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The end of summer may be sad, but it's not entirely negative. The beginning of autumn means sweater weather, apple cider, and most importantly, college football.
Whether you're raised to say "Go Blue," "Roll Tide," or "War Eagle," a new season means Saturdays that start early with ESPN College GameDay and end late with ABC's matchup of the week.
If you have cable, you probably already have access to a majority of the broadcasts. Games take place mainly on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN and their corresponding channels, along with conference-specific networks like Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12, and ACC.
If you have cut the cord and still want to get in on the action, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, and fuboTV, are the best streaming services to sign up for to get your college football fix.
Social media videos of training camp and never-ending wells of fan threads on r/CFB have helped satiate our collective thirst for football, but we don't have to wait any longer. College football is back.
It's time to whip out your barbecues, throw on your jerseys, and hope your team doesn't keep losing to its biggest rival - who happens to have a fervent supporter in the form of your desk-neighbor at work.
However, if you have cut the cable cord, finding the best way to watch can be challenging. There are cheap alternatives like antennas that let you tune in to local channels without a cable subscription, but if you don't live in the market of your favorite team or want access to more games, you'll need to upgrade to a streaming service.
Ultimately, to watch all the games you'll need access to the major national networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN and all of their corresponding subchannels. Additionally, many games are broadcast on conference-specific networks like the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Pac-12.
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The problem is, there isn't one streaming service that lets you get every single option in one fell swoop. Below, we've broken down what is offered by each service so you can choose the option that best fits your preferences.
Read on to learn how to stream college football without a cable subscription:
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Hulu with Live TV is an affordable option that offers access to most of the channels you'll need to stream college football.
What college football channels you get:
CBS (CBS Sports)
ABC
FOX (FS1, FS2)
NBC (NBC SN)
ESPN (ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN College Extra, ESPN Goal Line)
Big Ten Network
ACC Network
SEC Network
At $44.99 per month, Hulu is your best bet to find the college football games you want to watch. They have all the channels that broadcast games except for the Pac-12 Network.
If you are a fan of NFL RedZone for Sundays, ESPN Goal Line is the college football equivalent, packing in all the action across the nation into one channel.
You can access the Hulu app on most smart TVs, streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV, and via mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. You can add your Hulu account to as many devices as you like, but can only stream from one device at a time per account.
Sling TV is a budget option for cord-cutters who know exactly what channels they prioritize, rather than needing access to the whole set of channels.
What college football channels you get:
Sling Orange:
ESPN (ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPN U, ESPN Goal Line)
SEC Network
Pac-12 Network
Sling Blue:
FOX (FS1, FS2)
NBC (NBC SN)
Pac-12 Network
Sling currently offers three baseline plans. Sling Orange and Sling Blue each cost $15 per month. There is also Sling Orange & Blue which combines both channel selections for $25 per month. Additionally, there are À la carte offerings where you pick the lineup of channels you pay for, along with a Sling TV antenna that is offered for free by the brand and can be used to stream local channels for free.
The Orange & Blue plan for $25 per month is a great deal for college football fans because you get access to cable networks like ESPN, Pac-12, and SEC. Plus, Sling offers a free antenna that can be used to stream local channels like FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS.
While fuboTV is a little more expensive than Hulu, they have add-on options that let you tune in to your favorite team from anywhere in the country.
What college football channels you get:
CBS (CBS Sports)
FOX (FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes)
NBC (NBC SN)
Big Ten Network
Pac-12 Network
The base price for fuboTV is $54.99 per month, which is $120 more per year than Hulu. If you are hoping for specific regional content that you can't access where you live, fuboTV has a sports-plus option for an additional $8.99 per month that comes with region-specific Pac-12 and Fox Sports channels.
However, the glaring difference between fuboTV and the other options is the lack of ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned properties. This is huge for college football specifically because both ESPN and ABC usually broadcast the biggest non-SEC matchups of the week throughout the day, and ABC hosts the prime-time matchup of the week every Saturday night. Unless there is a specific Pac-12 team you want to watch, Hulu is a much better option to stream college football.
Like Hulu, fuboTV can be streamed through most smart TVs, as well as devices like Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and game consoles. It is also available to be streamed on-the-go via smartphones and tablets. Additionally, fuboTV has a family share option for an extra $5.99 per month if you are splitting the account across multiple devices.
