Lamar Jackson, Ravens beat Chargers in crucial AFC battle; what will tonight’s CFP Rankings look like?

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Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE BALTIMORE RAVENS

Now that’s more like it, Ravens. One week after losing to the Steelers, Baltimore rallied from a 10-0 deficit to top the Chargers, 30-23, in a really impressive performance.

For long stretches of the final three quarters, this was the Ravens (8-4) at their best.

• Lamar Jackson threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as well. Jackson now has 22 touchdowns passing and zero interceptions on Monday in his career.
• Derrick Henry rumbled his way to 140 yards, and Justice Hill ripped off a 51-yard touchdown run as a finishing touch.
• The defense did a nice job and has been improved for the past two weeks; Justin Herbert had no touchdowns passing for just the second time this season.
• Baltimore moved ahead of Los Angeles (7-4) in the AFC Wild Card race.

But what I loved the most is the Ravens going for it on fourth-and-1 on their own 16-yard line late in the first half … and converting. Four plays later, Jackson threw a 46-yard touchdown to Rashod Bateman, and Baltimore never trailed thereafter. 

No team had converted a fourth down that deep in its own territory in the first half of a game since the 2012 Rams, who did it on a fake punt. I love the aggressiveness. If you believe in your team to get a yard elsewhere on the field, why not believe in it there? Furthermore, if you don’t get it, what’s the worst that can happen? You trail by 10 at halftime instead of three? If that’s a death sentence for your team’s chances to win, you don’t have a very good team anyway.

And big brother still rules: John Harbaugh improved to 3-0 against Jim.

Honorable mentions

• Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut and shored up one of Boston’s very few weaknesses immediately. He’s one of several stars returning or nearing a return from injury.
• OG Anunoby is playing like an All-Star.
• Ausar Thompson is nearing a return from a blood clot issue.
• Elfrid Payton — in his third game back from a two-year NBA absence — had 21 assists!
• The 49ers opened Dre Greenlaw‘s practice window.
• Yusei Kikuchi agreed to a three-year, $63 million deal with the Angels after his big midseason turnaround with the Astros. It’s also a good sign for mid-rotation free-agent pitchers.
• Here are R.J. Anderson’s top 25 MLB prospects.
• Portland is confident it’s getting an MLB expansion team.
• Here’s the latest men’s college basketball AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll.
• After beating No. 1 for the first time, UCLA women’s basketball is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time. Cori Close has built an impressive roster, Isabel Gonzalez writes.

Not so honorable mentions

• Tiger Woods won’t play in the Hero Challenge.
• Charles Barkley blasted the Lakers‘ plan for Bronny James.
• J.K. Dobbins (knee) left early and didn’t return.
• Are the Commanders in danger of missing the playoffs?
• Malik Nabers and Brian Daboll had a chat after Nabers criticized the play calling.
• Baker Mayfield is suing his father’s company for $12 million.
• The Bengals removed this distraction from their locker room.
• Jaylen Brown called out the Timberwolves‘ broadcast team.
• Fred VanVleet got fined $50,000 for his outburst directed toward a referee.
• Ed Cooley apologized for calling Illinois a “bulls— school.” Brad Underwood took the high road in his response.
• Aaron Bradshaw is not with Ohio State as he’s being investigated for a possible domestic incident.

Predicting tonight’s College Football Playoff Rankings after upset-filled weekend

We’re under two weeks away from finding out the College Football Playoff field, and trying to figure out what it might look like is near impossible. But that never scared away Brad Crawford, and his latest projection includes 10 seed changes. I won’t give it all away, but here’s what caught my eye:

• Two ACC teams: projected conference champion SMU (No. 3 seed) and Miami (No. 11 seed)
• Three SEC teams, with two from last week dropping out and a new one joining
• Ohio State (No. 1 seed) and Boise State (No. 4 seed) staying put

And what about Notre Dame? Are the Fighting Irish a lock? Richard Johnson says the program will forever deal with the “overrated” reputation, but this year’s outfit has actually impressed while flying under the radar.

But the overriding thought in Dennis Dodd’s mind is that the inaugural 12-team Playoff will be littered with teams below championship-contending level.

• Dodd: “With a week to go in the regular season, it has become clear the CFP doesn’t deserve itself. … Throughout the CFP era, three-loss teams would have been in a 12-team bracket, but no one told us there’d be so many pretenders backing in that it would sound like the ‘beep, beep, beep’ of a trash truck at dawn. … It’s to the point now that we’re almost looking for volunteers to fill out the field. After Saturday, most of this is on the SEC.”

Here are our updated CBS Sports 134 and Brandon Marcello’s Power Rankings.

Memphis upsets No. 2 UConn as Maui Invitational opens with a bang

Ah, Maui. The beautiful scenery, pristine weather, relaxing atmosphere … and for one week of the year, some of the most intense basketball you’ll find anywhere. This year’s Maui Invitational opened with an instant classic as Memphis outlasted No. 2 UConn, 99-97, in overtime. The Tigers led by 13 with four minutes left before a furious UConn rally — capped by Solo Ball‘s 3 with under one second left — forced overtime.

The extra session swung on a controversial moment: Liam McNeeley was called for an over-the-back foul pursuing an offensive rebound, and an incensed Dan Hurley was called for a technical foul with 39 seconds left. PJ Carter made four free throws to turn a tie game into a 96-92 Memphis lead.

They say guards win in March, but really, they almost always win in college basketball, and Memphis absolutely has them.

• Tyrese Hunter scored 26 points and a career-high seven 3-pointers.
• P.J. Haggerty scored 22 points, including 11 from the free-throw line, and was relentless all night before fouling out.
• Colby Rogers (19 points) hit some huge shots in overtime, and Carter nailed all six of his overtime free throws.

The Huskies may have lost, but we’re all winners when we get to read Matt Norlander’s pregame All-Access experience with Hurley and his team. 

The nightcap provided another heavyweight battle, with No. 4 Auburn overcoming an 18-point deficit and defeating No. 5 Iowa State 83-81 on Johni Broome‘s last-second tip-in. Here are Matt’s full thoughts from a wild day.

Oh yeah, and tonight, we get No. 11 Duke vs. No. 1 Kansas and a ton of other great matchups. College hoops is in full swing.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 5: Bayern Munich vs. PSG looms large

We continue UEFA Champions League action today, headlined by a big one: PSG, which has taken just four points in four matches and sits 25th in the standings, faces a massive away test against German power Bayern Munich. The Bavarians have also been up-and-down in UCL action, with just six points in four matches. It’s a strange position for both clubs, normally among Europe’s best.

Our experts are split, and Jonathan Johnson favors …

• Johnson: “Bayern 1-2 PSG — Luis Enrique‘s Parisiens desperately need to win while Vincent Kompany‘s Bavarians remain hard to predict in Europe. PSG are generally better when they have their backs against the wall while being away from Parc des Princes will arguably suit the French champions. The Germans will not want to be leapfrogged by Paris so expect a game which sees both sides score.”

Barcelona, meanwhile, faces a surprising Brest team that currently sits fourth in the standings with three wins and a draw. Jonathan has a preview of two of the top teams in the table facing off.

As always, you can watch all of our coverage across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

What we’re watching Tuesday

We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
San Diego State vs. No. 21 Creighton (M), 2 p.m. on TBS
No. 2 UConn vs. Colorado (M), 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Oregon at No. 20 Texas A&M (M), 4:30 p.m. on TNT
Memphis vs. Michigan State (M), 6 p.m. on ESPN
Bucks at Heat, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
No. 6 Houston vs. No. 9 Alabama (M), 8 p.m. on TBS
No. 5 Iowa State vs. Dayton (M), 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 11 Duke (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN
Lakers at Suns, 10 p.m. on TNT
No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 12 North Carolina (M), 11 p.m. on ESPN