How to Watch Penn State Football Without Cable

Can’t make it to the 106,572-capacity Beaver Stadium, one of the world’s largest facilities, for the next Penn State football game? There’s a better option: stream it online. Read on to learn how to catch every game without cable.

In a hurry? Like many Big Ten schools, you can watch a lot of games on network TV. You can get all the channels you need with one of these services:

Unfortunately, we don’t know a streaming service in that offers this TV channel/sport. But if you’ve already paid for the right service, and just can’t watch because of your location, there is an easy way to get the sports, movies, and TV you deserve. You need a VPN, like one of the following.

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If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, you’ll find all the answers in our full VPN guide.

This Week’s Penn State Football Game

What Channels Show Penn State Nittany Lions Football Games?

With how college football scheduling works, many game times and television/streaming assignments are not decided upon and released until a week or two before the specified game. Surprisingly, prior to the start of the 2023 campaign, half of PSU’s games already had assigned timing and broadcasting information.

However, for the 2024 season, the channel information for only the first two games has been announced till now. The opening game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on August 31 is set to be aired on FOX and the next game against the Bowling Green Falcons is to be broadcast on Big Ten Network (BTN).

In general, local network affiliates such as NBC, FOX (and FS1), CBS, and ABC air Penn State football games. BTN usually airs less important games. Generally, ESPN does not air Nittany Lions games during the regular season.

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Stream Penn State Football

Of course, you’re here because you want to stream Penn State football games online. Fortunately, you have several options that will provide access to those highly anticipated broadcasts.

Fubo

You can watch Penn State games shown on NBC, FOX, CBS, ABC, ESPN, and FS1 on Fubo through its base Pro plan costing $79.99/mo. In total, the plan comes with 150+ TV channels including Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN2, FS2, beIN Sports, and TUDN.

Check out our Fubo review to know more.

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DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM offers extensive access to local network affiliates as well as ESPN and FS1 through its Entertainment plan. The plan includes 90+ channels for $79.99/mo. With the Choice plan offering 125+ channels for $108.99/mo, you also get Big Ten Network.

Find more information about these plans in our DIRECTV STREAM review.

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Sling TV

To watch PSU on Sling TV, you need their Blue plan. It includes FS1 and NFL Network as well as ABC, FOX, and NBC in select markets. It costs $40.00/mo (or $45.00/mo if ABC is available in your area). To get Big Ten Network, however, you must get the Sports Extra add-on, which comes with 9 other top sports channels for an $11/mo.

Our Sling TV review has more details.

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Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV is a great option for watching the blue and white as its base plan offers 95+ channels including all of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, ESPN, FS1, and the Big Ten Network. It also comes with ESPN+ and Disney+ bundled in for just $76.99/mo.

Read more in our detailed Hulu + Live TV review.

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Overall, all of the above streaming services come with a cloud DVR. Some, such as Sling TV, offer relatively low storage but the rest offer it in liberal amounts.

Other Options to Watch Penn State

A substantial number of Penn State football games appear on over-the-air channels — especially Fox. So you can watch about half the games for free if you set up a digital antenna.

We highly recommend doing this anyway. Unless you live in a very remote location, an antenna is the cord cutter’s secret weapon. And sadly, it is the most under-utilized.

Additionally, the below streaming services can allow you to watch Nittany Lions games:

• YouTube TV: This service carries all of the channels that are likely to broadcast Penn State games.
• Peacock: This premium service aired the first, second, and last games of the 2023 season. It should carry some games this year too.
• Paramount+ Premium: This service allows you to watch CBS and much more, including a tremendous amount of sports.

Note that a B1G+ subscription will not get you access to any live PSU football games. However, you can watch archived football matchups as well as livestreams of many non-football sporting events.

Devices for Penn State Nittany Lions Football Live Streaming

Regardless of the streaming devices or TVs you use, there are streaming services that support them.

Android TV-based smart TVs and Samsung smart TVs are supported by all the services. So are streaming sticks such as Amazon Fire TV (Stick/Cube), Apple TV, Roku, and iOS and Android mobile devices.

Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV also support smart TVs from LG and Vizio.

In terms of gaming consoles, Xbox One is supported by Fubo, Hulu, Sling, and YouTube TV. Hulu supports the Nintendo Switch. PlayStation is supported by Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.

Sling TV supports Oculus devices.

And finally, Chromecast, which allows you to cast live TV from your phone to your TV screen, is universally supported.

See our individual streaming reviews for complete lists of supported devices.

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About Penn State Nittany Lions

Pennsylvania State University is located in Happy Valley, which is situated in a less densely populated part of the state in the middle of it, roughly three hours from both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. However, many do make those drives for games as its average attendance — 108,409 in 2023 — is usually second nationally.

The football program also has a revered history, having won more than 900 games, one of the 10 highest totals in the country. In addition, it has claimed a pair of national championships, which were secured in 1982 and 1986.

Of course, sports is usually more of a what-have-you-done-lately venture, and the current state of the program is elite as well.

Penn State finished the 2023 season 10-3 and with an appearance in the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss. They are ranked eighth in the nation coming into the 2024 season and have a shot at the College Football Playoff with a strong showing during the regular season.

Their biggest game in 2024 is a home contest against Ohio State on November 2. Penn State will also take on UCLA and USC in what should be tough matchups against two schools that joined the Big 10 from the Pac-12.

James Franklin returns to serve as the head coach with Andy Kotelnicki serving as offensive coordinator. On defense, Tom Allen serves as coordinator as well as linebackers coach. Ja’Juan Seider is listed as co-offensive coordinator on the team’s website but primarily serves as the running backs coach.

Penn State turned to the transfer portal to boost its defense and its chances of a Big 10 title. Key players include cornerbacks A.J. Harris from Georgia and Jalen Kimber from Florida. They also added receiver Julian Fleming from Ohio State, who was the number three recruit in the nation in 2020.

The offense features quarterback Drew Allar who took over from Sean Clifford in 2023, while the defense includes Abdul Carter.

The Nittany Lions have claimed two national championships in program history with the most recent coming in 1986. They also have five unofficial national titles with the final one coming in 1994. Penn State has won five conference titles and two division titles.

Penn State has had a number of rivalries throughout its history. Today, Ohio State is the team’s biggest rival as they have played every year since 1993. Other schools such as Pittsburgh and Syracuse have also been seen as rivals, but Penn State plays those teams on an irregular basis as they don’t play in the same conference. Penn State will play Syracuse in 2027 and 2028.

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Beaver Stadium

Beaver Stadium is the home of the Nittany Lions football team on the Penn State campus in University Park. It is one of the top settings in college football, and that reputation has much more to do with the atmosphere that envelopes this place on fall Saturdays than the impressive attendance figures. It all starts with epic tailgating sessions and continues in the stands, sometimes in White Out conditions.

This facility is a newer one by college football standards, having been built in 1960 with an initial capacity of 46,284. Its former home was New Beaver Field, where it played from 1909-1959, although, in a way, Beaver Stadium is a continuation of that former facility as it was essentially moved in 700 pieces to its current location a mile and a half away.

Nittany Lions

How did the name Nittany Lions come about? The school’s nickname is partially inspired by nearby Mount Nittany and partially by the mountain lions that roamed the area that the school was located in until the 1800s.

Where Can I Find the Penn State Football Schedule for This Season?

Here’s the schedule of games for Penn State Nittany Lions in 2024:

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Other Penn State Sports

Of course, PSU sponsors an entire athletics department of teams, many of which are also highly successful.

Both of Penn State’s volleyball squads have claimed national titles, including the men winning one in 2008 in the midst of a dynasty by the women’s program, which had a four-peat from 2007-10 and also won twice more in 2013 and 2014. Both programs claimed a title apiece in the 1990s as well. In fact, Penn State is the only school outside of California and Hawaii to have won both men’s and women’s volleyball titles.

The Nittany Lions women’s soccer team is also amongst the nation’s best and that squad’s team members lifted the championship trophy at the end of a historic 2015 campaign.

Meanwhile, the school’s women’s lacrosse program won it all in 1987 and 1989 while its men’s lacrosse, men’s ice hockey, women’s ice hockey, women’s field hockey, baseball, and softball teams also have devoted fan bases.

With all of that said, same as at most schools, the sport that garners the most interest behind football is men’s basketball although it does struggle to fill the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center. That team did make it to the Final Four in 1954. More recently, it advanced to the round of 32 in 2023. These games are shown on similar outlets as its football team, with a focus on the Big Ten Network.

The Lady Lions women’s basketball program also has a Final Four appearance to its credit, achieved in 2000. However, it was last selected to the NCAA Tournament field in 2014.

Sports events played by these teams and others are often shown on the Big Ten Network as well as streamed through B1G+ while ESPN owns postseason broadcasting rights for most of these sports.

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Summing Up

If you are not able to yell, “We Are Penn State,” on campus prior to the next game at Beaver Stadium or away from Happy Valley, make sure to get a streaming service that will allow you to watch it live.

Fubo is our top choice for streaming Penn State football games. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

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FAQs

Can I watch the Penn State game on Hulu?

Yes, you can watch Penn State games on Hulu with their Live TV plan. The plan includes NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, ESPN, FS1, and Big Ten Network which broadcast Penn State Nittany Lions football games. The plan costs $76.99/mo and supports simultaneous streaming on up to two devices. Read our detailed Hulu + Live TV review to know more.

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Can you watch Penn State on YouTube TV?

Yes, YouTube TV includes ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as ESPN, FS1, and Big Ten Network channels that broadcast Penn State games. Its base plan, costing $72.99/mo, offers a total of 100+ channels. The plan includes support for streaming on 3 devices simultaneously and comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage for up to 9 months.

Who are Penn State’s biggest rivals?

Historically, the Pittsburgh Panthers were probably the Nittany Lions’ biggest rivals. But the two teams rarely meet anymore. That’s also true of old rivalries with the Syracuse Orange and Alabama Crimson Tide. Today, the Ohio State Buckeyes may well be the biggest rivals since the two teams play each year and are currently two of the best teams in all of NCAA football — in the top 25 of 2024 preseason rankings.

Penn State also has a major rivalry with the Maryland Terrapins even though it isn’t very competitive — at least in football. (Maryland has a much better basketball program.) Other rivalries are with the Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Temple Owls, and West Virginia Mountaineers.

How can I watch other college teams?

We have a great selection of guides for watching college football and bowl games. If you are looking for a particular team, check out one of these:

We go beyond football with college basketball and March Madness guides as well as guides for the top teams:

Image cropped from Penn State vs Pitt: Trace McSorley (September 9, 2017) by Chris Spon under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. He specializes in streaming, sports, and technology. You can see his writing on low-budget and "weird" film at Psychotronic Review — and many other places.

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