The margin between No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan in The Associated Press college football poll is the smallest it has been all season. Can the Wolverines break the Southeastern Conference's three-year stranglehold on No. 1 — all Georgia and Alabama — and become the first team from outside the Deep South to hold the top spot in the rankings since Ohio State in 2015?

Three teams are one win from the World Series heading into Monday's playoff doubleheader. First, the Philadelphia Phillies look to close out Arizona at home when they send Aaron Nola to the mound with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series. Then it's a decisive Game 7 in the ALCS as three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and the Texas Rangers face Cristian Javier and the defending champion Astros in Houston.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — It looked as if the Atlanta Falcons' chances to end the NFL's longest active road losing streak literally slipped away from Desmond Ridder's fingers in the fourth quarter. Then, the second-year quarterback showed why the Falcons feel they have their quarterback of the future, connecting with another young budding star, Kyle Pitts, on a 39-yard pass play in the final minute to set up a game-winning field goal that not only ended an eight-game road skid but lifted the Falcons (4-3) into first place in the NFC South.

Georgia extended its streak of No. 1 rankings in The Associated Press college football poll to 19 straight weeks, the third best in the history of the rankings, and Alabama moved back into the top 10 on Sunday.

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Carter Peevy accounted for two touchdowns and the Mercer defense added two more scores as the Bears beat winless Wofford 31-17 on Saturday. Peevy's 4-yard touchdown run capped a 17-play, 99-yard drive in the first quarter, and his 9-yard touchdown pass to Al Wooten II stretched Mercer's lead to 17-7 early in the fourth quarter.

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Tyrell Davis scored on a 28-yard interception return with 1:53 left to play and Georgia Southern held off UL Monroe 38-28 on Saturday. The pick-6 by Davis came after UL Monroe closed to within three points after trailing by 24 late in the first half. Georgia Southern (5-2, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference) scored 31 unanswered points to take a 31-7 lead.

A couple of late comebacks made Friday the most dramatic night of baseball's postseason so far. Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros, following another bench-clearing scuffle with the rival Texas Rangers, rallied for a wild 5-4 victory in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.

ATLANTA (AP) — Thomas Castellanos ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yard score on a fourth-down scamper in the fourth quarter, and resurgent Boston College beat Georgia Tech 38-23 on Saturday.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu and manager Dusty Baker were ejected from Game 5 of the AL Championship series after the reliever hit the Texas Rangers' Adolis García with a pitch in the eighth inning Friday, triggering benches to clear two innings following the slugger's go-ahead home run.

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Cricket is an Olympic sport again. Flag football gets in for the first time. Five sports were finally added to the 2028 Los Angeles Games by the International Olympic Committee on Monday with baseball-softball, lacrosse and squash also confirmed for the program.

ATLANTA (AP) — Desmond Ridder's second three-turnover game in his last three starts left the second-year quarterback open for renewed questions about his inconsistency and even his job security as the Atlanta Falcons' starter. Ridder threw three interceptions and also committed key grounding and delay penalties which hurt the Falcons in their 24-16 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

The top four teams  in The Associated Press college football poll were unchanged after No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State all won Saturday in blowout fashion. The Bulldogs received 43 first-place votes, Michigan got 16 and Ohio State and Florida State each had one.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons veteran defensive end Calais Campbell reached a long-awaited milestone by getting his 100th career sack in Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders.

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Onyeka Okongwu scored 18 points and the Atlanta Hawks stayed unbeaten in the preseason with a 110-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Zion Williamson had 16 points in 25 minutes, but New Orleans fell to 0-3.

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Clayton Crile made a program-record five field goals and Chase Artopoeus passed for 244 yards and a touchdown to help Chattanooga beat Mercer 22-10 on Saturday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Darren Grainger threw for 234 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores and Georgia State beat Marshall 41-24 on Saturday night in a game it never trailed.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Jordan McCloud threw three touchdown passes, Kaelon Black scored three times and unbeaten James Madison avenged a tough loss from last season with a 41-13 victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Carson Beck threw for 261 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score as top-ranked Georgia shook off both an early kickoff and losing star tight end Brock Bowers to a left foot injury before halftime in beating Vanderbilt 37-20 Saturday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Preseason All-American tight end Brock Bowers hurt his left ankle midway through the second quarter Saturday against Vanderbilt, knocking him out for the rest of Georgia's game.

ATLANTA (AP) — The 2020s are starting to feel like the 1990s for the Atlanta Braves. Another dazzling regular season. Another flop in the postseason. After tying a major league record with 307 homers, the slugging Braves went down meekly to the rival Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series for the second year in a row.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos became the first player to hit multiple homers in consecutive postseason games, sending the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of their NL Division Series on Thursday night that knocked the 104-win Atlanta Braves out of the playoffs for the second straight year.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta's Desmond Ridder and Washington's Sam Howell are coming off career-best passing games as they prepare to face each other Sunday in a matchup of second-year quarterbacks. The Commanders (2-3) will try to snap a three-game losing streak. Washington has allowed 33 or more points in four consecutive games, including last week's 40-20 home loss to Chicago. The poor defensive showing overshadowed Howell's career-high 37 completions and 388 yards.

No. 12 North Carolina hosts No. 25 Miami to headline the Week 7 slate in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The unbeaten Tar Heels are coming off a dominant win against Syracuse. The Hurricanes are coming off a crushing loss to Georgia Tech on a last-second touchdown.

No. 19 Tennessee and Texas A&M are playing to stay in the divisional race, while Missouri and No. 24 Kentucky want to avoid two-game SEC losing streaks. The Vols and Aggies and the Tigers and Wildcats highlight the Southeastern Conference schedule in Week 7.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart respects Clark Lea and the work he is putting into his alma mater at the Southeastern Conference's only private and smallest university. “I think he has the right approach,” Smart said of the Vanderbilt coach. “He knows the area. He knows that state. He knows the institution, which institutional knowledge is powerful information.”