How To Watch NCAA Football Games Without Cable

How To Stream College Football Games

Trying to figure out how to watch NCAA football games can be a little tricky. College football fans can rejoice because there are over a dozen TV channels that stream college football games and several different streaming services options available that carry them.

Our college football guide explains how to watch college football live streams and how to watch every NCAA game available this season. You won’t miss a single touchdown whether you’re rooting for a team in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Pac-12, or SEC.

To learn more about streaming other sports please visit out guide on how to watch live sports without cable.

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College Football Channels

College football game channels can be broken down into the following categories: local networks, cable sports networks, college sports networks, and streaming sports networks. There are many different ways to watch college football without cable and we will break it down for you.

Local Networks

Channels
ABC	☑	☑	☑	☐	☐
CBS	☑	☑	☑	☐	☑
FOX	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
NBC	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐

* Based on in-market location. Channel availability may differ based on geolocation.

Local networks include channels such as ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. These are channels that are broadcast locally based on your in-market location and can be accessed with either a digital antenna or a streaming service.

Cable Sports Networks

Channels
ESPN	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
ESPN2	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
Fox Sports 1	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
Fox Sports 2	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
NBC Sports Network	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
TBS	☑	☐	☑	☑	☐
TNT	☑	☐	☑	☑	☐

* Based on in-market location. Channel availability may differ based on geolocation.

Cable sports networks include channels such as ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FS1, FS2, NBCSN, TBS and TNT. These are channels are can be streamed with a live TV streaming service.

College Sports Networks

Channels
ACC Network	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
ACC Network Extra	☐	☐	☑	☑	☐
Big Ten Network	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
CBS Sports Network	☑	☑	☑	☐	☐
ESPNU	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐
Fox College Sports	☐	☑	☐	☐	☐
Longhorn Network	☐	☐	☐	☑	☐
Pac-12 Network	☐	☑	☐	☑	☐
SEC Network	☑	☑	☑	☑	☐

* Based on in-market location. Channel availability may differ based on geolocation.

College sports networks include networks that are specific to the different NCAAF conferences or teams. These channels include ACC Network, Big Ten Network, Big 12 Now, Longhorn Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. There are also other channels that fall into this category such as CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and Fox College Sports. College sports networks can be accessed on different streaming services.

Streaming Sports Networks

Channels
beIN Sports	☐	☑	☐	☑	☐
Eleven Sports	☐	☑	☐	☐	☐
ESPN3	☐	☑	☐	☑	☐
Stadium	☐	☑	☐	☑	☐

* Based on in-market location. Channel availability may differ based on geolocation.

Streaming sports networks include channels such as beIN Sports, ESPN+, Facebook, Pluto TV, and Stadium. ESPN+ and Pluto TV are standalone services. Stadium and beIN Sports can be accessed via a streaming service.

Watch College Football With Streaming Services

There are several ways to watch college football without cable. The most popular way to watch college football is with a live TV streaming service. A live TV streaming service is better than a cable subscription because there are no hidden fees, no installation, and can be easily canceled. In this section, we will cover the different options available.

Some of the most popular streaming service brands include DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV), ESPN+, fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, Paramount+, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. Each of these streaming services has a different college football channel line-up, prices, and features. You may want to consider what other sports channels each service has too if more you are not just a college football fan. There are so many more options than cable or satellite.

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV)

DIRECTV STREAM is the rebranded AT&T TV (late August 2021) which used to be DirecTV Now before that. This service might keep changing names but the experience and channels have remained relatively the same over the years. DIRECTV STREAM is one of the best options because it has almost every channel required to watch college football games.

The service has all four local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX). It has all of the cable sports networks (ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, NBC Sports Network, TBS, and TNT). DIRECTV STREAM also has several college sports networks (ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, and SEC Network).

fuboTV

Another great option to watch college football games live is fuboTV. FuboTV has been a sports streaming powerhouse for years and it is still one of the best overall values. It has all four local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX). It has most of the cable sports networks (ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, NBC Sports Network).

FuboTV also has several college sports networks (ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, Fox College Sports, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network). In addition to all of these, it also has all of the streaming-only channels (ESPN3, Stadium, Eleven Sports, and beIN Sports).

To learn more about this service, please read out fuboTV review. You can try this service for one-week free that you can access by going here.

ESPN+

ESPN+ is a standalone service that does not offer any of the different types of sports channels that we have covered. However, ESPN+ is the exclusive home to Big 12 Now which streams games from the Big 12 conference in football, basketball, and several other Big 12 sports. This is a must-have service if you want to watch Big 12 college football online.

The service also has streaming coverage of MLS, NHL, MLB, La Liga, Top Rank Boxing, UFC, and more.

To learn more about this service, please read our ESPN+ review. ESPN+ does not offer a free trial, but it can be bundled with Disney+ and Hulu for a discounted price by going through our link here.

Hulu With Live TV

Hulu Live TV has been another popular choice amongst college football fans. This service has all local and cable sports networks. Hulu With Live TV also offers ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network. The service does not carry any of the streaming-only channels.

For the price point, we would rather recommend FuboTV a great value; however, Hulu Live TV is by no means a bad streaming service and offers a lot of college football live. You can try this service for one week free by going here. To learn more about this service, please read out Hulu Live TV review.

Sling TV

Sling TV is another great option to watch college football without cable, but only if you’re not an SEC fan. This streaming service does not offer CBS or ABC, but does have NBC and FOX. Sling TV does offer all of the cable sports networks.

Where this service really shines is for college sports channels. The channel line-up includes ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. This means you can live stream games from across the nation. Also available are ESPN3, Stadium, and beIN Sports.

To learn more about this service, please read out Sling TV review. Sling TV does offer a 7-day free trial that you can access by going here.

Paramount+

Having launched in early 2023, Paramount+ might be a new name for you, but it is an old goodie. Paramount+ is simply the rebranded CBS All Access service which is hands down the best way to watch SEC college football online. This is the least expensive way to watch the SEC on CBS.

This service offers live in-market streams of your local CBS channel but does not offer any of the cable sports channels or college sports channels. Paramount+ mostly offers on-demand TV shows and movies with over 30,000 TV episodes. The service also features other sports content such as NFL on CBS, Serie A, Concacaf, NCAA March Madness, and more.

To learn more about this service, please read out Paramount+ review. Paramount+ does offer a 7-day free trial that you can access by going here.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV is also another option to watch college football without cable. The service offers all of the local channels and all of the cable sports networks. YouTube TV also carries every college sports network with the exception of Longhorn Network and Pac-12 Network. Also offered is ESPN3 and Stadium.

Similar to Hulu With Live TV, we would rather recommend fuboTV over this service but it does offer a lot of college football games. The one thing we do not really care for is that YouTube TV only has one package and the non-sports channel lineup leaves more to be desired. To learn more about this service, please read out YouTube TV review.

Watch College Football Out-of-Market

One of the most annoying things about television is that so much content is restricted by geolocation. Perhaps your alma mater is across the country or maybe you simply root for a team that isn’t in-market. This can present a lot of difficulties when to comes to watching your favorite college football games live.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this which is the use of a VPN. VPNs mask your IP address by routing your Internet traffic through a server that is in the desired location. Not only can this unlock different content, but it also greatly increases the security of your online traffic. The best thing is it is perfectly legal. Please note that a VPN may not work with your chosen streaming app and might be against their terms of service.

We recommend using ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN has thousands of servers across the globe, is one of the fastest VPNs, and is very easy to use. You can get ExpressVPN for 3-months free exclusively through our link here.

How To Watch Atlantic Coast Conference Football Games

Atlantic Coast Conference football teams play on a variety of different channels throughout the season. Some of the most popular TV channels to watch ACC football games include but are not limited to ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. The Atlantic Coast Conference has a college sports network dedicated to the teams in the conference. These are the ACC Network and ACC Network Extra. ACC Network Extra is only available on Hulu Live TV and Sling TV.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each ACC football team.

How To Watch American Athletic Conference Football Games

American Athletic Conference football teams play on a variety of different channels throughout the season. Some of the most popular TV channels to watch AAC football games include but are not limited to ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. The Atlantic Coast Conference has a college sports network dedicated to the teams in the conference. Some games throughout the season may appear on ESPN+. fuboTV is a great way to watch college football games from this conference.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each AAC football team.

How To Watch Big Ten Football Games

Big Ten football teams play on a variety of different channels throughout the season. Some of the most popular TV channels to watch Big Ten football games include but are not limited to FOX, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), ESPN, and ESPN2. The Big Ten conference has a college sports network dedicated to the teams in the conference which is the Big Ten Network. Big Ten Network is available on DIRECTV STREAM (AT&T TV), fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each Big Ten football team.

How To Watch Big 12 Football Games

Big 12 football teams play on a variety of different channels throughout the season. Some of the most popular TV channels to watch Big 12football games include but are not limited to ABC, FOX, ESPN, and ESPN+. The Big Ten conference has a college sports network dedicated to the teams in the conference which is the Big 12 Network on ESPN+. The Longhorn Network is only available on Sling TV. ABC, Fox, and ESPN can be found on DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV), fuboTV, and YouTube TV.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each Big 12 football team.

How To Watch Conference USA Games Online

Conference USA games are played on a variety of TV channels. Some of the most popular channels for these teams include ESPN3, Stadium, CBS Sports Network, and more. Several teams have games on ESPN+. fuboTV is a fantastic option for C-USA football games because it offers Stadium and many other popular sports and entertainment channels.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each Conference USA football team.

How To Watch Independent Team Games Online

There are several teams that are considered “independents” that do not belong to any particular conference. These independent teams play football games on a variety of different channels. Some of these channels include ABC, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN3, Stadium, and others. The best ways to watch these teams are fuboTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and others.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each Independent football team.

How To Watch Mid-American Conference Football Games

Mid-American Conference games are played on a variety of TV channels. Some of the most popular channels for these teams include ESPN3, Stadium, CBS Sports Network, and more. Several teams have games on ESPN+. fuboTV is a fantastic option for Mid-American Conference football games because it offers ESPN3 and Stadium and many other popular sports and entertainment channels.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each Mid-American Conference football team.

How To Watch Mountain West Conference Games

Mountain West conference games are played on a variety of TV channels. Some of the most popular channels for these teams include ESPN3, Stadium, CBS Sports Network, and more. Several teams have games on ESPN+. fuboTV is a fantastic option for Mountain West football games because it offers ESPN3 and Stadium and many other popular sports and entertainment channels.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each Mountain West football team.

How To Watch Pac-12 Football Games

Pac-12 football teams play on a variety of different channels throughout the season. Some of the most popular TV channels to watch Pac-12 football games include but are not limited to ESPN, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports 1, and NBC. The Pac-12 conference has a college sports network dedicated to the teams in the conference which is the Pac-12 Network. Pac-12 is only available on two streaming services which are fuboTV and Sling TV. Sling TV is the least expensive way to watch most Pac-12 game and fuboTV is the best overall value.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each Pac-12 football team.

How To Watch South Eastern Conference (SEC) Football Games

SEC football teams play on a variety of different channels throughout the season. Some of the most popular TV channels to watch SEC football games include but are not limited to ABC, CBS, ESPN, and ESPN2. The South Eastern Conference has a college sports network dedicated to the teams in the conference which is the SEC Network. Paramount+ is the least expensive for SEC on CBS. fuboTV is the best value for college football games and entertainment channels.

Please visit each individual team page to view a detailed TV schedule for each SEC football team.

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