Rangers take 2-0 ALCS lead; Cowboys overcome Chargers in sloppy MNF game; Kansas opens at No. 1

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⚾ Good morning to everyone but especially …

THE TEXAS RANGERS AND PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Bases loaded, zero outs, Minute Maid Park rocking … this is why the Rangers got Nathan Eovaldi — and why playoff Eovaldi is awesome. The veteran righty escaped the top of the fifth unscathed, and Texas’ bullpen (barely) held on in a 5-4 win over the Astros. The Rangers head back to Arlington leading the best-of-seven ALCS 2-0. Teams leading the LCS 2-0 win the series 89% of the time.

Texas’ seven straight wins to open the postseason are tied for the second-longest streak ever. The offense has been terrific. The starting pitching has been either very good or good enough. The bullpen has been … well, Leclerc and Josh Sborz have been great. In the playoffs, you need lots of batters and enough pitchers. The Rangers have both.

Speaking of lots of batters, the Phillies keep bringing the noise with their bats booming and Citizens Bank Park rocking as a result. Philadelphia had two runs within Zac Gallen’s first five pitches and held on to beat the Diamondbacks, 5-3, in Game 1 of the NLCS.

Game 2 is tonight. Here’s our preview.

👍 Honorable mentions 👎 Not so honorable mentions 🏈 Cowboys get clutch stop to beat Chargers USATSI

Boneheaded miscues. Frustrating (and often dumb) penalties. Missed chances. Both the Cowboys and Chargers had them. Only Dallas was able to overcome. The Cowboys got a huge stop late thanks to two of their stars to emerge with a crucial 20-17 win.

In a game that featured 20 combined penalties and several other errors, a loss for the Cowboys could have really put them in a bind. Instead, it’s the Chargers who find yet another agonizing way to throw away a game. And with that, Week 6 is in the books.

🏈 Michigan, Washington rise in college football rankings Kim O’Reilly, CBS Sports

Georgia remains on top of Dennis Dodd’s College Football Power Rankings, but there’s a new team behind the Bulldogs: Michigan … and he says the Wolverines could be higher.

Here’s the top five:

USC and Louisville both fell five spots as the biggest droppers, and Utah was the biggest riser, from 23rd to 17th.

It’s nice for Georgia to stay on top, but it’s not all good news: Star tight end Brock Bowers had ankle surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks. This is a guy who Will Backus called the “best non-quarterback in college football” and Barrett Sallee called the Bulldogs’ MVP. Barrett explained where they go from here.

As for the CBS Sports 133, a ranking of every FBS team, our CBS Sports experts already have Michigan on top (for the second straight week) with Washington making a huge move after taking down Oregon last Saturday …

🏀 Men’s college basketball AP Top 25: Who’s overrated, who’s overlooked? Getty Images

Ah, the joy and the mystery of preseason polls. Last year, preseason No. 1 North Carolina failed to even make the NCAA Tournament, the first preseason top team to do so. This year, Kansas will look to avoid making it two in a row. The Jayhawks are atop the Preseason AP Top 25 for the second time in five years. Here’s the top five:

The Preseason Coaches Poll is also out.

As with any preseason poll, Kyle Boone has listed his overrated and underrated teams. Last year, he nailed the Tar Heels being overrated — we have receipts! — and this year among his overrated teams is …

👀 Could Aaron Rodgers return this season? This injury expert says … Getty Images

It was one heck of a Sunday for the Jets. Behind a disruptive defense and a steady performance from Zach Wilson, New York handed the Eagles their first loss of the season. That came after Aaron Rodgers was walking without crutches and throwing passes pregame, roughly five weeks after his Achilles tendon tear.

That alone would be encouraging, but now CBS Sports HQ injury expert Marty Jaramillo believes Rodgers is “absolutely” on pace to return this season. Rodgers himself has said he’d like to be back this year, but that hope was generally dismissed. After all, when Cam Akers returned seven months after tearing his Achilles two years ago, it was an unprecedented achievement.

Thanks to the “speed bridge” technique used to accelerate recovery, though, Jaramillo predicts Rodgers could be fully ready to play 12-14 weeks based on his current trajectory. Time will tell, of course, but for now it’s at least on the table.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

🏈 Middle Tennessee at Liberty, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network🏒 Lightning at Sabers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN⚾ Diamondbacks at Phillies, 8:07 p.m. on TBS⚽ USMNT vs. Ghana, 8:30 p.m. on TNT🏒 Avalanche at Kraken, 10 p.m. on ESPN