This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
Good morning and Happy Halloween! Carter Bahns here with you on the final day of October. In the mood for something spooky on this holiday? How about a walk through a haunted house filled with the 10 most frightening players in NFL history? Or perhaps you could simply rewatch the Ravens’ dismantling of the Dolphins on “Thursday Night Football,” because that was a terrifyingly dominant performance from Lamar Jackson and friends.
This weekend will also get scary for a number of College Football Playoff contenders, as the losers of a handful of de facto elimination games will be up against it in their search for postseason bids.
We’ll take a look at those key college football matchups, Week 9 in the NFL and tonight’s potential World Series clincher in this edition of your morning newsletter.
🐦⬛ Five things to know Friday
- Lamar Jackson threw four touchdowns in his victorious return to the Ravens’ lineup. Is it too little, too late for Baltimore? Thursday’s 28-6 win over the Dolphins was never in doubt, and the Ravens looked like the best version of themselves — one that could contend for a championship. It would take a colossal effort to pull themselves out of a 2-5 hole, but they picked up win No. 3 with Jackson back in the lineup and, importantly, stiffened up on defense. The Dolphins, on the other hand, appear entirely lost.
- MLB will crown a World Series champion this weekend — perhaps tonight. The Blue Jays can put a bow on the baseball season tonight with a win over the Dodgers. Los Angeles, meanwhile, needs a win to force a Game 7 on Saturday. That will be a challenge given that the series shifts back to Toronto for the final two games and that the Dodgers’ offense has not been as productive as it needs to be throughout the series. Dave Roberts’ squad holds a decisive pitching advantage, but the Blue Jays have been electric at the plate all postseason and need just one more strong showing to win the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993.
- The Nationals are reportedly set to hire Blake Butera as manager. Butera, 33, will become MLB’s youngest skipper since 1972. This is Butera’s first managerial role since he led the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs to league championships in 2021 and 2022. He also spent two years with the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades and was, at the time, the youngest manager in Minor League Baseball. He most recently served in a variety of coaching and player development roles with the Rays. The Nationals now have their replacement for Dave Martinez, and Butera will be tasked with overseeing a rebuild that got stuck in the mud during the latter stages of his predecessor’s tenure.
- Matt Rhule landed a contract extension at Nebraska, clouding the Penn State coaching search. Rhule will remain under contract with the Cornhuskers through 2032 as a result of the two-year extension. While the new deal reportedly does not come with a raise, it does include a $15 million buyout on his side of the contract should he leave prior to the 2026 season. That effectively takes him out of the running for the Penn State job after he emerged as a potential candidate.
- LSU and athletic director Scott Woodward will part ways amid the Tigers’ football coaching search. The writing was on the wall for Woodward after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the athletic director would not hire the Tigers’ replacement for Brian Kelly due to his track record of owing colossal buyouts to fired coaches. Woodward’s departure comes just days after he fired Kelly, triggering a massive $53 million buyout good for the second-largest in college football history.
🏆 Do not miss this: 2025 NFL midseason awards
Getty Images
The midway point of the 2025 NFL regular season has arrived, and the first eight weeks featured some truly remarkable individual performances. Not everything went according to expectations along the way. For instance, who thought Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor would have the Colts on track to compete for the Super Bowl?
Those Indianapolis stars both picked up quite a few votes for our midseason NFL awards. The panel of 14 voters across CBS Sports named its picks for MVP, Offensive and Defensive players of the year and more. Below are the results.
- MVP: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
- Offensive Player of the Year: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
- Defensive Player of the Year: Browns DE Myles Garrett
- Offensive Rookie of the Year: Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka
- Defensive Rookie of the Year: Browns ILB Carson Schwesinger and Giants OLB Abdul Carter
- Comeback Player of the Year: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
- Coach of the Year: Shane Steichen, Colts
🏈 NFL Week 9 preview, picks
Getty Images
The second half of the campaign opens with one of the NFL’s biggest regular-season matchups: Bills vs. Chiefs. Could we be looking at an AFC Championship Game preview? It is entirely likely that Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are set to meet for the first of multiple times this year in a battle between two premier Super Bowl contenders.
Tyler Sullivan is riding with the Bills straight-up in the game of the week. He likes Buffalo to win, 28-24, as a home underdog. He also outlined his predictions for the rest of the slate, including the prime time matchups between the Seahawks and Commanders on “Sunday Night Football” and the Cardinals and Cowboys on “Monday Night Football.”
- Seahawks 30, Commanders 24: “This could be another game where Washington’s defense is exposed. In the past three contests, the Commanders are giving up a league-high 32.3 points per game, and opposing quarterbacks are averaging a 111.2 passer rating over that stretch. The duo of Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba could go off in prime time.”
- Cardinals 30, Cowboys 27: “The Cowboys are allowing opposing quarterbacks to post a 112.0 passer rating this season — worst in the league. That should set up Kyler Murray for a roaring return, with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride likely able to get open early and often.”
🏈 College football Week 10 outlook, best bets
Getty Images
November brings the home stretch of college football’s regular season, raising the stakes for the teams contending for spots in the College Football Playoff. It often provides de facto CFP elimination games, and the clash between No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 14 Tennessee arguably falls under that umbrella with the loser set to pick up a third loss. No. 9 Vanderbilt travels to No. 20 Texas for a game that could push the Longhorns out of the race, too. And in the Big 12, No. 24 Utah needs a win over No. 17 Cincinnati to stay afloat in the conference title race.
Those are the three ranked matchups on the Week 10 schedule, and there are a number of other showdowns with implications of their own. Can USC keep its CFP dark horse status alive on the road at Nebraska? Will No. 10 Miami take care of business in a trip to SMU?
Here are Tom Fornelli’s best bets for the biggest games of the week:
- No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah — Under 55.5: “In Big 12 play, the Utes’ defense leads the conference in pressure and sack rates. If that unit can overwhelm Cincinnati’s offensive line to take away the run game, can the Bearcats do enough in the air to score points?”
- No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Texas — Under 45.5: “Texas ranks second nationally in EPA per rush on defense. The Longhorns should be able to minimize the damage Diego Pavia and the Vandy rushing attack are able to do, and if that happens, I’m not overly confident in Vandy being able to drop back in the passing game and tear Texas to shreds.”
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
Getty Images
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
🏀 NBA Cup: Celtics at 76ers, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 No. 25 Memphis at Rice, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏒 Islanders at Capitals, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏈 North Carolina at Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ World Series, Game 6: Dodgers at Blue Jays, 8 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Sam Houston at Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 NBA Cup: Lakers at Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video
Saturday
⚽ Arsenal at Burnley, 11 a.m. on USA Network
🏈 Army at Air Force, noon on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 10 Miami at SMU, noon on ESPN
🏈 Penn State at No. 1 Ohio State, noon on Fox
🏈 No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Texas, noon on ABC
🏈 West Virginia at No. 22 Houston, noon on FS1
🏈 No. 16 Louisville at Virginia Tech, 3 p.m. on The CW
🏈 No. 5 Georgia vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 2 Indiana at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 12 Notre Dame at Boston College, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 13 Texas Tech at Kansas State, 3:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ MLS Playoffs, Round One, Game 2: Charlotte FC at New York City FC, 3:30 p.m. on Apple TV+
🏈 No. 15 Virginia at California, 3:45 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ Aston Villa at Liverpool, 4 p.m. on USA Network
⚽ MLS Playoffs, Round One, Game 2: Philadelphia Union at Chicago Fire FC, 5:30 p.m. on Apple TV+
🏇 Breeders’ Cup Classic, 6:25 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Warriors at Pacers, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🥊 UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama, 7 p.m. on ESPN+
🏈 South Carolina at No. 7 Ole Miss, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Purdue at No. 21 Michigan, 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏈 Washington State at Oregon State, 7:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 8 Georgia Tech at NC State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 18 Oklahoma at No. 14 Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 23 USC at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
⚾ World Series, Game 7 (if necessary): Dodgers at Blue Jays, 8 p.m. on Fox
⚽ MLS Playoffs, Round One, Game 2: Inter Miami CF at Nashville SC, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV+
⚽ MLS Playoffs, Round One, Game 2: San Diego FC at Portland Timbers, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV+
⚽ MLS Playoffs, Round One, Game 2: Vancouver Whitecaps FC at FC Dallas, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV+
🏀 NBA Mexico City Game: Mavericks vs. Pistons, 10 p.m. on Peacock
🏈 No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday
🏈 Falcons at Patriots, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 49ers at Giants, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Bears at Bengals, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Colts at Steelers, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Chargers at Titans, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Panthers at Packers, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Broncos at Texans, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Vikings at Lions, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏁 NASCAR Playoffs at Phoenix, 3 p.m. on NBC
⚽ San Diego Wave at Kansas City Current, 3 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Jaguars at Raiders, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Saints at Rams, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Chiefs at Bills, 4:25 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Gotham FC at NC Courage, 5 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ MLS Playoffs, Round One, Game 2: FC Cincinnati at Columbus Crew, 6:30 p.m. on Apple TV+
🏈 Seahawks at Commanders, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
⚽ MLS Playoffs, Round One, Game 2: Los Angeles FC at Austin FC, 8:30 p.m. on FS1/Apple TV+