Penn State coach James Franklin wants Saban as football commissioner

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. >> Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“I think he’s the obvious choice, right?” Franklin said.

Franklin said that because there isn’t a leader dedicated solely to college football, conference commissioners are left to handle the task themselves. That’s led to bickering between the leagues because different conferences have different interests.

“I think one of the most important things that we can do is let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night, making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football,” Franklin said.

The 73-year-old Saban is now an analyst for ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

Washington State hires S.D. State’s Rogers

PULLMAN, Wash.>> Washington State hired South Dakota State’s Jimmy Rogers as its head football coach.

Rogers replaces Jake Dickert, who left to become Wake Forest’s head coach Dec. 18.

Finland beats U.S. 4-3 in OT in world championship

OTTAWA, Ontario>> Tuomas Uronen scored at 1:46 of overtime to give Finland a 4-3 victory over the United States on Sunday in the world junior hockey championship.

Uronen, who plays for the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League, came down the right side on a rush and beat goalie Trey Augustine high to the glove side.

The defending champion Americans lost for the first time in three games. They’ll finish Group A play Tuesday night against Canada.

Ljutic gives Croatian women’s team its first win since 2006

SEMMERING, Austria>> Zrinka Ljutic gave the Croatian women’s ski team its first World Cup victory since March 2006 by triumphing in the final race of the calendar year.

Ljutic dominated the fourth slalom of the season, posted the fastest times in both runs and won by a huge margin of 1.75 seconds over runner-up Lena Duerr of Germany.

Katharina Liensberger finished 1.85 behind in third.

Naomi Osaka says she won’t “hang around” if the results don’t come

WELLINGTON, New Zealand>> Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka says she won’t “hang around” in tennis if her results fail to match her high expectations.

The 27-year-old Japanese player will play at the ASB tennis classic in Auckland on Monday. “I don’t think I’m the type of player that would hang around,” Osaka said. “The point of my life that I’m at right now, if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while.”

Ohtani, wife will add a rookie to lineup in 2025

LOS ANGELES>> Shohei Ohtani is adding a newcomer to his family lineup. The 30-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers superstar posted on his Instagram account Saturday that he and his 28-year-old wife, Mamiko Tanaka, are expecting a baby in 2025. The photo included a pink ruffled onesie.

“Can’t wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!” it said.

— The Associated Press