College football fans are a different breed, and once you find your team you can't really stop watching. Fortunately, paying for cable doesn’t get in the way like it once did — at least not if you know how to watch college football without cable. Below, we’ll go over all the ways you can watch college football online or for free over the air with a TV antenna. With the 2024 season, it's high time that you caught up with top teams like Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State!
What Channel Is College Football On?
Before we figure out how to get live college football without cable, we’ll need to know which channels it’s on. The channels you’ll need will depend on which games and teams you want to watch, so keep the below list in mind as we discuss the services and techniques you can use to watch college football without cable.
- ABC, like ESPN, is owned by Disney. Check out ABC for prime-time games on Saturdays, which are usually marquee matchups.
- CBS has a bunch of big-time college football games, and you can see some each Saturday during the season. CBS has an SEC deal, so it’s the channel to turn to for SEC action.
- FOX has a deal with the Big Ten, so you’ll want a FOX subscription if you’re a fan of a Big Ten team. FS1 and FS2 — FOX’s sports-specific channels — also provide some coverage. (Next year, in 2023, the Big Ten will move into a multi-network deal; for now, though, it's all FOX!)
- NBC and Notre Dame have a deal, and the channel airs Fighting Irish home games. Some games also air on NBCSN.
- ESPN airs college football on its flagship channel, as well as on sister channels such as ESPN2 and ESPNU. You’ll also find games on ESPN Plus. Finding a way to watch ESPN online is a must for fans who like to watch a variety of matchups.
- Regional sports networks may air your local teams, depending on where you live. Regional sports network coverage varies from region to region with the services we’ll talk about below, so check out the specifics on the services’ websites or grab a free trial to see what’s available in your area.
- Lots of conferences now have their own TV channels, which may be fully independent or serve as brands that span several channels. You’ll find Big Ten Network, SEC Network, ACC Network, and others on our list below.
How to Watch College Football Online and Over the Air Without Cable
If you want to watch the channels above live without paying for cable or satellite, then you have two main solutions: free over-the-air TV and “skinny bundle” live TV streaming services.
“Skinny bundles” are a special kind of streaming service that offers the network TV channels you're likely already familiar with. Skinny bundles let you stream these channels online, often at a lower price than cable.
If you're looking for college football, the following is a list of all the ways you can find it streaming:
Can I Watch College Football on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast?
You absolutely can! The streaming services above work great on these platforms, and you’ll have lots of options for streaming college football on any of the platforms, whether you have a Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, or other modern streaming device.
More to Watch for College Football Fans
Nothing compares to college football, but there are a few other options to watch if you're in the mood for something else. At the very least, you want to have other options on deck in case there are no games playing.
For more varied content, we recommend CBS Sports without cable. You can expect to find all kinds of sports coverage there, including baseball, college football, and even golf. The great personalities offering incisive commentary is the cherry on top.
If you fall into the any-football-is-good category, we also recommend checking out our guide to watching NFL games without cable. The action is just as good as college, except it happens on Sundays. (Well, it also happens on Mondays and Thursdays, but Sunday is the day NFL fans can kick back and watch games all day.)