Yahoo Sports AM: Weekend Watchlist (Oct. 27-29, 2023)
Weekend Watchlist first appeared in Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
⚾️ World Series: Games 1 and 2
The Fall Classic begins tonight (8:03pm ET, Fox) in Texas, where the Rangers are favored (-175 per BetMGM) to win their first World Series over the Diamondbacks (+145), who are back for the first time since winning their lone title in 2001.
Game 1 (Fri. 8:03pm, Fox): Zac Gallen (5.24 ERA this postseason) gets the start for Arizona against Texas veteran Nathan Eovaldi (2.42 ERA)
Game 2 (Sat. 8:03pm, Fox): Merrill Kelly (2.65 ERA) takes the mound for the D-backs, while the Rangers hadn't announced their Game 2 starter as of Friday morning.
MVP odds: Rangers SS Corey Seager is the favorite (+500), followed by Rangers RF Adolis García (+600), D-backs 2B Ketel Marte (+950), D-backs RF Corbin Carroll (+950) and Rangers 2B Marcus Semien (+1400).
Further reading:World Series preview
⚽️ MLS Playoffs: Round One
Round One of the new-look MLS playoffs begins this weekend, with five of the eight best-of-three series kicking off on Saturday and Sunday. The higher seed will host Game 1 and, if necessary, Game 3 of each series.
No. 4 Philadelphia vs. No. 5 New England (Sat. 5pm ET, Apple TV*)
No. 3 LAFC vs. No. 6 Vancouver (Sat. 8pm, Apple TV)
No. 4 Houston vs. No. 5 Salt Lake (Sun. 6pm, Apple TV)
No. 1 Cincinnati vs. NY Red Bulls (Sun. 8pm, Apple TV/FS1)
No. 1 St. Louis vs. Sporting KC (Sun. 10pm, Apple TV/FS1)
*Free to watch: All five games this weekend are streaming for free on Apple TV's MLS Season Pass.
🏉 Rugby World Cup: Championship match
The 10th Rugby World Cup Final is Saturday in Paris (3pm ET, Peacock), pitting the top-ranked team in the world (South Africa) against the winningest team in history (New Zealand).
By the numbers: The Springboks and All Blacks have each won a record three Rugby World Cup titles (including the last four combined), so Saturday's winner will stand alone at the top.
🏈 NFL Sunday: Full slate
For the first time in 12 years, there's not a single team on a bye amid the standard range of bye weeks, meaning Sunday features a packed slate of 14 games.
Early window:Rams (+6.5) at Cowboys (1pm ET, Fox); Vikings (-1.5) at Packers (1pm, Fox); Falcons (-2.5) at Titans (1pm, CBS); Saints (-1) at Colts (1pm, Fox); Patriots (+9.5) at Dolphins (1pm, CBS); Jets (-3) at Giants (1pm, CBS); Jaguars (-2.5) at Steelers (1pm, CBS); Eagles (-7) at Commanders (1pm, Fox); Texans (-3.5) at Panthers (1pm, Fox)
Afternoon:Browns (+3.5) at Seahawks (4:05pm, Fox); Chiefs (-7) at Broncos (4:25pm, CBS); Ravens (-9.5) at Cardinals (4:25pm, CBS); Bengals (+4) at 49ers (4:25pm, CBS)
Sunday night:Bears (+8.5) at Chargers (8:20pm, NBC)
🏈 College Football: Playoff preamble
Week 9 is headlined by Pac-12 heavyweights Oregon and Utah facing off in Salt Lake City in the final weekend before the first College Football Playoff rankings are released.
No. 8 Oregon (-6.5) at No. 13 Utah (3:30pm ET, Fox)
No. 20 Duke (+4.5) at No. 18 Louisville (3:30pm, ESPN)
No. 1 Georgia (-14.5) at Florida (3:30pm, CBS)
No. 3 Ohio State (-14.5) at Wisconsin (7:30pm, NBC)
No. 11 Oregon State (-3) at Arizona (10:30pm. ESPN)
Further reading:Week 9 viewing guide
🏀 NBA: First weekend back
Our long, basketball-less summer is over at last as we finally get a weekend filled with NBA games. 24, to be exact, including five on national TV:
Heat at Celtics (Fri. 7:30pm ET, ESPN)
Warriors at Kings (Fri. 10pm, ESPN)
Knicks at Pelicans (Sat. 7pm, NBA)
Jazz at Suns (Sat. 10pm, NBA)
Spurs at Clippers (Sun. 9pm, NBA)
🏁 NASCAR Playoffs: Penultimate race
The final race in NASCAR's Round of 8 is Sunday at Virginia's Martinsville Speedway (2pm ET, NBC), where six drivers remain in contention for the final two spots in next week’s championship.
Where it stands: Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson have advanced to the Championship 4 thanks to winning the first two races in the Round of 8. Two of William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher will join them based on Sunday's results.
Further reading:Hamlin needs a win, and he's a big favorite
More to watch:
⚽️ Premier League:Manchester United vs. Manchester City (Sun. 11:30am, Peacock) … The 191st Manchester derby.
🥊 Boxing:Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou (Sat. 2pm ET, ESPN+ PPV) … Heavyweight champ Fury faces former UFC heavyweight champ Ngannou in his boxing debut.
🏒 NHL:Blackhawks at Golden Knights (Fri. 6pm, NHL) … The defending champion Golden Knights (7-0-0) look to stay perfect.
🏁 F1:Mexico City GP (Sun. 4pm, ESPN)
⚽️ Friendly:USWNT vs. Colombia (Sun. 5:30pm ET, TNT/Max/Peacock) … In San Diego.
⛳️ LPGA:Maybank Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf) … In Malaysia.
🎿 Ski World Cup:Sölden, Austria (Sat-Sun, Peacock) … Men's and women's giant slalom at the season-opening event.
