How to Watch Wisconsin Football Without Cable

I can stream all Wisconsin Badgers football games online.

In a hurry? If you just want to start watching the Badgers, these streaming services provide the channels you need:

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The Badgers are the pride of Wisconsin, but if you live in or are from Wisconsin, of course, you already know that. Perhaps you even start humming, “On, Wisconsin.” the school’s fight song that dates to the Civil War, without realizing it.

Regardless of whether you are a devoted fan looking to watch all of the school’s games or just want to check out its biggest ones, we will show you how you can do so without cable.

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This Week’s Wisconsin Badgers Football Game

Wisconsin Channels

All home games and Big Ten away contests are under the same broadcasting umbrella. As a result, the vast majority of Wisconsin games will air on Fox, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), CBS, NBC/Peacock, and the Big Ten Network (BTN).

The Badgers’ first game of 2024, against Western Michigan on August 30th will be on FS1 and their last game against Minnesota will be on CBS. But most games do not yet have TV schedules.

During the 2023 season, the Badgers aired on the following channels:

Due to changing broadcasting rights last year, ABC and ESPN are no longer options except for non-conference games that are played away from Madison.

Stream Wisconsin Football

To stream all Wisconsin Badgers football games in 2024 and beyond, including any possible postseason contests, make sure to get a streaming service that offers the major broadcast networks as well as FS1, Big Ten Network, and ESPN.

Live TV Streaming Services

Fubo offers access to Fox, NBC, CBS, and ABC as well as FS1, ESPN, and Big Ten Network. This should allow you to watch all Wisconsin games except the streaming only game on Peacock. It provides 150+ TV channels in its base plan for $79.99/month — 50+ of those being sports channels including the vast majority of regional sports networks (RSNs). (Fubo Review)

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If you want to enjoy extensive coverage of the Badgers with DIRECTV STREAM, get its Entertainment plan ($79.99/month), which includes Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, and FS1. However, an upgrade to its Choice plan is required for Big Ten Network access. This also gets you access to its industry-leading selection of RSNs. (DIRECTV STREAM Review)

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free Trial

Sling Blue offers ABC, Fox, and NBC local affiliates in select markets for $40.00/month (without ABC) or $45.00/month (with ABC). The plan also comes with FS1 and NFL Network — 40+ other top-quality channels overall. The Sports Extra add-on is $11/mo and includes Big Ten Network. If you also want the ESPN channels, you can get Sling Orange & Blue starting at $55.00/month. (Sling TV Review)

Save $25 on Sling TV Now

Hulu + Live TV is one of the best options for watching the Badgers play on Saturdays this fall as it offers Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, FS1, ESPN, and the Big Ten Network. Note that ESPN+ and Disney+ subscriptions are also included. (Hulu Live Review)

Get Hulu + Live TV for $59.99 Monthly

YouTube is a solid option for Wisconsin fans as it offers its subscribers access to NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, FS1, ESPN, and the Big Ten Network.

OTT Streaming Services

Last year, Peacock streamed three of the Badgers games with one exclusive to the platform. We expect the same this year.

A Paramount+ subscription will give you access to the last game of the regular season against the Minnesota Golden Golphers on November 30th.

A B1G+ subscription is highly useful for Wisconsin fans who support other Badgers teams beyond the major sports of football and men’s basketball, but it is useless for live UW football games.

Devices for Live Streaming Wisconsin Badgers Football

We live in a streaming world now. Most people own at least three devices they can stream on: a web browser on their computer, a smartphone, and a television. The live TV streaming services support almost all devices in use. These include all of the following:

Smart TVs from LG and Vizio and gaming systems from Xbox are supported by Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

Sling TV supports the Oculus VR system. Hulu supports the Nintendo Switch. And Hulu + Live TV and YouTube support the PlayStation versions 4 and 5.

Our streaming reviews contain complete lists of supported devices. See those for details.

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Wisconsin Football

For Wisconsin to have a top-25 season in 2024, the Badgers must make an unexpected step forward as the 2023 squad went a disappointing 7-6, and few are predicting considerable improvement this campaign.

Two of the areas where the UW must progress for that improvement to be a reality are the lines on both sides of the ball, particularly the defensive line.

Offensively, the overall focus will be on the air raid offense that the team implemented in 2023 but that failed to impress. Will 2024 be different? The quarterback position is, of course, pivotal, and that role will probably be taken by Tyler Van Dyke, who started 25 games for the Miami Hurricanes the past three seasons.

Meanwhile, Will Pauling will likely lead the receiving corps, another essential part of an air raid offense. Fellow wide receivers Bryson Green and Trech Kekahuna should be solid contributors as well.

However, one of the biggest holes that must be filled is at running back as Braelon Allen is off to the NFL’s New York Jets.

Wisconsin’s defensive line’s stalwart in 2024 is expected to be James Thompson Jr, but he needs help. However, behind him are expected to be solid linebackers in John Pius and Leon Lowery, both of whom went through the portal in the offseason, Pius from William & Mary, Lowery from Syracuse. Beyond them, cornerback Ricardo Hallman and safety Hunter Wohler should impress as well.

Fortunately, the Badgers have two games in which to ease into the season, against Western Michigan and South Dakota, but a significant challenge in the form of a visit from Alabama comes on the heels of those.

Head coach Luke Fickell is in his second full season in charge of the program, so he has not yet had much time to get acclimated to his role. However, one strong sign of a solid second campaign is that his first two years at Cincinnati, his most recent stop, resulted in a 4-8 season being followed by an 11-2 season and a total of five straight years of 9+ wins before he moved to Madison.

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Rivalry With Minnesota

Wisconsin’s biggest rivalry is with Minnesota. Although the Badgers have generally dominated this as of late, going 16-3 in their last 19 meetings, two of those defeats came in 2021 and 2022. But the Badgers won last year with a final score of 28-14.

This is the FBS’s most-played rivalry; their meeting in 2024 will be their 134th. They enter the campaign with an almost even rivalry with 63 wins for Wisconsin and 62 wins for Minnesota. There were eight ties recorded in the pre-overtime days.

Fourth-Oldest Stadium

Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium, which was built in 1917, is the oldest in the Big Ten and the fourth-oldest across all of the FBS. It has a capacity of 76,118, and home attendances are always at or near that number. Perhaps its best-known tradition is “Jump Around,” during which fans, well, jump around prior to the start of the fourth quarter.

2024 Wisconsin Badgers Football Schedule

Other Wisconsin Sports

Wisconsin fans also come out in high numbers to support other UW sports teams. Its men’s basketball squad, which plays in the 17,287-capacity Kohl Center, is particularly popular. Also playing at the facility are the school’s women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey teams. Meanwhile, its powerhouse women’s ice hockey team plays at 2,273-capacity LaBahn Arena, which was specially built for it.

In fact, ice hockey is quite popular at Wisconsin, and the school has won 13 national championships in that sport, six by the men’s squad and seven by the women’s, including in 2023.

Other NCAA titles of note were claimed by the men’s basketball (1941), men’s soccer (1995), and women’s volleyball (2021) programs.

Summing Up

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is not ranked in the top-25 going into the 2024 season. However, it came close. And if things go well, it should make the cut and could even be a competitor in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Of course, this team enjoys massive support within the Badger State and beyond with many wanting to watch its games without cable regardless of its record or expectations.

Fubo is our top choice for Badgers fans. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

How can I watch other college teams?

We have many guides on how to watch college football general as well as the college bowl games. We also have team-specific guides:

We also have guides on watching college basketball generally as well as March Madness. And we have guides for the top college basketball teams:

Featured image: Camp Randall Stadium by Jim Bauer under CC BY-ND 2.0.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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