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.
🤯 Five things to know Thursday
- The Seahawks beat the Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch, but it was a costly victory. The first game of the 2026 NFL season wasn't exactly a football clinic, but the defending champion Seahawks pulled out a 13-10 win. The Seattle defense picked up where it left off, forcing three INTs from Drake Maye, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba remains quite good at football. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the win was somewhat overshadowed by Sam Darnold exiting the game with a hip injury. It wasn't a clean night for the Patriots either, as star WR A.J. Brown had his night cut short by an ankle injury. Hopefully both players will be back sooner rather than later.
- There is more football tonight as the Rams and 49ers go down under. If last night's game left you wanting more football, you're in luck. The Rams and 49ers are going Down Under for a critical NFC West clash in Australia tonight. More than a few storylines are worth following going into this rivalry matchup, and we review them all in our comprehensive game preview, which also includes a score prediction. If L.A. comes away victorious, it may change how NFL teams travel for international games moving forward.
- Team USA sets World Cup dimes record. Led by Napheesa Collier with 19 points in just 15 minutes, the Americans cruised into the semifinals of the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup with a historic 108-56 victory over Hungary on Thursday morning. Team USA's 31 assists were the most recorded in a World Cup game. Next up for the Americans, who have now won 34 consecutive World Cup games, is the winner of Spain vs. Australia, and that semifinal matchup is Saturday.
- Coco Gauff clawed her way into the US Open semifinals. It wasn't always pretty for Gauff, but she fought her way past Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Andreeva took the first set with relative ease, but Gauff scratched out a win in a marathon second set before cruising past her competition in a decisive third set. Gauff will now take on No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina in the semifinals later tonight. On the men's side, No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev had no issues advancing to the semifinals as he defeated Botic Van De Zandschulp in straight sets.
- Michigan has an early mess to clean up. The college football season has barely started, and Michigan is a hot topic for all the wrong reasons. After days of graciously accepting its controversial Week 1 loss, Western Michigan's president is now declaring victory over the Wolverines, which only keeps that embarrassing result in the news cycle. On top of that, quarterback Bryce Underwood was surprised to hear that his job security had been called into question after a rough outing. Oh, and No. 11 Oklahoma is coming to town this weekend.
🤘 Do not miss this: Time for Texas to shine
I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's a college football game in Austin, Texas, this weekend: No. 1 Ohio State will take on No. 4 Texas in a showcase of two blue-blood juggernauts.
This is now the third consecutive season Texas has faced Ohio State -- and it lost the first two meetings. Hoping to remedy that, the Horns paid a pretty penny for a roster that blends experience with elite skill at every position.
In that way, many similarities match the 2024 Ohio State team that won the national championship. Now, as our own Shehan Jeyarajah explains, it's time for Steve Sarkisian to deliver on all the hype.
- Jeyarajah: "In so many ways, Ohio State is the model for Texas' strategy. Two years ago, the Buckeyes managed to retain several key defensive playmakers and added key transfers on offense to surround returning stars Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson. The group ultimately barnstormed its way to the national championship behind one of the most impressive playoff performances in history."
All eyes will be on Arch Manning Saturday as he tries to redeem himself following a bad outing in Columbus last year. Our own Matt Zenitz spoke to NFL scouts about Manning's development, and one gave a very blunt review of the tape.
"If you watch the Ohio State game (last year), he looked terrible and looked scared and timid but then towards the end of the year, he started playing better."
All that said, Manning lands comfortably inside the top 10 of our CFB QB Power Rankings. Of course, he is one spot behind Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin. (Side note: How about UMass QB Pop Watson cracking the top 15!)
As if you needed another reason to watch this game, the updated CBS Sports 138 was just released, with Texas and Ohio State occupying the top two spots.
🏈 NFL QB Power Rankings
Who is the best quarterback in the NFL entering the 2026 season? It's a good question -- especially since reigning MVP Matthew Stafford is 38 years old and Patrick Mahomes is recovering from two torn ligaments in his knee.
Our own Garrett Podell tried his hand at ranking all 32 starters in our Week 1 NFL QB Power Rankings, and there were some tough calls at the top. For now, Stafford maintains his spot atop the league, but it's interesting that Mahomes remains above Josh Allen despite a disappointing 2025 campaign in Kansas City.
If Allen ever wants to take the crown, he'll have to deliver when it matters most.
- Podell: "[Allen] enters his ninth NFL season in 2026 as the owner of the most total touchdowns in a player's first nine seasons already with 301. He's the only player in NFL history with 25-plus passing touchdowns and 12-plus rushing touchdowns in a season, and Allen has accomplished the feat in each of the last three years. All that's missing is the playoff success, something he's very much responsible for after committing a playoff career-high four turnovers in the AFC divisional round loss at the Denver Broncos."
Here's a very quick look at the complete rankings:
16. Jalen Hurts, Eagles
17. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers
18. Aaron Rodgers, Steelers
19. Daniel Jones, Colts
20. C.J. Stroud, Texans
One quarterback who did not make the list was J.J. McCarthy. That's not surprising given that Kyler Murray was named the Vikings starter in training camp, but it was a bit surprising to see McCarthy listed as the third-string QB on the initial depth chart.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Ouch! Raiders TE Brock Bowers will miss multiple games to begin the season.
- Yankees shut down Jazz Chisholm Jr. (sprained thumb) for the next 7-10 days.
- Faced with the possibility of expulsion, LSU finally blinked in its standoff with the SEC.
- Dae'Quan Wright is now in football purgatory between LSU and the NFL.
- It's down to Cam Schlittler vs. Dylan Cease in the AL Cy Young race.
- Rory McIlroy predicts a mass exodus from LIV Golf in the near future.
- The NCAA has issued a standard timing protocol that would have been useful a week ago.
- 'Kick-ass game plan': Rutgers MBB coach Steve Pikiell is ready to fight cancer with all he's got.
- Former Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn has options if he's granted a sixth year of eligibility.
- Dana White has simply brushed off Don King's legal threat.
- UEFA Champions League heavyweights all took care of business in week one.
📺 What we're watching Thursday
⚽ UCL: AS Roma at Fenerbahce, 12:45 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
⚽ UCL: RB Leipzig at Como, 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🎾 US Open: Women's semifinals, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Florida A&M at No. 7 Miami, 8 p.m. on ACC Network
🏈 49ers vs. Rams, 8:35 p.m on Netflix
