Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 for the second straight season. That is also the ninth time overall, the second most in poll history. The Crimson Tide received 54 of 63 first-place votes. Ohio State is No. 2 with six first-place votes. Defending national champion Georgia is third with three first-place votes. Clemson is No. 4 and Notre Dame rounds out the top five.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Falcons rookie receiver Drake London, the eighth overall draft pick, was held out of practice after leaving the exhibition opener at Detroit with an injured knee. Coach Arthur Smith indicated Sunday there is no immediate timetable for London’s return to the field and noted that “it's nothing that we’re really concerned about long term."

MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Michael Harris II hit a tying homer in the ninth, William Contreras hit a go-ahead single and the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat the Miami Marlins 3-1 for a sweep of their four-game series. The Braves won their sixth straight after losing four of five against the NL East-leading New York Mets.

BOSTON (AP) — Top Atlanta prospect Vaughn Grissom homered onto Lansdowne Street in his major league debut to lead the Braves to an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Marcell Ozuna also homered for Atlanta. Grissom was called up earlier in the day from Double-A.

BOSTON (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have made a couple of big moves. They called up prized prospect Vaughn Grissom to play second base against the Red Sox after Orlando Arcia went on the 10-day injured list with a strained hamstring. The Braves also brought back reliever Kirby Yates from a rehab assignment, nearly two years after he last pitched in the big leagues.

TORONTO (AP) — Serena Williams lost her first match since telling the world she is ready to leave professional tennis. No one knows exactly how many more matches Williams will play before walking away. The 23-time Grand Slam champion exited the National Bank Open on Wednesday night with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Belinda Bencic.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Kyle Pitts likes to set goals. After a brilliant rookie season, one thing is definitely on his mind: getting to the end zone more often. Pitts was held to a single touchdown catch in 2021, which is about the only thing he had to complain about in his Falcons debut. He tallied 68 receptions for 1,026 yards and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani withstood another injury scare and pitched six scoreless innings to go with his team-leading 25th home run, reaching yet another monumental milestone as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1. The two-way Japanese star joined Babe Ruth in 1918 as the only players in major league history to have at least 10 home runs and 10 wins in the same season.

BOSTON (AP) — Austin Riley had a go-ahead, two-run single in the 11th inning and the Atlanta Braves rallied for a 9-7 win over the Boston Red Sox. Riley also hit his 30th home run of the season, a towering, two-run shot over the Green Monster, and an RBI triple to help Atlanta snap its first three-game losing streak of the year.

GENEVA (AP) — The World Cup in Qatar could start one day earlier than scheduled. A person familiar with the proposal tells The Associated Press that FIFA is looking at a plan to let the host nation play Ecuador on Nov. 20. The person says a decision could be made within days by a committee comprised of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the heads of the six continental soccer bodies.