Nick Saban thinks college football needs to be fixed and that the federal government should become involved in the fixing. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., shares that belief, and he warns that the sport is “in danger.”

In danger of what, exactly?

Also, how and why should the federal government be involved in fixing college football’s problems, insomuch as they exist?

And, goodness me, why should President Donald Trump insert himself into this situation?

I’ve heard few coherent solutions from Saban or Tuberville. Mostly, I hear complaints from two retired coaches pining for the good ol’ days, when coaches enjoyed omnipotence and ruled like kings, while athletes enjoyed fewer freedoms and less compensation.

Saban and Tuberville got in Trump’s ear last week. The president is considering an executive order that would address payments to college athletes, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.

Again, I ask, why should Trump be involved? How would an executive order lawfully and effectively improve college football? Why should the president restrict athlete movement or place regulations on college athletics’ unfettered name, image and likeness marketplace that state legislation and the court system unlocked? How would uncorking a presidential bailout for the NCAA, an unpopular organization, amount to good politics?

Saban and Tuberville want Trump to listen to their college football gripes. The president should ignore them and call on college football’s leaders to fix their own problems.

BEST OF BEST: Our ranking of college football’s top 25 coaches

Donald Trump, tell college football leaders to fix their own problems

Trump campaigned on deregulation and a pledge to whittle down government inefficiencies. He likes to say voters gave him a mandate when they ushered him back into office. Trump was not elected on a mandate to install more federal regulations or clog business opportunities.

Any conservative worth his salt ought to remember Ronald Reagan saying during his presidency that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’

With the spirit of Reagan in mind, the 12 most terrifying words to a college athlete probably sound something like: ‘I’m from the federal government, and I’m here to ‘fix’ college sports.’

Legal expert Michael McCann explained Monday on ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ that any executive order that limits athlete compensation would insert chaos and unleash a new batch of legal challenges, instead of providing stability.

College football doesn’t need Trump to make it great again. It remains great, and whatever its shortcomings, those are for college football’s leaders to address, not the president.

Steve Berman, a lead attorney representing current and former athletes in an ongoing class-action lawsuit against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences, skewered Saban for being “a hypocrite” and “an opponent of NIL from the start.” He encouraged Trump to embrace the free market and not hinder athletes’ deal-making ability.

“The president says he is the greatest business person ever,” Berman said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Why would he do anything to limit the business deals students are negotiating for their NIL?”

Indeed, alternatives to federal legislation or presidential action include allowing the NIL market to regulate itself. Also, the NCAA could pursue collective bargaining with athletes and try to claw back roster control and transfer protections. College sports leaders grow weary of the NIL and transfer markets, while not pursuing collective bargaining, and they lobby for a federal bailout. Why should they get one?

This open market is a win for athletes and their earning opportunities. Salaries for coaches and administrators keep soaring, too. Athletic department revenues swell on the backs of rich media rights deals and new revenue streams like the expanded College Football Playoff and the NCAA loosening restrictions on things like sponsorship logos on football fields.

And former coaches groan.

Nick Saban, Tommy Tuberville pine for days of omnipotence

Saban cannot stand that the athletes he used to coach make millions in an unregulated marketplace while enjoying the freedom to transfer from school to school. Drives him bonkers.

He misses the unchecked power coaches enjoyed before a series of court rulings shattered that structure and unwound NCAA policies that restricted athlete freedoms. Saban retired from coaching in 2024 rather than persist within this NIL landscape, which he grumbles keeps getting worse.

“I mean, where does it end?” Saban said last winter on ESPN, while referencing athletes’ swelling paydays.

I don’t know, Nick, where do defensive coordinator salaries end? Penn State made Jim Knowles the first $3 million coordinator this offseason. That’s $3 million for a coordinator, not a coach.

If college football is indeed in danger, the folks cutting the checks don’t seem to think it demands a course-correct on coaching staff spending.

In 1996, Steve Spurrier became the first college football coach to earn a million-dollar salary. Now, salaries for mediocre coaches top $6 million. Salaries for good coaches exceed $10 million.

Would Saban like politicians to restrict coaches’ earning potential? I think not. As for athletes’ ballooning compensation, let the market regulate those deals, not politicians.  

Among Tuberville’s grievances is that athletes have “no loyalty” today, as they transfer in search of their next NIL deal. Let’s consider the source of this complaint.

Tuberville once claimed to be so devoted to coaching Mississippi that they’d have to carry him out of town “in a pine box.” He left two days later, not in a pine box, but on a private jet bound for Auburn. Two-faced Tuberville jilted Mississippi to coach an SEC rival.

Years later, Tuberville left a dinner he was having with Texas Tech recruits and never returned. A day later, those recruits learned Tuberville vamoosed to become Cincinnati’s coach.

This weasel now wants you to believe college football rots while athletes strike NIL deals and transfer freely from school to school. The federal government, Tuberville says, needs to insert itself into the situation and help “level the playing field.”

Tuberville, in an interview with Tuscaloosa radio station 100.9 The Game, called for a government crackdown on the transfer portal and federalizing NIL rules so that they don’t vary from state to state. So much for limited government and states’ rights, huh?

Saban agrees college football suffers from an unlevel playing field, as if this is some sort of new development. He’s called for regulations that create ‘competitive balance.”

“It’s whoever wants to pay the most money, raise the most money, buy the most players is going to have the best opportunity to win,” Saban said in March. “I don’t think that’s the spirit of college athletics.’

Some might call that the spirit of smart business: Assemble the best talent, pay them well and trust that gives you an optimal chance at success and revenue.

News flash to Saban and Tuberville: College football lacked competitive balance long before NIL. This always has been a sport of the haves and the have-nots, a sport influenced by deep-pocketed boosters, rich television contracts and under-the-table paydays for athletes, before state legislation combined with a unanimous Supreme Court ruling unlocked the NIL marketplace in 2021.

Tuberville was an assistant coach at Miami (Fla.) in the 1990s, when the NCAA determined the Hurricanes’ football program engaged in a pay-for-play scandal. Now, pay-for-play is the rule of college football, out of the shadows. This frontier unnerves Tuberville.

Hey, he’s from the government, and he wants to help. Terrifying words, still. Whatever college football’s problems, I wouldn’t trust federal bureaucrats or out-to-pasture coaches to implement smart, fair and effective solutions.

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

James Franklin repeated his history of arguing with fans in the stands during Penn State’s spring game.
You know what you’re going to get with James Franklin at Penn State. He’ll win most of his games but lose the biggest ones.
Penn State’s talent, schedule set up Nittany Lions to pursue national championship. But, can James Franklin find some poise?

A video recording from the team’s spring game showed Franklin arguing with a heckling fan, complete with finger pointing from Penn State’s thin-skinned coach.

Franklin has a history of this behavior, although I didn’t figure he was due for another yell-at-the-fans meltdown for a few more months – after, say, a loss to Oregon or Ohio State.

Penn State enters this season with big aspirations and national championship possibilities. That’s the good news. The counterargument? Big-game James tends to crack when the spotlight brightens.

Which is a shame for Franklin and his Nittany Lions, because he’s figured out so much else about how to operate a program at a high level.

Penn State’s trajectory is pointing up after the best season in Franklin’s tenure. The Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. They’re talented enough to return to that round or more. Advancing further would require a level of poise that’s mostly eluded Franklin and his teams in clutch moments.

For Franklin, this season offers a potential narrative-changing opportunity. His sturdy, veteran-laden roster includes a quarterback who generates buzz with NFL evaluators. The schedule is favorable.

Penn State will host Oregon and play at Ohio State. It should be favored in its other 10 games, complete with three non-conference cupcakes. It’s an ideal team and schedule combination for another playoff bid.

If Franklin finally breaks through and wins an elusive national championship, can’t you just see the narrative shifting to label him as a quirky and fiery program builder who coaches hard-nosed teams?

If Franklin wilts, that cements the idea that, as impressive as his win percentage is, he’s a hot-headed oddball who flops in big games while consistently beating up on the Big Ten’s soft underbelly.

So, what’s it going to be? More meltdowns, or, finally, will Franklin show some resolve, steeliness and poise under pressure? No sign of that yet. Just more arguments with fans.

BEST OF BEST: Our ranking of college football’s top 25 coaches

Penn State among national championship front-runners

The Nittany Lions are on oddsmakers’ shortlist of national championship frontrunners. They rank No. 2 nationally in the latest USA TODAY “too-early” top-25 rankings.

Penn State survived the spring free agency window without enduring significant loss, and it added Syracuse’s leading receiver, Trebor Pena, to give quarterback Drew Allar another weapon.

Pena addresses a need. Penn State’s wide receiver insufficiency became exposed in the playoff semifinals. Not a single Nittany Lions wide receiver caught a pass in the loss to Notre Dame. Pena joins Devonte Ross from Troy and Kyron Hudson of Southern California as impact wide receiver additions. Those three transfers combined for 198 receptions last season.

No need to worry about Penn State’s running backs. Stars Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen returned.

I delayed mention of perhaps the biggest offseason development: Penn State plundered defensive coordinator Jim Knowles off Ryan Day’s Ohio State staff. The Nittany Lions got the deal done by making Knowles the first $3 million in college football history.

If you can’t beat ‘em, raid ‘em.

Can James Franklin finally topple Ryan Day?

Even after all that, can Franklin beat Ohio State? It would defy history.

He’s 1-10 in his career against Ohio State, including an 0-6 mark against Day.

True to form, Franklin argued with a fan after losing to Ohio State in 2024. Call it playing the hits. He previously argued with a fan after a loss to Ohio State in 2018.

Add in Penn State’s Big Ten championship loss to Oregon last season and Franklin’s bleak record against Michigan, and you get the portrait of a coach who rarely misfires against the Big Ten’s middle and lower tiers but can’t land the punch against the heavyweights.

If this is all there is for Franklin, it’s certainly not nothing. He made Vanderbilt a Top 25 program, a true feat, and he’s achieved more regular Big Ten success than Joe Paterno, who more consistently thrived when the program operated as an independent.  

But, when you combine this roster with this manageable schedule, why can’t Penn State be more than it’s been previously?

When I consider that question, I see Franklin losing his composure and arguing with a fan on a spring afternoon, and it’s just tough to picture that guy dethroning Ohio State, when Franklin has already found his midseason stride.

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

Aaron Gordon has played a crucial role in the success of the Denver Nuggets throughout the early rounds of the NBA postseason.

He hit a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left on the clock in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals that put the Nuggets ahead and proved to be the difference in a 121-119 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder and took the 1-0 series lead.

‘When I shot it, did I know it was in? I knew it wasn’t a miss,” Gordon said.

Gordon is shooting 44% from three this season after showing improvement from his career average of 33.1% through his 11-year NBA career.

“I’ve worked a lot on my jumper,” Gordon said. “You guys have seen the maturation of it, it’s nice to have it all culminate in a game-winner.”

It wasn’t the first game-winner Gordon had for the Nuggets during the postseason.

The veteran power forward had secured a 101-99 Game 4 victory for Denver with a putback dunk with .01 seconds left on the clock against the L.A. Clippers. Gordon collected a rebound before the clock expired after Nikola Jokić’s 3-pointer fell short of the basket.

According to the NBA, it was the first game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk in the league’s playoffs in the play-by-play era (since 1998). The dunk helped the Nuggets even the series 2-2.

“He’s the soul of this team,” Jokic said about Gordon. “He’s a glue guy and doesn’t get as much respect as he deserves, but he doesn’t need attention, he knows what he’s doing, and I’m happy for him.”

Gordon earned the admiration of the Denver fan base for all he’s doing off the court. He became a man of the people when he was seen in a video celebrating with fans in the street after winning the NBA championship in 2023.

Gordon also stepped up for his family following the death of his older brother and former professional basketball player, Drew Gordon, who died in a car accident in Oregon in May of 2024.

“It gets greater later, so stick with it,” Aaron said when asked during the press conference what advice he would share with his nephews in the future. “Be a demonstration of resilience.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic take center stage

Jokic and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved why they are among the three NBA MVP finalists with their Game 1 performance.

Jokic produced a double-double with 42 points and 22 rebounds in 42 minutes of play for Denver. Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes for OKC. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is the other finalist for the award.

Several regular-season award winners have been announced in recent days, but a date has not been set for the announcement of the MVP award winner.

When is Game 2 between Nuggets and Thunder?

The Nuggets will host the Thunder on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center. The game will air on TNT.

It’s looking precarious for Donovan Mitchell and the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pacers stunned the Cavs once again in the second round of the NBA playoffs, stealing Game 2 on Tuesday night, 120-119, after Indiana scored the game’s final eight points inside the final 50 seconds of the game.

The loss puts Cleveland in an 0-2 hole, with the series now heading to Indianapolis and Cleveland still needing to contend with injury issues. All-Stars Evan Mobley and Darius Garland and key bench player De’Andre Hunter missed Game 2, and their status for Game 3 is in question.

Here are the winners and losers from Game 2 of the second-round playoff series between the No. 4 Indiana Pacers and No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers:

WINNERS

The Pacers don’t quit

Since 2005, teams carrying a seven-point lead in the final 48 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime of postseason games, entering Tuesday night, had a combined record of 1,679-2 — a winning percentage of .999.

Not only did the Pacers make it 1,679-3, they also own two of those victories, with the other coming exactly one week ago, in their Game 5 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s a remarkable statistic, and one that hints to a spectacular amount of luck, but it also is a marker of Indiana’s resiliency and resourceful play in the clutch.

Aaron Nesmith

The 25-year-old Nesmith scored 15 of his playoff career-high 23 points in the second half and was a massive spark the Pacers needed on both ends of the floor. Aside from his five drained 3-pointers, the plays he’ll be remembered for most are his putback dunk on a Pascal Siakam missed free throw and an offensive foul he drew just seconds later.

The dunk was the first basket of Indiana’s 8-0 run to close the game, and the foul created a key change of possession.

Donovan Mitchell

Needing to carry the Cavs, Mitchell was masterful. He scored 48 points on 15-of-30 shooting and added 9 assists. What was most impressive was the way Mitchell — as he continues to struggle with shots from the perimeter — relentlessly attacked Indiana in the paint.

Mitchell accounted for half of Cleveland’s 56 points in the paint all by himself. And when he didn’t finish, he often got to the line, converting 17-of-21 free throws.

LOSERS

Donovan Mitchell

His offensive dominance aside, Mitchell is a player whose teams have made the postseason each of the eight seasons he has played in the NBA. He has reached the conference semis four times. He has never advanced beyond that.

With the Cavaliers facing an 0-2 deficit and the series headed to Indiana, and with the Cavaliers facing injury issues, Mitchell is in danger of — again — seeing his postseason cut short.

Indiana’s ball security issues

The Pacers finished Tuesday’s game with 18 turnovers, which was one more than they had in Game 1. It’s tough to argue with a 2-0 lead, but turnovers — for a team that ranked second in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22) — persist as Indiana’s biggest issue this series.

The first quarter was particularly sloppy, with the Pacers committing nine turnovers. It was no surprise to see Indiana shoot 31.3% from the floor in the period, 12.5% from 3, score just 15 points and carry a 17-point deficit into the start of the second. If Cleveland needs a way back in the series, this would be the place to start.

Max Strus struggles in the second half

Nine of his 23 points did come after halftime, but Strus went cold from deep, going just 1-of-5 from 3-point range in the second half. His most egregious blunder, however, was unquestionably a careless pass he lobbed on an inbound when Cleveland was up three with 24.7 seconds to go.

Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard easily stole the pass, and it led to that wild Indiana finish.

Two weeks ago, Shedeur Sanders was expected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. The consensus No. 2 quarterback in the class led college football in completion percentage in 2024 and helped the Colorado Buffaloes to their first nine-win season since 2014.

But Sanders slid from Round 1 to Round 5 as the Cleveland Browns traded up to secure a potential starting quarterback for the 2025 season.

His slide was the biggest storyline of draft weekend. Now, a Colorado Buffaloes fan is seeking $100 million in damages in a lawsuit filed against the NFL for Sanders’ drop to the fifth round, according to a filing obtained by USA TODAY.

The plaintiff – referred to as John Doe in the filing – alleges in the complaint that ‘the NFL’s actions and the dissemination of slanderous statements have caused severe emotional distress and trauma.’

Per the filing, Doe is a Georgia resident and a ‘dedicated fan of Colorado football’ who attended the Colorado vs. TCU football game in 2023. The Buffaloes won 45-42 as Sanders completed 38 of 47 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns.

Doe alleges that the reports of Sanders’ performance in interviews ‘contributed to a narrative that has unjustly harmed his reputation as and potential as a player.’

The filing alleges the NFL violated:

The Sherman Antitrust Act because teams colluded to influence Sanders’ fall to the fifth round;
The Civil Rights Act because that fall ‘may have been influenced by racial discrimination’
Consumer protection laws because the league misrepresented the ‘nature of the drafting process and qualifications of players.’

The plaintiff is seeking $100 million in punitive damages.

The lawsuit was filed in a U.S. District Court in Atlanta. At the time of publishing, the NFL has not put out a statement in response to the lawsuit.

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Golden State All-Star guard Steph Curry is day-to-day and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday, according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Curry exited Tuesday night’s Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and went to the locker room with what appeared to be left hamstring discomfort at 8:19 of the second quarter. The Warriors later announced Curry would not return. The Warriors stole the opener, 99-88.

“I talked to him at halftime,” Kerr said after the game. “He’s obviously crushed, but the guys picked him up and played a great game. Obviously we’re all concerned about Steph, but it’s part of the game. Guys get hurt, you move on.

‘Our guys did a great job of moving on and getting a great win 48 hours after a Game 7 road win. It’s an amazing group of guys. These guys — they compete, they’re together. We’ve been the best defense in the league since the Jimmy trade, and that’s what’s keeping us afloat right now.”

Game 2 is Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT) in Minneapolis.

Curry was grabbing at his left hamstring area multiple times in the second quarter, and after Draymond Green made a 3-pointer and Minnesota called timeout, Curry left the game with the Warriors leading 30-20. The Warriors’ victory gave road teams a 5-0 start to the second round, an NBA record.

Curry had 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-6 on 3-pointers. After his last made shot, he motioned for Kerr to sub him out, and Brandin Podziemski checked in as Curry headed to the locker room.

The 11-time All-Star had another outstanding season (24.5 points, 6.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds per game and 39.7% 3-point shooting) and his ability to perform like that at 37 years old is a major reason why the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler from Miami in a trade deadline deal in February. Since acquiring Butler, the Warriors have been one of the best teams in the league.

The seventh-seeded Warriors defeated the second-seeded Houston Rockets in seven games in the first round, and Curry averaged 24.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals and shot 47.1% from the field and 39.2% on 3s against Houston.

(This story has been updated with new information).