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It's the first Saturday of October, with conference play in full swing and top contenders across the country looking to improve their resumes for the College Football Playoff. A pair of battles between ranked teams highlight the slate, but there are also quite a few tricky matchups for other top 25 teams. 

At 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2, No. 14 Iowa State is just a 1.5-point road favorite over unranked Cincinnati. At 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, No. 9 Texas is laying only 5.5 points against 1-3 Florida at The Swamp. There's even a ranked team that's an underdog to an unranked foe, with No. 24 Virginia sitting at +6.5 against Louisville at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. 

The biggest matchups of the day, however, are No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC) and No. 3 Miami at No. 18 Florida State (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC). 

Last season, Alabama pulled off a dramatic upset over Georgia only to lose as a massive favorite against Vanderbilt the following weekend. The Crimson Tide won outright as 2.5-point road underdogs against Georgia this past weekend and are currently 11.5-point chalk at home to Vanderbilt. Will we see a sequel to last year's dramatic two-week stretch for Alabama, or will the Crimson Tide get revenge for last year's stunner against the Commodores?

Florida State suffered its first defeat of the season last week, losing in overtime on the road to then-unranked Virginia. The Seminoles now get a chance to play spoiler at home to an undefeated team coming into town, with Miami already securing victories over Notre Dame, South Florida and Florida this campaign. The Hurricanes are 4.5-point road favorites in this ACC rivalry battle. 

In addition to a big Week 6 of college football, there are also four Game 1s taking place in the divisional round of the MLB postseason as well as a monster UFC 320 card in Las Vegas. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet at the top sportsbooks on Saturday, Sept. 27. All times Eastern. 

CFB best bets today, where to watch

No. 7 Penn State at UCLA

Time: 3:30 p.m. | Location: Pasadena | TV: CBS/Paramount+ | Stream: Fubo (try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: UCLA +24.5 | Expert: Under 48.5 points (Mike Tierney)

Penn State lost a heartbreaker in double overtime last weekend against Oregon and now has to travel across the country to face UCLA. The Bruins are 0-4 on the season, while the Nittany Lions are 0-4 against the spread (3-1 straight up) this campaign. SportsLine college football expert Mike Tierney likes the Under in this Big Ten battle, saying, "The coaching purge at UCLA continued this week when offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri was canned. While the Bruins' offense has been a dumpster fire, Sunseri worked magic at Indiana last season. His replacement is Jerry Neuheisel, who has never called plays. This is a downgrade. Given Penn State's stingy defense, UCLA will struggle to crack the zero on the scoreboard." Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model shows some value on the underdog to cover the spread, with UCLA +24.5 hitting in 56% of simulations.

No. 3 Miami at No. 18 Florida State

Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Tallahassee | TV: ABC | Stream: Fubo (try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Florida State money line +159 | Expert: Over 53.5 points (Micah Roberts)

This will be the 27th time that a ranked Miami will square off against a ranked Florida State, though it's the first instance since 2016, when a No. 23 Florida State squad upset No. 10 Miami. SportsLine college football expert Micah Roberts suggests taking the Over in this one, saying, "We have a SportsLine college football expert and the SportsLine Inside the Lines team's model backing opposite teams in this massive showdown. Casale is rolling with the favorite, saying, "I like the Over in this game because of Florida State's offense, which has totaled more than 500 yards in its last three games. They can move the ball and score quickly, which is why they are 4-0 to the Over." The model has the Seminoles pulling the outright upset in 40% of simulations, bringing value to their +159 money line odds.

More CFB best bets:

MLB best bets today, where to watch

Dodgers at Phillies

Time: 6:38 p.m. | Location: Philadelphia | TV: TBS/HBO Max | Stream: Fubo (try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 7 runs | Expert: Phillies -1.5 +180 (Bruce Marshall)

The Dodgers enter this division series as +410 World Series co-favorites with the Yankees at FanDuel Sportsbook, with the Phillies in the third spot at +500. But Philadelphia does have home-field advantage in this series and will send out southpaw Cristopher Sanchez (13-5, 2.50 ERA) in Game 1. On the other side, the Dodgers will counter with Shohei Ohtani (1-1, 2.87 ERA) on the mound. SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall is backing the Phillies on the run line, saying, "Season-long excellence from Christopher Sanchez, especially at home where he was 6-0 and spun a 1.94 ERA this season, bodes well for the Phils to get off to a quick start in this series." The model likes Over 7 runs, even at a -120 price, as it cashes in 66.1% of simulations.

More MLB best bets

Looking ahead: Browns vs. Vikings

Time: 9:30 a.m., Sunday | Location: London | TV: NFL Network | Stream: Fubo (try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 36 points | Expert: Vikings -3.5 (R.J. White)

The Vikings play a second consecutive game overseas after falling to the Steelers last week in Dublin. Now, Minnesota heads to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face the Browns, who are trotting out rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel for his first career NFL start. This is the lowest total of the NFL season so far at 36 points, though the model has the Over hitting in 58% of simulations. SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White is laying the points with the Vikings here, saying, "Staying in Europe an entire week seemed to benefit the Jaguars each of the last two years as well, and since I doubt this falls to -3, I'm jumping on it now."