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The 2025 college football season kicks off Aug. 23 with a matchup between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin for Week 0. Thankfully, there are no sweeping conference changes or shake-ups this year, which is a relief after the scrambling that happened prior to last season. The 12-team playoff format is still in place, but the seeding of the teams will differ from last year. There are also some minor rule changes to combat the faking of injuries and to timeouts in overtime. No biggies, though. The most complicated thing about the 2025-2026 NCAA football season is figuring out how to watch your favorite team.
Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Keep scrolling to learn how to watch college football without cable in 2025, which channels you’re going to need, and the best ways to get them.
Yes, you can watch every college football game without cable. The only problem is that you may need a patchwork of streaming apps, depending on which teams and how many games you want to watch. The 2025 college football season will be broadcast across an array of local channels, specialty sports networks, and even a couple of streaming services.
Newly launched streaming services from ESPN and Fox are really changing the game this season. ESPN’s direct-to-consumer subscription now encompasses the full suite of ESPN networks and services for $29.99 per month, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX. Meanwhile, Fox One is a one-stop shop for the entirety of the Fox TV portfolio. It costs $19.99 per month and includes access to Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox Weather, FS1, FS2, Fox Business, Fox Deportes, Big Ten Network (B1G), local Fox stations, and Fox Network. These two apps alone will give you access to the majority of college football games this season, and as of Oct. 2, you’ll be able to bundle them together for a discounted rate.
A live TV streaming service or cable replacement will give you the most comprehensive channel selection overall, but will also cost you the most money (i.e., YouTube TV or Fubo). You can also subscribe to a standalone service like Peacock or Paramount+ if you just want to casually tune into a few games throughout the season. As the cheapest option, it’s also the most limited.
TL;DR: You get what you pay for.
Before you decide on which live TV service or streaming app you need to watch NCAA college football games, you need to know which networks your team(s) plays on. Check the conference list below to see which channels and streamers will air games for each conference in 2025. Not sure which conference your team is in? Check out the list over at ESPN.com.
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American Athletic Conference (AAC) — ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+
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Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) — ABC, ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+, The CW
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Big 12 — ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+, Fox, Fox Sports 1, TNT
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Big Ten — Big Ten Network, CBS, Fox, Fox Sports 1, NBC, Peacock
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Conference USA — CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+
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FBS independents — CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN+, NBC, Peacock
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Mid-American Conference (MAC) — CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+
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Mountain West Conference (MW) — CBS, CBS Sports Network, Fox, Fox Sports 1, truTV
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Pac-12 Conference — CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+, The CW
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Southeastern Conference (SEC) — ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+, SEC Network, SEC+
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Sun Belt Conference — ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+
Can you watch football without cable? It’s complicated.
Credit: Pexels / cottonbro studio
As I mentioned above, the best streaming service for college football depends on your team and budget. The best streaming apps for live sports run the gamut of pricing — from eight bucks per month to a monstrous $100 per month. The more you pay, the wider selection of games you’ll have access to.
The best live TV cable alternatives include YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, and Sling. Sling is the most affordable of the bunch, but gives you access to a more limited live channel selection, while YouTube TV, Hulu, and Fubo offer hundreds of channels but cost a bit more. ESPN and Fox One offer a wide selection of games at a mid-range price point, making us more inclined to recommend these services for most people. We haven’t had the opportunity to test these new streaming services out yet, but they certainly sound promising. You can also watch limited live games on Peacock, Paramount+, and HBO Max — some of which will exclusively host games this season.
It’s a bit confusing, but at least it’s not as difficult as figuring out how to watch every NFL game this season. To help with your decision, we’ve rounded up the best streaming deals for college football fans. You can also check out the complete broadcast schedule on the NCAA website.
The best live TV streaming deals for NCAAF 2025
Best overall: ESPN Unlimited bundle
Channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX
ESPN’s newly launched Unlimited plan gives you access to the entirety of ESPN’s suite of networks and services. For college football, you’ll have live access to games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, SECN+, ACC Network, and ABC. That’s a pretty big chunk — nearly 50 percent — of the channels you’ll need to tune into games this season. The Unlimited plan on its own costs $29.99 per month, but for the first year, new subscribers can get the Unlimited plan bundled with Disney+ and Hulu for the same cost. That ultimately gives you Hulu and Disney+ for free for a year.
Come Oct. 2, you’ll also be able to bundle ESPN and Fox One together for just $39.99 per month ($9.98 cheaper than paying for both services separately).
Best for Fox and Big Ten Network (B1G) games: Fox One annual subscription
Channels: Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network
Fox conveniently launched its first streaming service the same day as ESPN’s new Unlimited plan. It also offers a direct-to-consumer streaming model, giving subscribers access to live broadcasts on Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and Big Ten Network throughout the college football season. It costs $19.99 per month, but you can save $40 by opting for the annual plan for $199.99 instead. Also, as noted above, you’ll be able to bundle Fox One with ESPN come October for the ultimate sports streaming deal.
Best cable alternative deal: $49.99/month for your first 3 months of YouTube TV
Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NBCSN, SEC Network, and The CW
The best value for a live TV cable alternative, YouTube TV gives you access to over 100 live channels. Those include most of the ones you need to watch college football games live — NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and ESPN, as well as specialty networks like Fox Sports 1, and SEC Network. For a limited time, YouTube TV is offering new users a discount on their first three months of service. Plus, you can kick things off with a 10-day free trial. The base plan usually costs $82.99 per month, but you’ll pay just $49.99 per month (save $99) for your first three months.
Runner-up cable alternative deal: Sling Season Pass
Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network
By prepaying for five months of Sling Orange, Blue, and Sports Extra in the Sling Season Pass, you can save about $51. The Orange and Blue packages give you access to FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and more in local markets, while the Sports Extra package unlocks access to ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, and more. It’ll cost you $329 for five months of Sling Season Pass, which is significantly cheaper than any other live TV streaming service (about $66 per month). Just be sure to check your local market to ensure you’ll have access to the channels you need.
Best bang for your buck: Get Hulu + Live TV, Disney+, and ESPN together
Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, SECN+, ACC Network, ESPN+, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, and The CW
Mashable Deals
While other live TV streamers might cost a little less, Hulu’s live TV service definitely offers the most bang for your buck. You’ll pay $82.99 per month (after a three-day trial) and get access to over 95 live TV channels, plus Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN Unlimited (all with ads). For comparison, YouTube TV is also $82.99 per month and only includes the live channels. With ESPN’s new Unlimited plan, you’ll unlock access to even more college football games on top of live TV networks like ABC, FOX, ESPN, The CW, ACC Network, and more.
Best Fubo deal: Take $30 off your first month of Fubo
Channels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, SEC Network, and The CW
Fubo isn’t our first choice for a live TV streaming service, but we do like that it takes sports seriously. With a Pro subscription (the most affordable tier), you’ll get access to most college football broadcasts for $84.99 per month. You can also upgrade to 4K with the Elite plan, but it’ll cost $104.99 per month. Either way, you can test the waters for seven days before you pay and, for a limited time, take $30 off your first month.
Best for CBS games only: Paramount+ Premium annual subscription
Channels: CBS
If your team is in the Big Ten or plays on CBS and you’re only a casual college football fan, a subscription to Paramount+ Premium is probably the best option. Paramount+ Premium allows you to tune into live CBS broadcasts of nearly two dozen Big Ten games, including a weekly, Saturday afternoon Big Ten game, starting Saturday, Aug. 30. It’s regularly $12.99 per month, but you can save 17% by paying for a year upfront. That knocks the monthly cost down to just $9.99.
Best for NBC and Peacock games: Peacock Premium yearly subscription
Channels: NBC, Peacock
Similar to Paramount+, Peacock offers simulcasts of games airing on NBC throughout the 2025 season. Plus, Peacock offers exclusive broadcasts as well. In order to watch live games, you’ll need at least the Premium plan, which starts at $10.99 per month. You can save about 17%, however, by paying for a year upfront. That knocks the monthly price down to about $9 per month.
More Peacock deals:
