Shohei Ohtani's latest surgery could impact free agency. Plus, updated NFL and college football rankings

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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 everyone but especially ...

THE NEW YORK LIBERTY

The Liberty's offseason overhaul created championship aspirations. They took another big step toward that goal Tuesday night, finishing a sweep of the Mystics in a 90-85 overtime thriller.

Even with Breanna Stewart struggling -- she finished with 27 points on just 9 of 25 shooting -- the Liberty managed to crack 90 points for the second straight game. It's the first time in franchise playoff history they've had consecutive 90-point outings.
Jonquel Jones dominated inside to the tune of 19 points and 14 rebounds, coming up huge in key moments. Late in the fourth quarter, Jones grabbed an offensive rebound, got fouled and made two free throws to force overtime. Then with under a minute left in OT, Jones made a layup to stretch the lead to three.
It's the Liberty's first playoff series win since 2015, and they'll face the winner of Sun-Lynx tonight in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, the Wings blew out the Dream, 101-74, to win a playoff series for the first time since 2009 when they were the Detroit Shock. Dallas will face the reigning champion Aces in the semifinals.

🙌 Honorable mentions

Here are the 173 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Victor Wembanyma plans to play in the 2024 Olympics.
Matt Judon found his wallet ... on the side of a highway.
This Kylen Granson photoshoot is incredible.

😬 And not such a good morning for ...

SHOHEI OHTANI

We already knew Shohei Ohtani was done for 2023. Now, he's done as a pitcher for 2024 -- though he's expected to be able to hit next season -- after undergoing surgery on his right (throwing) elbow.

The exact nature of the procedure isn't yet known. Ohtani tore his UCL last month, ending his brilliant but injury plagued year as a pitcher. He kept batting only to suffer an oblique injury Sept. 4. The Angels shut him down for the season on Monday.
Ohtani, 29, posted a .304/.412/.654 batting line and an AL-leading 44 home runs along with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts. He leads all players with 10.0 WAR. Matt Snyder outlined why Ohtani is still the AL MVP.
According to a statement from Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, surgeon Neal ElAttrache says Ohtani "will be able to hit without any restrictions come opening day of 2024 and do both (Hit & Pitch) come 2025."

Ohtani, of course, is about to be one of the biggest free agents in MLB history. But this surgery -- combined with the fact he had Tommy John surgery in 2018 -- adds a twist, writes Mike Axisa.

Axisa: "The surgery could not come at a worse time for Ohtani .... Ohtani is still going to cash in, of course, perhaps even securing a record contract, though the elbow surgery complicates his market. He won't pitch next season, but when exactly will he return as a hitter? How much are teams willing to bet on Ohtani returning to form as a pitcher? We'll find out in the coming weeks and months."

😥 Not-so-honorable mentions

Nick Chubb is indeed done for the season, and the Browns have already hosted Kareem Hunt for a visit.
Shaq Thompson's season is likely over.
Jamaal Williams (hamstring) completed the trifecta of notable injuries Monday, and he'll miss time. Here's the full Week 2 injury rundown.
Things almost got ugly between Michael Thomas and Derrick Brown.
Luis Arraez sprained his ankle during infield drills, exactly what the Marlins don't need amid their playoff chase.

👀 NFL Power Rankings: Cowboys make another jump

What do the 2023 Cowboys, 2019 Patriots and 1970 Lions have in common?

They're the only teams since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to score at least 70 points and allow 10 or fewer points through their first two games.

As a result, the dominant Cowboys are in Pete Prisco's Power Rankings after another jump, this one past an NFC East rival. Here's the top five:

49ers (last week: 1)
Cowboys (5)
Eagles (2)
Chiefs (4)
Ravens (6)

Dallas' defense is absurd. There's so much speed, skill and depth. Here's another stat: The Cowboys are first in the NFL with a 34.2 passer rating allowed. The passer rating of an incomplete pass is 39.6. Basically, opponents would be better served chucking the ball out of bounds than trying to complete a pass.

It starts -- and often ends -- with Micah Parsons, writes Garrett Podell in his overreactions and reality checks.

On the other end of things, nine teams are 0-2, and since 1990, only 11.5% of 0-2 teams make the playoffs. But not all is lost for those nine; in fact, that history suggests one of them will be in the postseason. Cody Benjamin has one reason for optimism for every winless teams, including ...

Benjamin: "Patriots -- Even with slow, injury-riddled offensive personnel, they've played two legit contenders close, resulting in maybe the most impressive 0-2 record of any winless team. Of course, at the end of the day, wins are wins, and they have zero. But the Eagles and Dolphins are arguably among the NFL's top juggernauts at full speed, and New England battled back in tight games with both, flashing a typically physical 'D' and a more resilient Mac Jones at QB."

We also have one thing we learned from every team in Week 2 and grades for the young quarterbacks.

🏈 CBS Sports 133: Here come the Huskies

Sure, there's the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll and all types of ranking systems, but you know the one I trust most? The CBS Sports 133. That's right: every single FBS team ranked from first (Georgia) to worst (sorry, Nevada).

The top four teams -- Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Texas -- stayed the same as last week, but Washington is up to No. 5. Chip Patterson explains the latest update.

Patterson: "Washington went on the road and throttled Michigan State 41-7, a lopsided result that still might not accurately reflect the difference between the two Power Five foes. The Huskies were up 35-0 at halftime and quarterback Michael Penix had 473 passing yards and four touchdowns before the backups took over late in the third quarter. It was a performance that stood out to our voters more than any other among top 10 teams in the CBS Sports 133."

Another thing that makes the 133 great? We have a top 25 and a Bottom 25. Let me be the first to tell you: It's not pretty at the bottom.

⚽ Champions League: PSG shines, plus previewing today's matches

PSG's Champions League forays over the past few years ranged from underwhelming to heartbreaking -- and sometimes both. After making the final in 2020, the Parisiens lost in the semifinal in 2021 and bowed out in the Round of 16 across each of the last two tournaments. This summer, Lionel Messi went to Inter Miami, Neymar joined Al Hilal and PSG's status as contender for European supremacy took a hit.

Kylian Mbappé reminded everyone his team is a contender anywhere, any time. PSG topped Borussia Dortmund, 2-0, on the opening day of Champions League action behind goals from Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi.

PSG's "rebuild" is already on the path to success, writes Jonathan Johnson.

Johnson: "Of course, it is early days for PSG and Luis Enrique in his new role but the overriding takeaway from the first few games and weeks of this season is that the Spaniard is turning this Paris outfit into something totally different to recent years' editions. He is also making them entirely more watchable as they exert greater control and mastery over their opponents."

Elsewhere Tuesday ...

Reigning champion Manchester City beat Crvena zvezda, 3-1, and Julián Álvarez is becoming the Citizens' next star, writes James Benge.
Lazio goalkeeper -- yes, goalkeeper -- Ivan Provedel scored a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Atlético Madrid.

Here are all of the scores and highlights, and here are Chuck Booth's takeaways.

We're right back at it with eight more matches today, streaming as always on Paramount+.

Real Madrid vs. Union Berlin, 12:45 p.m. (preview)
Galatasaray vs. Copenhagen, 12:45 p.m.
Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United, 3 p.m. (preview)
Benfica vs. RB Salzburg, 3 p.m.
Braga vs. Napoli, 3 p.m.
Arsenal vs. PSV, 3 p.m. (preview)
Sevilla vs. Lens, 3 p.m.
Real Sociedad vs. Inter Milan, 3 p.m. (preview)

Bayern and Manchester United is a matchup steeped in history with the two clubs combining for nine Champions League titles. Who comes out on top? Our experts' picks are in.