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NCAA Online: Advantages + Best Picks to Watching College Football Without Cable

It’s time for another NCAA football season. I’ve gathered the schedules and channels below, and I’ll explain how to watch all the action without a cable subscription.

In a hurry? If you are in no mood for details and just want to start streaming NCAA football now, these services are my favorites:

  • Hulu + Live TV: A total entertainment streaming service with all the NCAA channels and ESPN+. Try the Hulu Live free 3-day trial.
  • Fubo: Sports-first streaming service with 150+ diverse channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
  • Sling TV: A low-cost service with excellent customization options. Save 50% on Sling TV now!

College Football Channels

To figure out how you can watch college football online without cable, you need to know the television channels that you need access to. With a few exceptions, you’ll find that most college football games air on the following networks:

Overall, the ESPN family of networks is the most important, as ESPN hosts the majority of college football. This is particularly true for the bigger teams and more popular conferences. So you will definitely want to make sure that you have access to ESPN and their other networks, like the ESPN channels, ACCN, and SECN.

Also important, are the Fox channels: FOX itself, FS1, FS2, and Big-Ten Network (BTN).

Of increasing importance to NCAA football fans is not a channel at all but a streaming service, ESPN+. This service provides exclusive access to some games, mostly from lower-tier schools. It is included with Hulu + Live TV.

Stream College Football Live Online

Online streaming services are a great way to watch college football online. In recent years the rise of live television streaming has given way to previously cable-only channels, like ESPN, to become part of the online live streaming lineup.

Because college sports are a lot more fragmented than the professionals, it’s going to be difficult to catch EVERY college game. Aside from the physical limitations of watching every game on Saturday, different services will simply offer you access to different NCAA conferences.

To help you out with your search for that perfect college football-friendly streaming service, here’s a quick rundown of the available live television streaming services that are good to watch college football without cable.

FuboTV Football
FuboTV football coverage.
ServicePriceChannelsReview
Fubo$79.99/month150+Fubo
DIRECTV STREAM$86.99/month90+DIRECTV
Hulu + Live TV$82.99/month95+Hulu
YouTube TV$82.99/month100+YouTube
Sling TV$55.00/month50+Sling

Get Hulu + Live TV Free

Streaming Features

Every streaming services provides an app for the devices they support. Today, that means most streaming devices. The following devices are universally supported: Amazon Fire TV, Android Mobile, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS (eg, iPhone), Roku, Samsung TVs, and web browsers. Many of the services also offer apps for gaming systems (eg, Xbox, PlayStation) and other smart TVs (eg, LG, Vizio).

Cloud DVRs are included with all the streaming services. Sling TV offers 100 hours and the others are all unlimited. You can also stream on multiple devices simultaneously so not everyone in your household has to watch the same things.

Other Streaming Options

ESPN+ shows a lot of NCAA sports and some NCAA football. College Sports Live is an online streaming service dedicated to providing you with complete coverage of all college sports from 50 schools across the nation.

Watch College Football Free with an Antenna

The only way to watch college football for free is by using an over-the-air antenna. With an OTA antenna, you will be able to pick up ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX (although the networks you get will depend on where you live, and the quality of your antenna).

OTA antennas are cheap, there are no monthly fees, and everything you watch will show up in 1080i HD.

Typically, you’re going to see a lot of prime-time games airing on ABC and Fox. NBC and CBS air some NCAA football games but not a lot.

Keep in mind that antennas ONLY cover games on NBC/FOX/CBS/ABC. For games airing on ESPN and all the other college football channels, you’ll need another option – see the streaming services above.

Also, remember that antenna reception varies a lot depending on where you live. If you live near a major city, you’ll probably get most of the networks you want. If you’re more rural, you may find that you only get 1 or 2 of the major networks, if that.

Get Hulu + Live TV Free

Listen to College Football

If all else fails, and you just can’t find the game you’re looking for, or you are really strapped for cash, then you might want to turn to the radio. Most games will have live audio coverage, and more often than not schools will stream the radio broadcast online on the team’s website.

Barring that, you can always use online radio apps, such as TuneIn, to find local broadcasts of the team you’re looking for. TuneIn has one of the widest selections of terrestrial radio stations, and, best of all, it’s free.

Today’s College Football Schedule

None

Watch Your Favorite College Team

Click your favorite team below for more specific info on how to stream their games.

Our Choice

Want to watch college football online while also keeping up with NFL and UFL? All the live TV streaming services I discussed will have you covered. Hulu + Live TV is my top choice for watching college football. Try the Hulu Live free 3-day trial.

Get Hulu + Live TV Free

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Conor Sheils
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