

Will Anderson was flagged in the first quarter for roughing the passer, a huge third down penalty that kept a drive alive that ended with a field goal. In the third quarter, Henry To’oTo’o was penalized for unnecessary roughness for a play when he actually inflicted more damage on a teammate than the quarterback who slid a bit late. It moved the chains during a 13-play, 81-yard touchdown drive.

Afterward, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans contended, “We knew coming into this game it was us versus everybody.”

In a pool report, referee Clay Martin maintained the calls were the result of the defenders making “forcible contact” to the head and neck area. As much as people want to nitpick, or as much as ESPN analyst Troy Aikman wants to blast the officials in real time, the calls – later backed by Walt Anderson, the league’s senior VP of officiating – followed the letter of the NFL law.

But still. Chiefs haters, promoting a conspiracy theory, will tell you that Mahomes gets the benefit of ticky-tack calls, just like Tom Brady used to receive.

Sure, Mahomes brings some gamesmanship. He has mastered the deke and pump-fake on scrambles, often picking up extra yards by forcing defenders to freeze for an instant.

But the idea that he gets over-the-top favor is a stretch. Remember the time Kadarius Toney lined up offsides? It cost the Chiefs a game and Mahomes went ballistic on the sideline, steamed that they didn’t get a warning rather than a flag.

In any event, the negativity seems so real. It’s to the point that several people I talked to this week in random conversations offered their unsolicited desire to see this Chiefs fall this weekend. I’m guessing they just wanted to put it in the universe.

Regardless, they’ll watch. No team in the NFL is a bigger TV draw than the Chiefs, surpassing the Dallas Cowboys (which still ranks highly despite a decades-long championship drought) in the ratings game.

When the Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season at Buffalo in mid-November, the matchup drew an average of 31.2 million viewers – more than the figure for any NFL regular-season game since 2007, outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve games. And the Christmas blowout at Pittsburgh, with an average of 24.1 million tuning in on Netflix, was one of the most-streamed NFL games yet.

So, sorry, Jerry, while the Chiefs have become “America’s Team” in that they are also the team that (many in) America love to hate.

Just like it was a few years ago, when the New England Patriots’ Evil Empire juiced by Brady and Bill Belichick kept winning Super Bowls.

Face it, Kansas City Chiefs: You’ve earned this. Success breeds contempt.

On Sunday, the Chiefs (16-2) will host the AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium for the sixth time in seven years. And a lot of people will join Humphrey in rooting for the Buffalo Bills. Just because. They are circling the wagons with anti-KC venom.

Sure, it’s a great rematch of the dramatic game in November. Josh Allen is 4-1 in the regular-season games against Mahomes and Co. … and 0-3 in the playoffs. That’s a powerful storyline in itself. Maybe it’s Buffalo’s time.

Yet this is deeper than that. It’s about dethroning the champ. Or people just wanting to see someone fresh in the winner’s circle.

You’re up, Buffalo. With so many honorary members of the Bills Mafia suddenly pulling for you — if for no other reason than to beat the Chiefs.

Bottom line: Don’t hate on the Chiefs. Just beat ‘em. If you can.

Follow Jarrett Bell on X @JarrettBell.

It has been more 22-years since an American man has won the Australian Open. American Ben Shelton is one step closer to ending that drought after advancing to the semifinals in Melbourne, but he will have to go through the defending Australian Open champion to do so.

No. 21 seed Shelton will face off against No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner in one of two men’s semifinals on Friday for a spot in the final. The winner will face either No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev or No. 7 seed Novak Djokovic in the final for the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

Shelton, the last American man remaining in the draw, is looking to win his first major and become the first Amerian man to win the Australian Open since Andre Agassi in 2003.

Meanwhile, Sinner is vying for his second consecutive Australian Open title and third major overall. Sinner came back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in five sets to win the 2024 Australian Open. The world No. 1 also won the 2024 U.S. Open.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN BRACKET: Full schedule, results, TV times

Shelton, 22, said he’s expecting a ‘really tough matchup’ against Sinner. ‘Anytime you get to line up with the best in the world, it’s a great opportunity to improve your game and see where you are at,’ Shelton added.

Sinner, 23, was equally complimentary of his opponent, describing Shelton as ‘one of the best servers on tour.’

Here’s everything to know about the semifinal matchup:

When is Australian Open men’s semifinal?

The match featuring Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday (2:30 a.m. in Melbourne).

The matchup between Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton is scheduled for Friday at 3:30 a.m. ET (7:30 p.m. in Melbourne).

How to watch Ben Shelton vs. Jannik Sinner

The men’s semifinal will be broadcast live on ESPN and also can be streamed live on ESPN+ or the ESPN app. You can also stream matches in Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Watch the Australian Open with a Fubo subscription

Ben Shelton’s path to Australian Open semifinal

Tournament’s No. 21 seed

1st round: Defeated Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 7-5
2nd round: Defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
3rd round: Defeated (16) Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
4th round: Defeated Gael Monfils 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-2), 1-0, Retired
Quarterfinals: Defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4)

Jannik Sinner’s path to Australian Open semifinal

Tournament’s No. 1 seed

1st round: Defeated Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
2nd round: Defeated Tristan Schoolkate 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
3rd round: Defeated Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
4th round: Defeated (13) Holger Rune 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Quarterfinals: Defeated (8) Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 

Sinner vs. Shelton head to head

Sinner leads the head-to-head matchup against Shelton, 4-1. Shelton upset Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in their first ever matchup at the Shanghai Masters in October 2023, but Sinner has defeated Shelton the last four times they have played.

Their most recent meeting was in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters in October, with Sinner coming away with a  6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victory on the outdoor hard court on Shelton’s 22nd birthday.

What does Australian Open winner receive?

Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn the same amount of money for winning the Australian Open. The winner will take home $2.199 million ($3.5 million Australian dollars), with the runner-up pocketing $1.193 million ($1.9 million AUD).

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Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have won eight consecutive playoff games, the third-longest playoff winning streak of all-time. Mahomes will have to go through a familiar foe to extend the streak to nine.

“Two really good football teams going up against each other. They have great players every level, on both sides of the ball, and they’re well coached,” Mahomes said of the Buffalo Bills. “We’ve been able to beat them in the playoffs, and they’ve gotten us in the regular season. But if you look at the games, every game is close, so it just comes down to a play here or there that kind of usually makes an impact on the outcome.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen is 4-1 in the regular season against the Chiefs. Allen had a crucial 26-yard touchdown run on fourth down that ended Kansas City’s undefeated bid in Week 11.

Conversely, Mahomes is 3-0 versus Allen and the Bills in the postseason. One of the wins being an epic 2021 divisional round matchup during which Kansas City tied the ballgame on a 13-second drive in the fourth quarter and won in overtime.

Mahomes is entering Sunday tied for the second-most postseason wins by a starting quarterback (16). The three-time Super Bowl champion has the fifth-most playoff touchdown passes (42) and eighth-most postseason passing yards (5,312) in NFL history.

All things Chiefs: Latest Kansas City Chiefs news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Mahomes has 918 passing yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in three playoff contests versus Buffalo.

“You just have to know you have to play your best football. I mean, I’ve played against Josh enough times to know that he’s gonna come out there and play great football, especially in those big moments,” Mahomes told reporters. “I have to play my best football whenever I get the opportunity to and try to put our team in the best positions to succeed. And if that’s limiting turnovers, if that’s changing the field position, whatever that is you have to find a way that day to win. When you go up against a great quarterback, it takes your best as well.”

A key factor for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense to perform their best is to figure out a way to get the football to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He caught only three balls for 29 yards in the team’s Week 11 loss to Buffalo. The veteran wideout was held without a catch in Kansas City’s divisional win versus the Houston Texans. Rookie Xavier Worthy was the Chiefs’ only wide receiver to record a catch against Houston.

Hopkins, who’s been in the NFL for 12 years, has never played in an AFC championship game. The five-time Pro Bowler has registered 41 receptions, 437 yards and four touchdowns in 10 regular-season games in a Chiefs uniform. He’s a savvy receiver, with sure hands and a big catch radius. Kansas City acquired Hopkins in an October trade with the Tennessee Titans for moments like this.

“Childhood dream,” Hopkins said about playing for a chance to reach the Super Bowl. “I played Madden growing up (and) always tried to get to that Super Bowl game. So as a kid, that’s a lifelong goal.”

Sunday will be the biggest game of Hopkins’ career. But head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes are well accustomed to the pressure. The coach and quarterback have led the Chiefs to the AFC championship game for seven straight seasons. A third consecutive Super Bowl berth will require beating a team they know all too well.

 “I feel like we play these guys all the time,” Reid said. “They know us. We know them.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

The Miami Heat suspended forward Jimmy Butler two games after he missed a team flight, a person with knowledge of the punishment told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the Heat announced the suspension.

It is Butler’s second suspension this month. The Heat on Jan. 3 suspended him seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks. Through his actions and statements, he has shown he no longer wants to be part of this team. Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.”

Late Wednesday, the Heat released a statement: ‘We have suspended Jimmy Butler for two games for continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing today’s team flight to Milwaukee.’

Butler returned from his suspension Friday and has played in Miami’s past three games – a loss to Denver, a victory against San Antonio and a loss to Portland. He will Thursday’s game at Milwaukee and Saturday’s game at Brooklyn.

The Butler-Heat saga continues to be a distraction for Miami, which is 21-21 and competing for a postseason spot with several other Eastern Conference teams hovering around .500.

On Tuesday, the Suns acquired three first-round draft picks in a trade with Utah to help facilitate a deal that would land Butler. It is not an easy trade to make. Suns guard Bradley Beal would have to waive his no-trade clause, and more than likely, a third or fourth team would need to be involved.

The trade deadline is February 6.

(This story was updated with new information.)

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

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