College football kicks off this week and in 2019 college football is easier than ever to find! The best part is there is no longer a need to agree to a two-year contract with cable TV to watch college football with crazy high costs.
Important Note: DIRECTV NOW is being rebranded to AT&T TV NOW. When that change happens we will update this chart with the new name.
This is your guide on how you can watch college football without the high cost and long-term contracts of cable TV.
Step #1: ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC
In 2018 over 100 college football games will be aired free over the air on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. The best part is many of the biggest games every week will be free over the air.
If you have the option, an antenna is always the best way to watch college football to avoid the delay or the risk of the stream crashing out.
If you need an antenna or want to see what channels you can get where you live, check out Antenna Web.
More than 90% of Americans have access to some or all of these channels; however, that still leaves 30 million Americans who struggle to get one network or another over the air. For them a growing number of services, such as Hulu and PlayStation Vue, all offer locals. We recommend you check out each site to see what locals they offer in your area.
Step #2: ESPN, FS1, FS2, BTN, & More
You now know how to get your local stations, but what about the national networks such as ESPN? The good news is with Sling TV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, and DIRECTV NOW you can access a ton of national networks.
First, let’s take a look at what services have which channels:
| Channel | Sling TV | PS Vue | AT&T TV NOW | Hulu | fuboTV | YouTube TV |
| ESPN | X | X | X | X | X | |
| ESPN2 | X | X | X | X | X | |
| ESPNU | X | X | X | X | X | |
| ESPN Goal Line | X | X | X | X | X | |
| FS1 | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| CBS Sports | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Big Ten Network | X | X | X | X | X | |
| SEC Network | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Pac-12 | X | X | ||||
| ACC Network | X | X | X |
Note: The ACC Network launches on August 22nd.
Did we miss something? Leave us a comment and let us know what we should add.
Next, let’s find out if these services support the devices you own:
| Streaming Player | Sling TV | PS Vue | AT&T TV NOW | YouTube TV | Hulu Beta | Fubo TV |
| Roku | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Fire TV | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Apple TV | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Chromecast | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| iOS | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Android Phones/Tablet | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Android TV | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Xbox One | X | X | ||||
| PlayStation 4 | X |
Step #3: Free Options:
Not sure if you should pick Sling TV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, or DIRECTV NOW? They all offer a free trial so why not give them all a try?*Please note you will find the ESPN Goal Line in the Sling TV app but all others you need to use the WatchESPN app to view ESPN Goal Line.
ESPN+
Now with ESPN+, you will find a huge collection of college football games. This includes games from conferences like the Big 12, MAC, Conference USA, and more. ESPN+ costs just $4.99 a month and you not only get access to football but a huge collection of sporting events not aired on ESPN.
Stadium
If you are a college sports fan you should check out the new streaming service Stadium. Stadium combines the talents of Campus Insider, 120 Sports, and the American Sports Network into a single network.
The new 24/7 sports network Stadium will launched back in August 2017 band is 100% free online, and will air select games on some Sinclair-owned TV stations free over-the-air TV. Right now Stadium 24/7 is streaming free on The Roku Channel, XUMO TV, and Pluto TV apps.
Look for multiple live college football games every Saturday from several college football leagues including C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, Patriot League, and the Southern Conference.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV and the Big Sky Conference, a NCAA Division I Conference, recently announced a partnership. As part of the deal, Big Sky Conference will air all of its live streamed sports events on Pluto TV for free including up to 700 football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, and select soccer, softball, and track and field events. Previously, you had to pay a cable company for a special channel or be stuck watching it on your laptop.
You will find the Big Sky Conference on the Pluto TV app by tuning into Channel 230. The Pluto TV app is also available on any connected living room device such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation or Xbox as well as most smart TVs including those from Samsung, Vizio, Sony, and Hisense. For mobile and tablets, the Pluto TV app is available on iPhone and iPad. Additionally, Pluto TV can be accessed via the Web at pluto.tv/watch.
Step #4: Enjoy Some Football
There you go! You now have access to college football without the need for a long-term contract.
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