Dolphins stun Rams; projecting tonight’s College Football Playoff Rankings

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 MIAMI DOLPHINS

The Dolphins, at long last, are back in the win column after a 23-15 win over the Rams.

We saw a few glimpses of what Miami can do when its offense has Tua Tagovailoa, but really, this one is thanks to the defense. Miami …

• sacked Matthew Stafford four times — he hadn’t been sacked at all in his previous two games
• forced two turnovers
• didn’t allow a touchdown
• gave up just 70 yards rushing on 18 attempts (3.9 yards per carry)

Let’s credit Calais Campbell and Zach Seiler up front and the Dolphins as a whole for not giving up on a season that’s been quite challenging. Miami is now 3-6 with the Raiders and Patriots up next. I never want to get ahead of things — this result could very well end up being a one-off surprise — but Miami might even have an outside chance to get back into the playoff picture.

And perhaps most importantly, the Dolphins gave the state of Florida its only football win this week.

👍 Honorable mentions

🏈 And not such a good morning for …

THE LOS ANGELES RAMS

We’ll be quick. This is the first time the Rams failed to score a touchdown in a home game with Stafford. An offensive line that had been improving — and even got some key players back — yet again struggled. It was just bad all-around.

After three straight wins got its season back on track, Los Angeles (4-5) took a significant step back, especially after NFC West rivals Arizona and San Francisco won. Four of the Rams’ five losses this season are by one possession, and with a tough closing stretch, those small margins mean a big challenge ahead.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Projecting tonight’s College Football Playoff Bracket, plus updated CBS Sports 134

After five ranked teams — including two in the top five — went down in Week 11, there will be plenty of chaos in tonight’s College Football Playoff Bracket reveal. How far does Georgia fall? How much might Alabama and Ole Miss rise? What about No. 8 Indiana and No. 9 BYU? How much closer are No. 20 Colorado and the incredible Travis Hunter?

Brad Crawford answers those questions and more in his latest bracket prediction. Some key takeaways:

• Texas as No. 2 seed — “I project Texas as the SEC Champion for now because I think (a) it has the best path to get into the game and (b) I like the way it matches up with possible foe Alabama.”
• Miami as No. 3 seed
• Boise State as No. 4 seed — “Replacing projected Big 12 champion BYU inside the top 4 this week is Boise State. The Broncos, at best, will be 12-1 as the Mountain West champs in a few weeks and are keeping a close eye on Army the rest of the way.”
• Ole Miss in or out? You’ll have to read to find out.

That’s a fun one. Remember, there’s a CFP spot reserved for the top-ranked Group of Five conference champion, and the top four-ranked conference champions get a top-four CFP seed. Could the Broncos really move past BYU? That’d bring a whole new layer of madness to things.

For what it’s worth, Boise State is behind BYU in both the CBS Sports 134 and Brandon Marcello’s Power Rankings. But no team fell further than Miami in Brandon’s eyes. The Hurricanes went from fourth to 16th.

• Marcello: “The Hurricanes rely too heavily on quarterback Cam Ward to pull them out of the muck, and though he is incredible and worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration, he can’t do it every week. The whole matters more than the parts, and the Hurricanes deserve a steep fall from the top four after challenging fate so many times this season only to finally lose to unranked Georgia Tech.”

🏀 Top NBA prospects in Champions Classic

The Champions Classic remains the event of early November in men’s college basketball. When Kansas, Michigan State, Duke and Kentucky are all in one arena, it’s not only a great night for college hoops, but for NBA scouts and fans, too.

This year is no different, but it’s a little one-sided. Duke has each of the top four NBA prospects in action in Atlanta tonight according to Kyle Boone.

1. “F Cooper Flagg (prospect rank: 1) — He’s just 17 years old and already one of the most impactful defensive talents in college hoops … At 6-foot-9 he has guard-like versatility with the way he can score, and he plays with anticipation and an understanding of the game that is wise beyond his years.” (Now can he solve his cramping issues?)
2. “G Kon Knueppel (prospect rank: 10) — He’s a smooth operator who can shoot it at a high level and his polished skill set should allow him to continue producing at a high level as a scorer inside and outside the arc.”
3. “G Isaiah Evans (prospect rank: 16) — The former five-star recruit checks all the boxes of what NBA teams covet in combo forwards at the next level right now because of his size, length and shooting ability.”
4. “C Khaman Maluach (prospect rank: 23) — He’s a raw talent who didn’t pick up the game until age 13 and only recently turned 18 years old, but his size and shot-blocking are building blocks for him to develop into a potential lottery pick.”

It’s always fun to look to the next level, but let’s also appreciate these games in the here and now. Duke has a ton of talent, but so does Kentucky. Kansas is the No. 1 team in the nation, but will certainly get a stern test from Tom Izzo‘s Spartans.

⚾ Roki Sasaki coming to MLB: Who will he sign with?

The Chiba Lotte Marines are posting ace Roki Sasaki for MLB consideration, opening what will be an extremely competitive free agency. One reason it will be extremely competitive is because he’s only 23 and therefore only eligible for money out of teams’ international free agency pool; MLB considers international league players under 25 amateurs.

The other reason is that Sasaki is really, really good. He had a 2.02 ERA with the Marines. He threw a 19-strikeout shutout in 2022. “It’s fair to describe him as the most talented pitcher not already employed by one MLB organization or another,” R.J. Anderson writes.

The Dodgers need to address their rotation, Matt Snyder says, and R.J. explains why they’re the favorites for Sasaki.

• Anderson: “The Dodgers are the pick for Sasaki if he wants to get paid as much as he can (this cycle anyway); win a ring; and/or become the best version of himself. On top of all that, the Dodgers employ Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two of Sasaki’s Team Japan teammates, and have shown a willingness to add the necessary support staff.”

But there are plenty of teams to monitor as well as four other international players who could make big impacts.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

🏀 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Kansas (M), 6:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Ball State at Buffalo, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 Western Kentucky at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Knicks at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 6 Duke vs. No. 19 Kentucky (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Mavericks at Warriors, 10 p.m. on TNT