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How to Watch the 2021 College Football Playoffs Live For Free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and More

Jeff Kotuby
Jeff Kotuby is a contributing writer to The Streamable who specializes in sports, music, and all things Japanese media. He cut the cord in 2017 and has spent the last six years of his career writing for technology, entertainment, and healthcare websites. He's a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles and Anaheim Ducks fan, but also enjoys watching animated shows from the '90s.
Read full bio ›
Jeff Kotuby

The top four teams in college football are ready to duke it out for the national championship. Georgia, Alabama, Cincinnati, and Michigan make up the slate this year, which will no doubt provide some intrigue. ESPN is your home for the three College Football Playoff games. Here’s when you can watch them.

How to Watch the 2021 College Football Playoffs

While the games will be available on ESPN, they won’t be available to stream on ESPN+. There will be multiple feeds besides just the main feed on cable and via the ESPN App using your TV Everywhere credentials.

  • Command Center (ESPN2): A multi-angle presentation, which includes up to four different vantage points at any one time, with real-time player and team statistics supplementing the game action.
  • Skycast (ESPNU): The popular view from above the action and behind the offense on most plays. This unique angle has long been one of ESPN’s alternate viewing options and is readily available on multiple games every week. Replays will be shown regularly throughout this presentation. Anish Shroff and Roddy Jones will help guide the action.
  • All-22 (ESPNEWS): Watch the game the same way players and coaches study film, with a vantage point high above the field of play. The angle allows for the 22 players on the field to be seen at all times, providing the ability to distinguish how plays develop while listening to the ESPN Radio call.

About 2021 CFP

Sequentially, the first game will be the Orange Bowl between Alabama and Cincinnati. Alabama needs no introduction, as they’ve been in six of the seven college football playoffs, five of the seven College Football Playoff national championship games, and winners of three of the National Championship games since the CFP’s inception.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati enters their first-ever CFP as underdogs but as a team that has had a wildly successful year, going undefeated. A win over Alabama might just mark the biggest upset in the CFP’s short history. Cincinnati enters the matchup as +385 underdogs according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

The other game sees Michigan finally get past Ohio State and their other Big 10 foes, and earn a spot in the CFP. They’ll face the Georgia Bulldogs, who, until losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship game, were heralded as the best team in college football all year. Much like Cincinnati, Michigan enters as an underdog, currently getting +250 moneyline odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

The winners of these two games will face off in the National Championship game on January 10.

College Football Playoff Schedule

Date Time Bowl Matchup
December 31 3:30 PM ET Cotton Bowl #1 Alabama vs. #4 Cincinnati
December 31 7 PM ET Orange Bowl #2 Michigan vs. #3 Georgia
January 10 8 PM ET National Championship Game TBD vs. TBD

How to Stream the 2021 College Football Playoffs for Free on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, and Android

There are six major streaming providers that offer Live TV Streaming. Five of these providers allow you to watch the 2021 College Football Playoffs live using iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and Web. They are DIRECTV STREAM, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, Fubo, and YouTube TV.

DTV STREAMFuboHuluPhiloSling TVYouTube
Free TrialFree TrialGet a Free TrialFree TrialGet $10 OffSign Up
$79.99$91.99$76.99$25$40$40$72.99
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All Live TV Streaming Services

DIRECTV STREAM

Price: $79.99
Includes: ESPN + 30 Top Cable Channels

Sling TV

Price: $40
Includes: ESPN + 16 Top Cable Channels

Hulu Live TV

Price: $76.99
Includes: ESPN + 32 Top Cable Channels

Fubo

Price: $91.99
Includes: ESPN + 24 Top Cable Channels

YouTube TV

Price: $72.99
Includes: ESPN + 31 Top Cable Channels

2021 College Football Playoff field revealed: Final rankings, schedule

Jeff Kotuby
Jeff Kotuby is a contributing writer to The Streamable who specializes in sports, music, and all things Japanese media. He cut the cord in 2017 and has spent the last six years of his career writing for technology, entertainment, and healthcare websites. He's a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles and Anaheim Ducks fan, but also enjoys watching animated shows from the '90s.
Read full bio ›
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DIRECTV STREAM Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $50 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for DIRECTV STREAM.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new DIRECTV STREAM subscribers.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • Purchase must be completed on the DIRECTV STREAM website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.

Sling TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $25 Uber Eats Gift Card when you sign up for Sling TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new Sling TV subscribers to Sling Orange, Blue, or Sling Orange + Blue.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Sling TV website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.

Hulu Live TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $35 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for Hulu Live TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new Hulu Live TV subscribers.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Hulu Live TV website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.