How To Watch College Football Streams Without Cable 2024–2025 (2024)

More than 1,000 college football games happen from August to December—leading into college bowl season. You can watch key matchups on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, but most games air on ESPN channels and college conference networks.

Hulu + Live TV is our favorite streaming service for college football. It offers unlimited DVR storage and every ESPN channel—even ESPN+ at no extra cost. Sling TV and Fubo are also excellent services for cord-cutters seeking flexible channel offerings.

Keep reading to learn more about our top provider recommendations—including a complete list of college football channels.

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• College football channels
• College football schedule
• Best ways to watch college football
• Watch college football for free

You can find college football games across various channels and streaming services. Local channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC still broadcast some of the biggest games. But you also want ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX Sports 1 (FS1), and CBS Sports Network for extra coverage.

Conference channels like ACC Network, Big Ten Network, and SEC Network also air many collegiate matchups. Even if your favorite team doesn’t belong to those conferences, you may still need the channels to watch certain away games. That’s because home team affiliation determines which channels carry college football fixtures.

The college football schedule runs from Week 0 in late August to the College Football Playoff National Championship in mid-January. This year, the College Football Playoff also expands to 12 teams for the first time in its history.

Check out our weekly CFB Schedule page for the latest game times and channel listings. Otherwise, we outline the scope of the five-month season in the table below.

The best streaming service for watching college football varies based on the games, teams, and conferences you follow. For the ultimate coverage, we recommend Hulu + Live TV because it’s the only TV provider to include ESPN+ alongside all major college football channels. It also has unlimited cloud DVR storage, so you can record as many games as your gridiron-loving heart desires.

If you need more channels for the rest of your household, Fubo takes the field as the next best option. The live TV streaming service carries every essential college football channel and offers regional sports networks (RSNs) for added local coverage. The downside is that Fubo costs more than Hulu + Live TV, and you need to get ESPN+ on its own for the most well-rounded viewing experience. It also lacks TBS, TNT, and truTV, which are crucial for watching college basketball.

Check out our comparison table below to see how streaming services stack up regarding college football coverage.

Local channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and The CW air college football live for free. But you need to connect an over-the-air (OTA) antenna to your TV to access the channels without a paid TV plan.

Quality antennas typically cost between $20 and $60. When choosing an antenna, keep in mind the price often corresponds with the antenna’s range. That’s why it’s important to look up how far you are from broadcast towers in your area by entering your zip code into the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Reception Map Tool.

One of our favorite antennas is the Mohu Leaf 50 because of its 60-mile range and built-in amplifier for stronger reception. But we highlight more recommendations in our Best OTA Antennas guide.

You can score live college football streams for free online through various Reddit communities. But we don’t recommend going this route, as accessing unofficial streams can expose your device to intrusive ads, viruses, and malware. (Plus, it’s still illegal even if you’re not the one selling or distributing the content.)

You’re better off exploring legitimate streaming services like Hulu + Live TV and Fubo to ensure a safe and reliable viewing experience. Fortunately, Fubo offers a seven-day free trial if you’re not ready to commit to a TV plan.

Our sports experts have over two seasons of research and hands-on testing under their belts for determining the best ways to watch college football. For the 2024–2025 season, we reexamined the most popular TV providers head-to-head and formed our recommendations based on channel lineups, pricing, and ease of use.

Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.

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