The Best Way to Watch College Football Games Without Cable in 2024
How to Stream College Football Games Online
Most major college football games will air on local networks or major cable channels which means there are plenty of streaming options. Some smaller conferences and other games air on college sports networks or Internet sports channels that may be a little harder to find. Don’t panic, though. I’ll break down all the best streaming services to watch live sports without cable TV to help you watch your favorite college football team.
- Local Networks: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and The CW
- Cable Sports Networks: CBS Sports Network, ESPN, FS1, and truTV
- College Sports Networks: ACC Network and SEC Network
- Streaming Sports Services: ESPN+, Peacock, Max
In most situations, you can’t go wrong with one of the best live TV streaming services to help keep track of your favorite college football team. DIRECTV STREAM is my top recommendation this year thanks to its huge channel selection, easy to use interface, and great picture quality.
Due to flex scheduling, the broadcast channel of most games isn’t announced until the week before. Each team’s page will be updated regularly to ensure the most up-to-date schedule is live to help you find the next game with ease.
Our Picks
DIRECTV STREAM
There are many good options for college sports fans. DIRECTV STREAM, DIRECTV Via Internet, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV carry Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network.
DIRECTV STREAM has a huge channel lineup, efficient user interface, and great picture quality, making it an easy recommendation for college football fans. It’s a bit more expensive than some of the other options, but the features make it worth it.
Sling TV
If you’re looking to save money, Sling TV should be your choice. You have access to all the important cable channels, but ABC is only available in 8 markets. You will need another service like Paramount+ to watch CBS.
While the channel selection isn’t quite as expansive as the competition, the price here really makes up for it.
Best Service for Each College Football Team
When making recommendations for the best streaming services to watch college football, I considered the best overall value. Not every game will be available on every service, so be sure to check weekly for the matchups to see the best streaming option for that week.
ACC
Big Ten
Big 12
Pac-12
SEC
AAC
C-USA
MAC
Mountain West
Sunbelt
Independent
Big Sky
Big South
CAA
MVFC
Pioneer
Southland
SWAC
How to Watch College Football on Local Networks
Most live games from major SEC schools will air on ABC or ESPN, while Notre Dame airs on NBC. Big 12, Big Ten will air on FOX, NBC, and CBS. Some ACC and American games will also air on ABC.
Every Live TV Streaming Service includes local channels in their entry-level package, but not all local channels are available in every market for Sling TV.
You can see which locals are available in your area by using our channel finder tool.
| DTV STREAM | DTV Internet | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get $100 Back | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $69.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| CBS | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| NBC | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ABC | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| The CW | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
How to Watch College Football on Cable Sports Networks
Most prime time games from major conferences that don’t air on network television will air on national sports stations.
Fortunately, most streaming services include ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and CBS Sports Network.
| DTV STREAM | DTV Internet | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get $100 Back | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $69.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| FS1 | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox Sports 2 | + $15 | + $45 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | + $11 | ✓ | |
| TBS | ✓ | + $0 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | + $0 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| USA Network | ✓ | + $0 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
How to Watch College Football on College Sports Channels
Some games with lower profile matchups or teams are generally put on college sports networks like Big Ten Network, ACC Network, and SEC Network.
DIRECTV STREAM, DIRECTV Via Internet, Fubo, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV carry important college channels like Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network, but you may have to upgrade to a higher plan to see them.
| DTV STREAM | DTV Internet | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get $100 Back | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $69.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ACC Network | + $28 | + $15 | ✓ | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| ACC Network Extra | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| Big Ten Network | + $15 | + $15 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | + $11 | ✓ | |
| CBS Sports Network | + $15 | + $45 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| ESPNU | + $28 | + $15 | + $8 | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| SEC Network | + $28 | - | + $8 | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| truTV | ✓ | + $0 | - | ✓ | - | + $6 | ✓ | ✓ | |
How to Watch College Football on Streaming-Only Services
Some smaller games will air on streaming-only services like ESPN+, FloSports, Max, and Peacock. Remember, if you choose Hulu Live TV as your live TV provider, you’d get free ESPN+.