Last updated Mar. 11, 2023 by Charles Zemub
Love college football? Live in a cable-free home? Great news! There are many ways to watch college football without a pricey cable subscription.
Here are some ways to enjoy your favorite sport without overspending each month.
Sling TV
Sling TV is an excellent option for college football fans who want to watch their favorite team without cable.
-This live TV service lets you watch live sports, news, and other shows on your smartphone, tablet, or computer—and even via a streaming player or smart TV.
Sling TV’s base package includes dozens of channels, including ESPN and ESPN2, which are great for watching college football games. In addition, if you sign up for the Sling Blue package ($25 per month) or get both services together as part of Sling Orange + Blue ($40 per month), they’ll include ABC.
That means all four “major” networks will be available to stream HD quality during primetime hours when most college games air.
Sling also provides several add-on packages like Sports Extra ($5/month), Comedy Plus Extra ($5/month), Kids Plus Extra ($5/month), News Extra ($5/month), Hollywood Extra ($5/month)—and more.
You can customize these based on your interests (e.g., sports or entertainment). You can also upgrade any package with premium channels like HBO®, Cinemax®, or Showtime® by paying an additional monthly fee (in addition to your base subscription cost).
Hulu With Live TV
Hulu With Live TV is a great way to watch college football. The service offers live streaming from 60+ channels, including ABC, CBS, and NBC. You also get access to accesses 1/2/3, FS1/2/3, and Big Ten Network.
Hulu With Live TV is $40 per month with no contract required. If you sign up now and don’t like it after the first month or two, there’s no penalty—you stop paying.
That makes the service an excellent value because you can try it out risk-free – unlike other cable alternatives like Sling TV, that charge high startup costs and then make you sign onto a long-term contract before they even start working correctly (I’m looking at YOU DISH NETWORK).
PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue is an excellent option for watching college football without cable. It’s a streaming service that gives you access to most channels you’d get with line and even more.
Here’s how to watch college football on PlayStation Vue:
- First, use the PS4 or PS3 controller as if it were an Amazon Fire TV remote control—just hit Home on either device and go straight into the live streaming mode with just one button press.
FuboTV
FuboTV is a great option for watching college football without cable. FuboTV stands out from the competition because it has a sports-centric channel lineup, and it’s one of the few services that offer local channels in their base package (more on this later).
For its entry-level package, you can get FuboTV at $34.99 monthly. That includes over 70 channels, including FS1, NBCSN, and CBS Sports Network, depending on where you live.
There are regional sports networks like NESN for Bostonians and NESN Plus for New Englanders who want even more coverage.
The service also offers add-ons such as Cinemax ($10), Showtime ($11), HBO ($15), Starz ($7), or add another DVR service to record shows onto your device for $5 per month—all optional but worth considering if you’re not already subscribed elsewhere (like Netflix).
FuboTV has apps on Roku devices and Amazon Fire TV devices, so no matter what type of TV access point, an app will be available. You can also subscribe through Apple TV if they don’t currently have an app.
HSS-TV (Hulu, Sling, Spotify & YouTube) Bundle
Another option is HSS-TV, which includes Hulu, Sling TV, Spotify, and YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red).
HSS-TV is available for $40/month or $50 if you want to add ESPN+ to your package.
This channel lineup is similar to PlayStation Vue’s Core plan but with one significant difference: It includes all four services instead of just two.
HSS-TV has over 100 channels, including some of the most popular sports networks like FS1, Fox Sports 2, and NBCSN, and other entertainment channels such as AMC HD, TBS HD, and FXM HD.
The main downside of using this service is that it only works on specific devices, such as Apple TV 4K and newer Roku models with 4K HDR capability.
AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now is a streaming service that offers live TV over the internet. It’s one of the best cable alternatives for watching college football because it provides access to popular channels like ESPN, FOX Sports, and CBS Sports Network.
AT&T TV Now is available on various devices, including computers (Mac or PC), Apple TV, and Roku players.
There’s even an Android app. Of course, you can also stream college football games online on your phone or tablet.
The service is also compatible with Amazon FireTV devices, Xbox One consoles, and Google Chromecasts if you want to watch on your big screen in high definition.
Although it doesn’t offer all the features found in traditional cable packages (e.g., DVR recording capabilities), AT&T TV Now does have some perks that make it worth considering when looking for a way to cut your monthly bills:
- Price – It costs just $35 per month after factoring in any applicable discounts or promotions offered by AT&T; there’s also a free trial period where new subscribers can try out the service at no cost before committing to buy it;
- Value – For less than $40 per month, customers get access to ESPN and many other great channels and local stations from their home market.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service offering subscribers access to over 50 channels, including all major broadcast and cable networks. For $40 per month, you can stream live sports, news and ent, and entertainment from across the country.
YouTube TV comes with seven days’ worth of cloud DVR storage (unlimited space), so you can record your favorite show and watch it later without any restrictions.
To sweeten the deal further, YouTube TV will let you add on premium channels like HBO or Showtime for an additional fee.
It’s easy to use: sign in with your Google account (or create one) and start watching.
You can stream on most devices, including Roku players or Apple TVs, smartphones, and tablets running Android 4+.
WatchCollegeFootballOnline.com
WatchCollegeFootballOnline.com is a free college football streaming site that allows you to watch all games. They have an easy-to-use interface, and having a cable subscription or even a cable box to use this service is unnecessary.
You can watch on your computer, phone, or tablet like you would Netflix or Hulu.
There are no hidden fees either: no cable cancellation fees, no contract requirements (like DirecTV), and no contract extensions that require you to pay extra if you leave early like Dish Network Satellite TV plans do.
-This is one of the best ways to watch college football online without cable because they do not require contracts.
Antenna
You can watch college football without cable or satellite by using an antenna. An antenna is a device that picks up free TV signals.
You may think you need old-school rabbit ears to use it, but modern antennas come in all shapes and sizes, including ones you can attach to your TV or streaming device. Some people even connect them to their phones.
Antennas are free: no monthly fee, no contract required, and no equipment rental fees (although some require a one-time purchase).
So you won’t have to worry about paying $100+ per month for cable anymore—and there’s no risk of getting hit with surprise rate hikes either.
The best part? You’ll get all your local channels, no matter what kind of antenna you get.
That means football games will air on ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC and more—even in HD for some stations.
If any of those networks aren’t available where you live yet, check out my article about how antennas work here.
ESPN+ Service
ESPN+ is a streaming service that offers live sports, original programming, films, and more.
What you get with ESPN+:
- Live sports – ESPN+ covers all your favorite games, from baseball to hockey.
- Original programming – Watch shows like Barstool Van Talk and more on this app! There’s something for everyone here.
- On-demand content – If you want to catch up on your favorite sports moments from the past few months or years, you can find them here.
College Sports Live Service
College Sports Live is a new service that promises to let you watch your favorite college sports without cable.
The service is available in all 50 states and includes every game of the NCAA football season and other sports like basketball and hockey.
You can also access live streams of games from conferences such as the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, and PAC 12.
The only catch? You must pay $64.99 per year for access to College Sports Live (unless you want to buy it month-to-month). At the same time, this may seem steep at first glance.
It’s comparable with other legal streaming services like Sling TV or PlayStation Vue—and given the quality of the product they deliver compared with what you get from cable companies, we think it’s worth paying for.
In addition: If you’re not sure if your zip code is included in College Sports Live’s coverage area yet, don’t worry.
We’ll keep updating this post over time, so check back regularly until your area has been added before making any decisions about whether or not signing up for this service might be worthwhile.
Locally Broadcasted Games (ABC, CBS, Fox & NBC)
Suppose you have a digital antenna, head to your TV, and scan for channels. You can also use the free trial of our favorite streaming service (no credit card required), which comes with 50+ channels, including NBC, ABC, CBS & Fox, to see what’s available in your area.
You can learn more about the Watch Local Games service on Your Phone.
Suppose you watch college football games on your phone but don’t want to lose data.
In that case, we recommend using a VPN service like ExpressVPN or NordVPN to secure yourself from hackers and other threats by letting them hide your IP address and encrypt all your communications for maximum privacy online.
Remember that if someone sees you watching college football online without cable services, they will also know how much money you spend monthly on cable. So be careful.
Watch college football online free
College football is in the air, and I hate to break it to you, but if your cable and internet provider charges you a hefty fee to stream games, you probably can’t watch college football online for free.
However, there are other ways to get around this problem. The best way is to use a streaming device. The devices that stream content from the internet to your TV or computer.
They can also be used for many other things, including watching movies and shows on demand. They come in two main types: set-top streaming boxes and dongles.
Set-top boxes are larger devices that connect directly to your TVs, such as a Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Dongles are smaller plug-and-play devices that tie directly into your computers, such as the Google Chromecast or Amazon Firestick.
Other alternatives include using an HDMI cable to connect your laptop or desktop computer directly to your TV.
-This will also require a wireless mouse and keyboard if you want control over what you’re watching.
Alternatively, you can use wireless speakers with a built-in Google Cast (formerly known as Chromecast) receiver.
Hulu college football
Hulu has college football games all day, but they don’t have much fun. So what should you do if your team’s game is not on Hulu? You can tune in to the Hulu college football Facebook page for updates.
The page lists all the games currently airing on Hulu, so you can press “Like” for your team’s play.
The page also posts updates about upcoming games scheduled on Hulu. If you follow this page, you’ll never miss a game.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I watch college football without cable for free?
College football is the most fun sport to watch, so it’s a shame you can’t always see it when you want.
The good news is that there are several ways to catch the game without cable. Here are five simple solutions you can use on your computer or other devices—no line required.
1. Watch College Football Online with Sling TV
Sling TV is an online service that lets you watch live television streams on devices like PCs, Macs, iPhones, and more. For $20 a month, you’ll get access to ESPNU,
ESPN3, and ten more ESPN networks, you can watch plenty of college football games without cable. You can tune into those games on your smart TV using one of Sling’s adapters.
2. Watch College Football Streaming Free with an Antenna
While Sling TV will connect you to most games, it doesn’t have CBS Sports Network or the SEC Network. So if you’re looking for those channels, an antenna may be the way to go.
This device hooks up to your TV’s antenna connection and pulls in all your local stations—CBSSN and SEC Network included—for free.
3. Watch College Football Online with Game Pass
Can I watch college football on peacock?
Can I watch college football on peacock? I have always been a college football fan, but I’m unsure if it will be available on peacock. Can I watch college football on peacock?
Does Pluto TV have college football?
Pluto TV has a lot of content but doesn’t have everything. The Pluto TV site says, “Pluto TV features hundreds of channels, movies, and shows at your fingertips.” However, when I searched for college football on Pluto TV, it showed no results.
Nobody knows precisely where Pluto TV is based or who owns it (it’s not even clear whether Pluto TV is a company), and that’s why some people are confused about whether or not it has college football.
They’re wondering if there’s some issue with licensing or availability. For example, it may be that the broadcasters have to agree to have their games streamed online before they can be included on Pluto TV, which would explain why they don’t just put all the channels together in one place and call it a day.
What is streaming service best for football?
It’s football season, so the whole country is going nuts. This year, the game of our dreams is being played on a new stage. The Super Bowl is streamed live on Tan excellent.
-This is an excellent way for more people to watch the game and for advertisers to reach a wider audience. In addition, it confuses the mix of streaming services you might already have signed up for.
NFL Network is required if you want to stream Thursday Night Football games and NFL RedZone on Sundays, but Twitter gives you access to everything else this season—that means all Sunday games on CBS and FOX are streamed with no additional sign-up necessary.
You can also stream Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, but there’s an $80 yearly fee for that service that you may not need if you’ve already got Prime. FuboTV is another option.
Some packages give you over 80 channels and include coverage of local networks in many areas and sports programming.
—but they don’t offer NFL Network or RedZone. Hulu with Live TV is a good choice if you want to stream CBS, FOX, and NBC in multiple markets.
What. is the best way to stream college football?
Every college football season, I go through the same process, ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2.
Watching college football on TV is one of the most frustrating experiences in my life—even when it’s a televised game with a clear picture and sound, which only happens about half of the time.
And it’s not just me who feels this way: anyone who cares about college football knows that streaming games live is essential, and yet, we are often left wanting more.
The problem is that every sports broadcaster has theitsn technology and distribution agreements that make live-streaming games virtually impossible unless you’re willing to get creative.
A few years ago, during an August game between Auburn and Clemson (I know some of you are thinking, “what kind of weirdo loves Clemson?”), I only watched that entire game on the phone because it was the only way to stream it live from my computer.
But recently, things have gotten better thanks to newer streaming services like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue. In addition, these services have been able to work around some of the legal complications that have made these services.
Can you watch all college football games on ESPN Plus?
Maybe you’re a die-hard college football fan who wants to watch all of your team’s games.
Then, for only $4.99 per month, you can subscribe to ESPN Plus and get the following features:
-Streaming access to live ESPN programming, including Monday Night Football and different college football games (with TV providers).
Access to on-demand ESPN shows and films
Summary
There are many options for enjoying your football without an expensive cable package. Below, we’ll cover the most popular ones.
Watch college football online. You can watch college football games on ESPN, CBS Sports Network, and other regional sports networks via Sling TV or FuboTV. Both services offer packages starting at $25 per month.
You can stream select games through the NCAA website, the official app, or via one of its many media partners like Campus Insiders and Stadium (which have paid subscriptions).
Watch college football on TV. If you’re looking for free live streams of games in your local market, check out PlayStation Vue — which offers 50+ channels for only $29.99/month –
– as well as Sling TV Blue ($25/month) and FuboTV ($34.99/month), both of which carry Fox Sports Networks (FSN).
Watch college football on your phone: NCAA March Madness Live is available for iOS and Android devices through the App Store and Google Play stores;
-this free app streams every March Madness tournament game live with no subscription required
With so many options available, you don’t need to pay for cable to watch college football.
Instead, you can get all the games you want in various ways that fit your budget and lifestyle. If none of these work for you, we have one final suggestion: visit a friend who has cable.
