Never miss your favorite team play again — here are the best streaming services for watching live college football
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The 2024-25 college season is charging onward with bowl games kicking off this weekend. Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas are among the top teams this year as we near the playoffs.
- Stream: Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, fubo, Sling, ESPN+
- TV Channels: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FS1, CBS Sports Network, SEC Network, and more
- Season Dates: Aug. 24, 2024 to January 20, 2025
If you’ve cut the cord on cable, streaming NCAA football games can feel almost as challenging as winning a title. Below is a full guide on the best ways to watch college football online without cable during the 2024-25 season.
College football broadcasts are spread out across many channels, including local stations (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC), national channels like ESPN, ESPNU, FS1, and CBS Sports Network, and conference-specific channels like SEC Network.
If you don’t have cable, the best option for watching NCAA football is a live TV streaming service that carries as many channels as possible. You’ll also want ESPN+, which has a few games that won’t be available to watch anywhere else. Below are some of our favorites, including details on which channels they carry and pricing information. Some (Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream) also offer free trials, which you can use to watch a few games without paying.
DirecTV Stream
One of the best live TV streaming services for sports (including college football) is DirecTV Stream. The service’s Choice package comes with over 125 channels, including local, national, and college sports channels. You get a five-day free trial to start, and then payment kicks in at $114.99 a month for three months — a limited-time discount from the regular $94.99 per month price.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is our favorite way to watch NCAA football without cable — and it delivers some of the best value in streaming. For $82.99 a month (after a three-day trial), you get more than 95 channels including local networks, national sports channels, and even some conference channels like ACCN and SEC Network. Best of all? ESPN+ is included, which streams some college football games that regular TV channels won’t have.
Fubo
With access to over a dozen channels broadcasting live college football games — including local, national, and college networks — fubo is a great way to watch college football online. fubo’s most affordable subscription tier gets you most of these channels and costs $79.99 a month, but you’ll want the upgraded Elite plan ($99.99 a month) to get ESPNU, SEC Network, Pac-12 Network, and ACC Network as well.
Sling
Another great live TV streaming service is Sling, which offers live TV streaming at a cheaper price than the above (although you get fewer channels). Sling’s Orange + Blue package (currently starting at $30 a month your first month, $60 per month afterward) is your best bet for watching college football. For even more sports channels, you can also grab Sling’s Sports Extra add-on for $15 a month.
ESPN+
ESPN+ will be the exclusive broadcaster of some NCAA football games this season, so you’ll want to get this one in addition to a live TV streamer above (unless you get Hulu + Live TV, which has ESPN+ included). ESPN+ costs $11.99 a month, or $119.99 a year for an annual subscription.
Digital Antenna
Don’t want to pay for another streaming service every month? You can also watch some college football games using a digital antenna. These devices, available for less than $37 on Amazon, don’t require a monthly fee and get you free, unlimited access to local stations like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.
The 2024 NCAA football season kicked off on Aug. 24. We’re now coming up on the bowl games and the 2024-25 College Football Playoff. This year’s championship game will be held on Jan. 20, 2025.
Once you’re set up with a way to watch the NCAA football championship, it’s time to get spirited with some of the best college football merch. Two of our favorite places to buy college football merch online are Nike and Fanatics.
