Today's top games to watch, best bets, odds: No. 19 SMU vs. Florida State, Nationals vs. Padres and more

The Florida State Seminoles went 5-7 last year but opened the season with three consecutive victories, one of which came against a ranked opponent. They are hoping for a similar start in 2026, even though their next two matchups are with teams currently in the top 25. Florida State (1-0) faces its first ranked foe on Monday as it concludes Week 1 of the 2026 college football season by hosting No. 19 SMU at 7:30 p.m. ET in an ACC showdown at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. The Seminoles, who began last year with a 31-17 triumph over then-No. 8 Alabama, got past New Mexico State 34-17 in this season's opener. They now take on SMU, which has gone 20-7 over its first two campaigns in the ACC. The Mustangs spent their previous 11 seasons in the AAC and finished the final five with a winning record. Make your college football and MLB picks at BetMGM Sportsbook with promo code CBSSPORTS and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets if your first bet loses: Sophomore running back Ousmane Kromah ran for 115 yards and one of Florida State's three rushing touchdowns in the win against New Mexico State while senior Samuel Singleton Jr. hauled in a touchdown pass and also scored on the ground. The Seminoles will need both players to be big contributors again as they face a Mustangs team led by fifth-year quarterback Kevin Jennings, who was tied for eighth in the nation last season with 3,641 passing yards while making 26 touchdown tosses and rushing for four scores. There are 11 games on Monday's MLB schedule, including the opener of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals (67-78) and San Diego Padres (75-68) at 5:10 p.m. ET at Petco Park. The Nationals are in the midst of a four-game losing streak after being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, while the Padres won two of three against the New York Yankees and trail the Arizona Diamondbacks by a half-game for the third wild card in the National League. Bet on Monday's college football and MLB games with the FanDuel promo code and get up to $350 in bonus bets: The St. Louis Cardinals (72-72) look to remain in contention for a playoff berth when they visit the San Francisco Giants (59-85) at 8:10 p.m. ET for the opener of their three-game set at Oracle Park. St. Louis has won four of its last six and sits four games behind Arizona in the wild card race. The Giants concluded a 3-4 road trip with Sunday's 4-2 loss to the New York Mets. Another team battling for a postseason spot is the defending AL champion. The Toronto Blue Jays (72-72) kick off a three-game series against the Athletics (57-87) at 10:05 p.m. ET at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, Calif. The Blue Jays, who trail the Cleveland Guardians by one game for the third AL wild card, have gone 7-2 over their last nine overall contests and 4-2 on their nine-game road trip but had their four-game winning streak halted with a 6-1 setback against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. SMU is a 2.5-point favorite against Florida State in the latest consensus college football betting odds. The Padres are huge -196 money line betting favorites versus the Nationals in the latest consensus MLB betting odds, while the Giants are -131 betting favorites against the Cardinals and the Blue Jays are massive -204 favorites over the Athletics at sports betting apps. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, Sept. 7. All times Eastern College football best bets, where to watch Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free) SportsLine picks -- Model: Florida State ML (+121) | Expert: Florida State +3.5 (-127, Matt Severance) SMU is coming off its seventh consecutive winning season as it went 9-4 in 2025 and is 20-7 since joining the ACC. The Mustangs routed the Seminoles 42-16 in their only previous meeting two years ago, with Jennings throwing three touchdown passes. However, SMU is making its season debut while Florida State already has a win under its belt, and the SportsLine Projection Model believes playing last week will benefit the Seminoles as they win the ACC clash in 54% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Matt Severance is backing Florida State to cover the spread as he sees a late field goal deciding the contest. MLB best bets, where to watch Time: 5:10 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free) SportsLine pick -- Model: Nationals +1.5 (-131) The Nationals have lost four in a row, and three of those setbacks were by two or more runs. But the Padres have lost eight of their last 12 contests and three of the past five, with both of their victories in that span coming by just one run. San Diego right-hander Nick Pivetta is 3-7 with a 7.39 ERA lifetime against Washington and is making his first start since Apr. 12 due to an elbow injury. The SportsLine Projection Model strongly believes the Nationals will at least stay close in the series opener, as its simulations have them covering the run line 66% of the time, and has given the pick an "A" grade. Time: 8:10 p.m. | Location: San Francisco | TV: NBC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free) SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 7.5 (-118) | Expert: Cardinals ML (+116, Eric Cohen) Neither is among the highest-scoring teams in the NL, as the Cardinals rank eighth with 657 runs while the Giants are 13th with 603. However, at least eight total runs were scored in 15 of St. Louis' last 17 games and eight of San Francisco's past 10. In fact, the Cardinals and their opponents combined to reach double figures in five of their last six contests. The SportsLine Projection Model sees that trend continuing Monday as the Over hits in more than 63% of its simulations. The Giants have lost three of four and had to travel across the country after having played in New York on Sunday. SportsLine expert Eric Cohen (63-36, +2654 on his last 99 MLB picks) feels that it is a big disadvantage and likes the Cardinals to win the series opener. Bet on college football and MLB with the DraftKings promo code and get $200 in bonus bets when you spend $5+: Time: 10:05 p.m. | Location: West Sacramento, Calif. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free) SportsLine picks -- Model: Athletics +1.5 (-100) | Expert: Blue Jays Over 4.5 runs (-125, Jeff Hochman) The Athletics are one of the worst teams in the major leagues as they are a whopping 30 games under .500 but they've played well of late, posting four consecutive victories before falling one short of their season high on Sunday. The club scored at least six runs in each triumph during the streak but was limited to one hit in a 2-0 setback against the Seattle Mariners. Toronto opened the season with a three-game sweep of the Athletics at home, but two of those contests were decided by one run. The SportsLine Projection Model feels Monday's matchup will be a tight one as its simulations have the Athletics covering the run line 59% of the time. Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his 10 starts since returning from a minor-league stint in July, but SportsLine expert Jeff Hochman believes the Blue Jays will have no trouble scoring against the Athletics' bullpen and likes them to put up at least five runs in the series opener. Use the Caesars Sportsbook promo code CBSDYW to bet on Monday's college football and MLB games and double your winnings on your next 10 bets: