Yankees, Dodgers set for World Series Game 1; Rams upset Vikings; NFL, college football picks for the weekend

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 to all, but especially to …

THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Welcome to the World Series, everyone! Yankees-Dodgers gets underway tonight in Los Angeles in what is shaping up to be a Fall Classic for the ages.

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge lead the way. They’ll be the MVPs of their respective leagues, and they’re not just MVPs but superstars. They both had 50-home run seasons. Ohtani had the first 50-homer, 50-steal season ever. They — who else? — lead Mike Axisa’s top 10 storylines.

There are plenty more stars all over the place — Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole to name a few — but how about some unsung heroes? Both teams have had plenty so far, and in his bold predictions, Mike Axisa projects a surprise MVP choice.

Listen, you may not love either of these franchises. I get it. They’re polarizing to say the least. But as Matt Snyder writes, this World Series is great for the sport of baseball.

• Snyder: “There isn’t room for any argument that this specific matchup is stale, either. A Dodgers-Yankees World Series hasn’t happened since 1981 … Most most importantly, this is truly a battle of the titans. … We don’t need to split hairs about the playoff format, lamenting that the playoffs weren’t a representation of the regular season. We don’t need to sit around and invent reasons that the underdogs toppled the best teams. We just get to sit back and watch the best go to battle.”

Here’s more:

I’m going Dodgers in seven.

😃 Honorable mentions

🏈 And not such a good morning for …

THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Undefeated for five weeks, the Vikings now have two losses in five days after a 30-20 upset loss to the Rams.

• With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in the lineup, Matthew Stafford played his best game of the season, tossing four touchdowns passing — he had three all season prior — and not taking a single sack.
• Kupp had 51 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Nacua had 111 yards total. Kyren Williams continued his terrific play with 116 yards total and a touchdown, and Demarcus Robinson reeled in two touchdowns catches.
• Defensively, the Rams generated lots of pressure and three sacks — the final one by Byron Young for a controversial safety to seal the win — and allowed just 64 yards rushing.

Much of that pressure came after Minnesota standout tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) left and didn’t return, another area of concern for Minnesota. On the other side, after allowing a season-high 31 points to the Lions, the defense struggled again. It allowed 6.3 yards per pass over the first five weeks and has allowed 9.5 over the last two.

No, I don’t think Minnesota’s defense has been figured out. But I do think the game’s sharpest minds — Ben Johnson/Jared Goff and Sean McVay/Stafford — have found some areas to attack. Time for Brian Flores and the Vikes to respond.

Finally, remember those Kupp trade rumors? At 3-4, the Rams are just one game back in an uncertain, injury-ravaged NFC West. I don’t think Kupp’s going anywhere.

😓 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL Week 8 picks: desperation time for 49ers, Cowboys?

OK, onto the rest of Week 8, where the headliner is Cowboys-49ers (especially if Jayden Daniels misses a potential showdown against Caleb Williams). I’m really not sure which team needs this one more.

Who gets the much-needed win? John Breech says …

• Breech: “One reason the Cowboys are giving up so many points is because they can’t stop the run. … The problem with that is that they’re about to face a 49ers team that loves to run the ball. … Kyle Shanahan always seems to be one step ahead of Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys and 49ers have faced each other three times over the past 34 months and the 49ers have won all three meetings with the Cowboys averaging just 13 points per game. THE PICK: 49ers 24-16 over Cowboys“

Here are all of our expert picks/best bets:

We here at the CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter went 2-1 last week, and that actually lowered our season record to 15-4. This week, we’ll roll with …

• Dolphins over Cardinals
• Bills over Seahawks (this one will be really fun)
• Bears over Commanders

🏈 College football Week 9 picks, plus huge games for CFP contenders

In Week 1, LSU lost to USC, and Texas A&M lost at home to Notre Dame. One week later, Notre Dame lost at home to Northern Illinois, still the largest upset this season.

In seasons past, those losses would have ended championship dreams. Good seasons and good bowl games would have still been on the table, but a title? Sorry.

But it’s a whole new world with the 12-team playoff, and the Tigers, Aggies and Fighting Irish can take advantage … if they continue their winning ways as they headline Week 9. No. 8 LSU visits No. 14 Texas A&M (preview) for first place in the SEC, and No. 12 Notre Dame faces No. 25 Navy (preview) in a crucial week for teams on the CFP bubble.

Brandon Marcello details how the Tigers got back on track.

Notre Dame at Navy, meanwhile, meet for the 97th time, and it’s been a long time since it’s been this meaningful. The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen feature prominently in Tom Fornelli’s Six Pack of best bets.

• Fornelli: “It’s time to have a come-to-Touchdown-Jesus chat about Navy. I’m a firm ‘it’s not who you play but how you play’ guy, and Navy’s played very well. That said, who you play does matter a little, and Navy hasn’t played anybody! … Defensively, an option attack like Navy’s is something Notre Dame sees every season. It’s prepared for it. On the other side of the ball, I don’t trust Navy’s defensive personnel to slow down the Irish offense. The Pick: Notre Dame -12.5 (-115) via BetMGM“

Three more ranked-vs.-ranked matchups dot a strong Saturday slate: No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon (preview) | No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt (preview) | No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama (preview)

Finally, we have a fun one tonight: No. 17 Boise State-UNLV on CBS Sports Network. You won’t want to miss that … or Shehan Jeyarajah‘s awesome story on Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty.

Here’s more:

South Florida coach Amir Abdur-Rahim dies at 43

South Florida men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim died Thursday after complications arose during a medical procedure, a stunning and tragic development. He was 43 years old.

• Abdur-Rahim was a rising star in the coaching profession, especially after leading the Bulls to a 25-8 record in his first year with the program. South Florida won the AAC regular-season title and appeared in the AP Top 25, both first-time occurrences.
• One year earlier, Abdur-Rahim led Kennesaw State to its first NCAA Tournament berth. Abdur-Rahim’s Owls at least doubled their win total in each of their four years under him after winning one game the season before he arrived.
• Abdur-Rahim was the younger brother of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who spent 13 seasons in the NBA.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 Knicks at Pacers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ World Series — Game 1: Yankees at Dodgers, 8:08 p.m. Fox
🏀 Suns at Lakers, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 17 Boise State at UNLV, 10:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network

Saturday

🏈 Nebraska at No. 4 Ohio State, noon on Fox
🏈 No. 12 Notre Dame vs. No. 24 Navy, noon on ABC
🏈 No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt, 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Clippers at Nuggets, 5 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Florida State at No. 6 Miami, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 3 Penn State at Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Kansas at No. 16 Kansas State, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Magic at Grizzlies, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ World Series — Game 2: Yankees at Dodgers, 8:08 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Kings at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV

Sunday

🏈 Eagles at Bengals, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Colts at Jaguars, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Falcons at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Bills at Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Commanders at Bears, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
⚽ USWNT vs. Iceland, 5:30 p.m. on TBT/truTV
🏈 Cowboys at 49ers, 8:20 p.m. on NBC