To view this entire guide as a PDF file, click here (last updated 3/6/22).
Four years ago, I created a guide to give college
football fans, like myself, all the knowledge necessary to be able to watch as
much college football as they want while getting rid of their expensive
cable/satellite/telco subscription. While
unfortunately, this may not be possible for everyone, if you’re a fan of a
Power 5 team, more options exist than ever to be able to watch your favorite
team/conference on this fall, even with the limited schedule. The guide has been revamped to be easier to
read & updated for the 2021 College Football (CFB) season, so go below for
the various options that exist to get your college football fix for as cheap as
possible.
DISCLAIMER: This work was put together using data from various sources. As such, if you come across something that is inaccurate, please feel free to reach out to me to correct it via email realcordcutters@outlook.com or Twitter: @RealCordCutters or by leaving a comment below. My goal is to make a comprehensive and accurate guide that can help people quickly & easily decide how to watch as much college football as they want for the cheapest possible method. Unlike other cord cutting websites, we welcome and encourage reader feedback, both positive and negative. For updates, please look for the ► sign (alt + 16 to type it) with a date following it; these indicate changes, additions, corrections, etc.
First, I’m going to give a brief summary of some of the changes for the upcoming 2021 season. Then I’ll give an overview of the various options that currently exist regarding CFB broadcasts including defining some terms. Please note that this guide will focus primarily on the three Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, SEC) that are currently scheduled to play this fall. If you’re already familiar with these terms, services, etc. please feel free to jump down below to the conferences section.
CHANGES FOR THE 2021 SEASON
*AT&T TV NOW merged with AT&T TV, which is now
known as DIRECTV STREAM effective 8/26/21
*Fox Sports RSNs are now known as Bally Sports RSNs
*All streaming services except DIRECTV STREAM have
dropped the Bally Sports (previously Fox Sports) RSNs
*The SEC will have games featured on ESPN+ for the
upcoming season
*Notre Dame will have one game streamed exclusively on
Peacock Premium
KEY TERMS TO KNOW
Designated Market Area (DMA) – a geographic
region, defined by Nielsen Media Research that receives the same (or similar)
television stations. The DMA that you
are located in determines which local broadcast stations you receive, although
cable companies are free to carry channels from outside the DMA without any
type of waiver. To see a map of all US
DMAs from 2019, click here.
Regional & National Broadcasts – College football games can either be a regional or national broadcast. A national broadcast shows one game over the entire country on a given channel while a regional broadcast will have different games showing on a given channel in different parts of the country. For most, but not all, regional broadcasts, the game not shown on the primary channel is aired on an alternate TV channel. The most common example of a regional broadcast is the 3:30 PM ET ABC/ESPN2 broadcast window. Some part of the country receives Game A on ABC and Game B on ESPN2 while the rest of the country receives Game B on ABC and Game A on ESPN2. Some of the conference networks (SECN, etc.) also do this when there are multiple games airing at the same time by using alternate overflow channels. When there is a regional broadcast and the alternate game is not shown on another TV channel or the provider does not carry the alternate channels, the extra game(s) will then be streamed online.
Tier 1/2/3 Media Rights – Tier 1 media rights generally refer to games broadcast on over-the-air (OTA) broadcast networks such as FOX, ABC, CBS, etc. Tier 2 media rights generally refer to games aired on cable television stations such as ESPN/2, FOX Sports 1, etc. Tier 3 media rights are the rights to games that are institutionally controlled. The SEC controls these Tier 3 rights for all their member institutions and airs these games on their conference networks. The ACC controls most of their Tier 3 rights to air games on their conference network, but still has some games that air on regional sports networks. The Big 12 allows Texas & Oklahoma to control one home game for broadcast, but the other 8 schools have agreed to give up their games to be aired on ESPN+ and/or other channels.
Regional Sports Networks – Sinclair (Bally Sports <channel>), Comcast (NBC Sports <channel>), and AT&T (AT&T SportsNet <channel>) own the most common regional sports networks (RSNs) that air college football games. Currently, they air games featuring ACC & Big 12 teams in addition to games featuring teams outside of the Power 5 conferences and FCS teams. The coverage can vary by channel due to other programming commitments such as professional baseball, basketball and hockey; thus, even if a game is designated to be carried by Bally Sports RSNs, your local Bally Sports RSN may not carry it. Please note that the name for these networks changed in April 2021 as they were previously known as Fox Sports <channel>.
Conference Networks – Several conferences (SEC, ACC) have created conference networks to exclusively air Tier 3 content in addition to other college sports programming. These conference networks vary in their structure and in the number of subscribers each has. The SEC started the SEC Network (SECN) in 2014 and the ACC Network (ACCN) debuted as a linear television channel in 2019. The Big Ten conference launched the Big Ten Network (BTN) back in 2007 while the Pac-12 started the Pac-12 Network (P12N) in 2011.
TV CHANNELS
ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNEWS– The Disney family of
channels (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS) carry games multiple days a week. In addition to Saturdays, these stations also
carry games on Thursday & Friday nights (most weeks), Tuesday &
Wednesday nights (usually only October-November) and the first Sunday of the
season. They also carry most of the bowl
games, including the College Football Playoff, except for a handful.
ESPN3 – ESPN3 is an online streaming channel that airs many sporting events, including college football games, and does not require login authentication. To view ESPN3 events, one must either have a participating Internet Service Provider or a cable/satellite/streaming service subscription which includes it though. The list of ESPN3 participating providers can be found here. All games aired on ABC in your region are also available to watch online via ESPN3. ESPN3 also airs additional camera views for important games although mostly for bowl and College Football Playoff (CFP) games. For example, the most recent CFP National Championship Game had 8 different feeds available on ESPN3 including Sounds of the Game, Pylon Cam, Hometown Radio feeds, Spider Cam and others. Thus, some games that are aired on ESPN cable channels can also be viewed via ESPN3 and do not require a subscription to ESPN, ESPN2, etc. in order to watch them. ESPN3 events can be viewed in the ESPN app on connected devices such as Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, etc.
ESPN+ – ESPN+ is an online streaming service which launched in April 2018 and has so far aired college football games from the AAC, Big 12, Conference USA, and Sun Belt. It will begin airing SEC games in 2021. For more information on it, see the section on ESPN+ below under “STREAMING SERVICES”.
FOX/FOX SPORTS 1/FOX SPORTS 2 – FOX Sports carries games on the FOX broadcast channel and FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Fox Sports 2 (FS2) traditionally has only been used as an overflow channel when games run late but it has aired Big 12 games in their entirety in previous years. Previously, FOX and FS1 both aired one bowl game.
CBS/CBS SPORTS NETWORK – CBS Sports carries games on both the CBS broadcast channel and CBS Sports Network (CBSSN). The CBS broadcast channel typically carries one game involving an SEC team per week on Saturdays while also having several doubleheader days where it carries two games. CBSSN typically carries multiple games on Saturdays in addition to games on Thursdays & Fridays sometimes. CBS has previously carried one bowl game per year while CBSSN has aired several.
NBC – NBC Sports carries Notre Dame home games on the NBC broadcast channel although one game will air exclusively on Peacock Premium.
Peacock – Peacock is an online streaming service which launched nationwide in July 2020. There are three tiers: ad-supported (free), ad-supported Premium ($5/month or $50/year), and Premium Plus with no ads ($10/month or $100/year). It will air one ND home football game in 2021 on Peacock Premium.
Regional Sports Networks – The two most common types of Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) are Bally Sports (BS) RSNs and NBCS RSNs. There are also four RSNs owned by AT&T called AT&T SportsNet <channel> and one RSN owned primarily by the Seattle Mariners, Root Sports Northwest, that carry the Bally Sports RSN games, in addition to some other games. However, DIRECTV STREAM is the only provider that currently carries these five RSNs except for FuboTV which carries both AT&T SportsNet Southwest & Pittsburgh. Additionally, some other RSNs like NESN, Prime Ticket, and MASN carry games as well.
Big Ten Network – BTN is a conference network owned by FOX and the Big Ten Conference that airs programming from all sports featuring Big Ten teams. It usually shows 2-5 games featuring Big Ten teams each Saturday with occasional games on the first Thursday & Friday of the season. It owns the Tier 3 rights to all games that Big Ten teams own the rights to. BTN Plus is online streaming network offered by BTN for an additional cost, but it does NOT air any CFB games on it. BTN content is streamed via the FOX Sports app.
Pac-12 Network – P12N is a conference network owned exclusively by the Pac-12 conferences that airs Pac-12 sporting events. It usually shows 2-5 Pac-12 games on Saturdays only. P12N owns the Tier 3 rights to all games that Pac-12 teams own the rights to. The network has 1 national feed and 6 regional feeds (Arizona, Bay Area, Los Angeles, Mountain, Oregon, and Washington) with each regional feed covering two teams. Most CFB games are aired on the national feed and the regional feed(s) of the team(s) participating in the game.
SEC Network – SECN is a conference network owned exclusively by ESPN (Disney) which shows all sports of SEC teams. It usually airs 2-5 SEC games on Saturdays. SECN owns the Tier 3 rights to all games that SEC teams have the rights to. SECN+ is an online channel that airs extra events and can only be viewed with authenticated credentials (i.e. it requires a subscription to SECN) via the ESPN app and the ESPN website. (► 8/23/21) In the past, SECN+ generally has not aired any CFB games except for rare circumstances, but for 2021 it will simulcast the SEC games which are airing on ESPN+.
ACC Network/ACC Network Extra – The linear ACCN cable channel airs ACC sports and debuted in 2019. The ACC also usually one airs RSN game each Saturday at various times. These RSN games are also available outside of the airing markets on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) which is an online channel that can only be viewed with authenticated credentials (i.e. it requires a subscription to a service which has ACCN) via the ESPN app or the ESPN website. What this means is that if a RSN in your DMA is airing the ACC game, you can only watch the game on that network; however, if there is no RSN airing the game within your DMA, then you are able to watch it online with proper ACCN-authenticated credentials via the ESPN app. This is important to note because if the game is airing on an RSN that your service does not carry (ex. NESN, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, etc.), it means you will not be able to watch the game because you do not receive the station that is airing it in your market, and it will be blacked out on the ESPN app.
ACCNX has aired exclusive games in previous seasons,
but it is not clear if it will air any this year. Prior
to 2016 these ACCNX games were aired on ESPN3 while prior to 2019 all
games airing on ACCNX only required an ESPN subscription. However, going forward you must have a
subscription to ACCN in order to see games that are airing online via ACCNX. ACCNX also airs other sporting events for ACC
teams that do not require authentication.
Longhorn Network –Longhorn Network (LHN) is an ESPN-owned network that
focuses solely on University of Texas athletic events and programming. It generally airs two home Texas football
games per year, one non-conference game and one conference game. The conference game also airs on additional
platforms in the home market of the visiting conference team. It is generally carried as a regional, not
national, channel by most providers and is streamed via the ESPN app and the
ESPN website.
Stadium – Stadium (STADIUM) is a 24/7 sports channel which airs some games on multiple venues including free Twitter & Facebook live streams and an OTA channel. They carry games hosted by Conference USA and Sun Belt Conference teams. The current list of OTA affiliates can be found here and the OTA channel can also be viewed on their website, via several streaming services that now carry it, Twitch, PlutoTV, and via their app which is available for Apple & Android products. Games airing on Twitter can be viewed here, while games airing on Facebook can be viewed here. In 2020, “STADIUM” designated games aired only on the FS RSNs (now BS RSNs) and did not air on the OTA channel. It is not clear if that will also be the case for 2021.
TV Everywhere Apps – Many cable channels now have
a live stream of their channel available to watch online for authenticated
subscribers. ESPN makes all of its
programming, including ACCN, SECN, SECN+, LHN, ESPN3 & ESPN+ events, available
via the ESPN app while FOX uses the FOX Sports app for FOX broadcast channel sporting
events, BTN, FS1, and FS2. BS RSNs use the Bally Sports app which replaced Fox
Sports Go. CBS & CBSSN both streams their
games through the CBS Sports App (no authentication required for CBS games
while authentication is required for CBSSN) but only on phones & tablets
for CBS games. NBC & NBCS RSNs stream
their content through the NBC Sports App.
STADIUM streams via the Stadium App while P12N uses the Pac-12 Now app.
(►9/11/21) Locast suspended all operations on 9/2/21.
(►8/23/21)Locast – Locast is an online streaming service
which launched in January 2018 and airs local OTA channels (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS,
etc.) in some (but not all) markets in the US.
It is technically free but a message will interrupt a stream every 15 minutes
asking for a minimum donation of $5/month to make the messages stop. For more information on it, see the section
on Locast below under “STREAMING SERVICES”.
STREAMING
SERVICES
Sling TV (Sling)
o
Orange ($35/month), Orange Sports Add-on ($11/month)
o
Blue ($35/month), Blue Sports Add-on ($11/month)
o
Orange + Blue (►8/25/21)
($45 $50/month), Orange + Blue +
Sports Add-on ($60
$65/month)
·
Channels:
|
Orange ESPN ESPN2 ESPN3 STADIUM |
Blue FOX FS1 NBC STADIUM |
|
Orange Sports Add-on ESPNU ESPNEWS ACCN SECN LHN P12N* |
Blue Sports Add-on FS2 BTN P12N* |
# of Streams:
Orange (1 stream); Blue (3 streams)
·
DVR: 50 hours for free, 200 hours for $5/month
·
Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common
devices
*P12N includes the 6 regional feeds only; the national feed is not included
Summary: Sling is a decent option for college football
fans and still the cheapest way to get the basic ESPN channels & ESPN3
access. However, it doesn’t carry CBSSN
or any RSNs and its 50 hours DVR is still one of the smallest out there. While it’s Orange + Blue package (► 8/25/21)
($45 $50) is now
cheaper than the base package from every other service, that doesn’t include
networks such as ESPNU, ACCN, BTN or SECN which come on the standard package
from most services. Plus, its coverage
of local channels is the smallest compared to the other services so if an
antenna isn’t feasible at your location, it’s best to look elsewhere if you
need to see games on FOX or NBC. Lastly,
the ESPN channels are limited to 1 simultaneous stream, which is the lowest of
any service, although you can use the ESPN app to watch additional streams. It does carry LHN though which only one other
service (Vidgo) does out of market.
Best For: ACC/SEC/Pac-12
Fans, Texas fans, People who can get OTA stations via antenna
Worst For: Fans who cannot get their local OTA stations via antenna, Fans who want to record and re-watch many hours of games
Vidgo
·
Plans:
o Base
Plan ($55/month)
·
Channels:
|
ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPNEWS |
ACCN SECN BTN P12N* LHN |
ABC FOX FS1 FS2 STADIUM |
·
# of Streams: 3
·
DVR: None
·
Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV
*Includes the P12N national feed and all 6 regional feeds
Summary: Vidgo is a relatively new entrant to the streaming market and provides a significant number of channels at one of the cheapest price points. It includes all major CFB related channels (except for CBSSN) but does not include any OTA networks or RSNs. However, it does offer national feeds of ABC & FOX so even if your local stations is not carried, you should still be able to watch CFB games that air on those channels. It also allows 3 simultaneous streams which is the most of any service without paying additional fees. However, the main downside is that it does not include a DVR of any kind. It does offer a 24-hour rewind feature and time-shifting for live sporting events per a press release (link) but those features aren’t available on all channels. Vidgo makes a great option for those who want to spend as little money as possible but see a large number of games live especially since it carries both BTN & P12N.
Best For: People
who want to have multiple (> 2) games playing at once, Texas Longhorn fans,
Pac-12 Fans
Worst For: Fans
who cannot get local channels via antenna, Fans who need a DVR
DIRECTV STREAM
o
Entertainment ($70/month), (►3/6/22)
Choice ($85 $90/month), Ultimate ($95 $105/month)
·
Channels:
|
Entertainment |
Choice |
Ultimate |
|
ABC CBS NBC ESPN ESPN2 FS1 |
Entertainment channels + ESPNEWS ACCN SECN BTN ATTSN RSN |
Choice channels + FS2 |
·
# of Streams: 20 in home, 3 outside of home
·
DVR: 20 Hours for free, Unlimited space for
$10/month
· Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices
Summary: After revamping its packages again, DIRECTV STREAM is now more expensive than most of the other streaming services (►3/6/22) and increased some of their plans even more on January 23, 2022. However, it does have several advantages. First, it now offers unlimited streams on your home network whereas most other base packages only offer 3 at most. Second, it carries all RSNs, including the BS RSNs, which many other services do not. However, it’s basic DVR is tiny (only 20 hours) and you have to spend nearly $100/month to get channels such as CBSSN and FS2 for CUSA & MWC games. Currently the Choice package and above include one year of HBO MAX for free which is another possible selling point. Overall though, if you don’t need a local RSN, there are better options out there.
Best For: ACC
Fans, Fans who needs RSNs for other sports, Fans who want to watch >3 games
at once
Worst For: Pac-12 Fans, MWC & CUSA Fans
Hulu Live
o
Base Plan ($65/month) ($70/month as of 12/21/21)
·
Channels:
|
ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPNEWS |
CBS CBSSN ACCN SECN BTN |
FOX FS1 FS2 NBC NBCS RSN |
·
# of Streams: 2 with the option of purchasing
“unlimited” streams for an extra $10/month
o Unlimited
Screens Add-on includes unlimited streams at home and max 3 streams outside of
home
·
DVR: 50 hours (free), 200 hours (Enhanced Cloud
DVR Add-on, $10/month)
·
Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common
devices
Summary: (►12/21/21) Hulu Live raised its price by $5/month to $70 effective 12/21/21 which now puts it base package at a slightly higher price point than most other services. However, that cost will include both ESPN+ and Disney+. Thus, those who were previously paying for one or both of those services will now see a price reduction while those were not will see a price increase. The original analysis follows below.
Hulu Live is a decent excellent choice for most college football fans as it offers a wide range of channels at the same base package price as YouTube TV & FuboTV and includes locals in almost all areas. However, it has several downsides compared to the other services. First, its base package only includes 2 streams although the option to pay extra for “unlimited streams” does exist. Second, you cannot skip ads unless you pay extra to get the Enhanced Cloud DVR Add-on and you cannot skip ads during live events. Thus, if you like to start watching a game after it has already started and then fast forward between plays & ad breaks to catch up to real time (which I frequently do), this is not the service for you. Third, its free DVR is rather skimpy at only 50 hours. The ability to have unlimited streams for $10 more per month makes it cheaper ($75/month) than a comparable package from DIRECTV STREAM (Choice, $85/month). The one main reason to go with Hulu Live over competitors is that it offers bundle discounts with Disney+ and/or ESPN+
Best For: General Fans, Fans who want to watch >3
games at once (for an extra fee), Those who also subscribe to Disney+ and/or
ESPN+
Worst For: Fans who want to DVR live games and catch up in real time, P12 Fans, ACC Fans, Texas Fans
YouTube TV
·
Plans:
o Base
Plan ($65/month), Sports Plus Add-on ($11/month)
·
Channels:
|
ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPNU ESPNEWS NBC NBCS RSN |
CBS CBSSN ACCN SECN BTN FOX FS1 FS2 |
Sports
Plus Add-on STADIUM |
·
# of Streams: 3 with the option of purchasing
unlimited streams (and 4K streams) for $20/month
o 4K
Plus add-on includes unlimited streams on the home network in addition to 3
streams outside the home
·
DVR: Unlimited Space
· Devices: Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV + some other devices
Summary: YouTube TV(YTTV) is a very good choice for most college football fans. It’s very similar to both Hulu Live & FuboTV but its unlimited DVR space and extra stream (3), compared to Hulu Live (2), may make it a better option for some fans. It’s DVR also has a key plays feature which allows you to catch up to real time if you start a game late by just viewing the important plays rather than constantly fast forwarding between each play. They also announced a 4K Plus add-on which features the ability to view 4K content, download DVR content to view offline on mobile devices, and watch unlimited streams on your home network. However, there is a promo for new customers of only paying $10/month for the first year of the 4K Plus add-on. Overall, YTTV’s DVR is superior to nearly every other competitor and its price is right inline with every other service, for a comparable number of channels, except VIDGO. It doesn’t offer BS RSNs, P12N or LHN though so fans of those teams may want to look elsewhere.
Best For: General Fans, Fans who plan to record many
hours of college football
Worst For: Texas fans, ACC Fans, P12 Fans
FuboTV
·
Plans:
o Starter
($65/month), Elite ($80/month), Extra Add-on ($8/month), Sports Plus Add-on ($11/month)
·
Channels:
|
Starter |
Extra or
Sports Plus Add-on |
|
|
ABC ESPN ESPN2 ESPN3 NBC NBCS RSN CBS CBSSN |
ACCN* SECN* BTN FOX FS1 FS2 ATTSN RSN |
ESPNU ESPNEWS STADIUM ACCN* SECN* P12N** |
o The
Elite Plan includes all channels in the Starter Plan & Extra add-on & has
additional channels compared to the Standard Plan, but none are college
football related; it also includes the Unlimited Screens and Cloud DVR 1000
add-ons (see below)
*ACCN & SECN are included in
Starter for in-market states and in the Extra & Sports Plus Add-ons for
out-of-market states (see here
for in-market vs out-of-market states)
**The P12N national feed is
included with the Extra Add-on while the 6 regionals feeds are included
with the Sports Plus add-on
·
# of Streams: 3 (Starter), 10 with Unlimited
Screens ($10/month)
·
DVR: 250 hours (Starter), 1000 hours (Cloud DVR
1000 Add-on)
· Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices
Summary: FuboTV has a base price that is right in line with other comparable services, but its Starter plan doesn’t include ESPNU or ESPNEWS. Advantages include the ability to pay extra for additional streams, although it is only 10 in home streams despite the name Unlimited, and the ability to watch P12N. The base DVR of 250 hours is right in the middle between unlimited (YTTV) and 20-50 hours (DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live). It is also the only service besides DIRECTV STREAM which carries several of the ATTSN RSNs (Southwest & Pittsburgh), but be aware that there is an extra $5/month RSN fee associated with those. Another selling point is that it carries events in 4K without any additional fees (unlike YTTV).
Best For: General Fans, P12 Fans, Fans who want to watch
>3 games at once (for an extra fee)
Worst For: ACC and/or SEC fans who live out-of-market, Texas fans
ESPN+
·
Plans:
o Base
Plan ($7/month or $70/year)
·
Channels:
o Base
Plan – ESPN+ only
·
# of Streams: 5
· Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices
Summary: ESPN+ will feature games from the AAC, Big 12, Conference USA, SEC, and Sun Belt in 2021. The Big 12 deal was new as of 2019 and all teams except Texas & Oklahoma will have games appear on it this year. The SEC will also begin airing games on ESPN+ with each team appearing once on the network. Although the cost of ESPN+ is relatively modest, it is a bit disappointing that fans now to have pay to watch some games that were previously available via ESPN3, which is generally included with your ISP and/or a cable/satellite tv subscription. Thus, if you’re a fan of a Big 12 team (outside of Texas or Oklahoma) or an SEC team, you’ll most likely need an ESPN+ subscription for at least one game this upcoming season.
Best For: Fans of certain Big 12 teams, Fans of AAC/Conference
USA/Sun Belt/SEC teams, Hardcore College Football Fans
Worst For: Pretty much everyone else
(►9/11/21) Locast suspended all operations on 9/2/21.
(►8/23/21)
Locast
·
Plans:
o Base
Plan (free but $5/month donation removes interruptions)
·
Channels:
o ABC,
CBS, FOX, NBC + others (vary by market)
·
# of Streams: 4
·
Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common
devices
Summary: Locast is a streaming service that carries local
OTA channels in 36 markets around the US (as of 8/23/21). In addition to the 4 big affiliates, it also carries
many other channels & subchannels including Stadium. It can be a nice compliment to your setup if
you subscribe to a service which doesn’t carry some locals in your area (Sling
& Vidgo for example) or if you can’t receive a specific local channel(s)
via antenna. Although it is advertised
as no subscription required, you do get constant interruptions every 15 minutes
unless you agree to donate at least $5/month.
It also only covers about 55% of the US as of August 2021. If you do receive all 4 main local channels
either via a streaming service or antenna, then Locast is probably of little
use to you.
Best For: Fans who subscribe to a service that doesn’t carry
all 4 locals (Sling/Vidgo), Fans who can’t receive some local channels via
antenna
Worst For: Fans who already receive all 4 major local
channels via their streaming service and/or antenna
THINGS TO KNOW
There are a lot of nuances and caveats regarding some of these services and channels so please read the following items before you decide to purchase anything.
Issues with local coverage
·
Local stations sometimes air a different game
than is advertised
o There are times where you may not be able to watch a game (or must use the appropriate app to view a game) even though it has been designated to be carried by one of your local channels because the local channel is instead airing other programming such as professional sports or even a different college football game.
For example, if your local ABC station is airing other programming at the same time as a scheduled CFB game, the game may be airing on a digital subchannel of your local ABC channel which your streaming service doesn’t carry. Thus, you would need to use the ESPN app to watch this game. Similar issues can happen with RSNs as well. Please note that the issues described above are not necessarily unique to streaming services, but cable/satellite tv typically do carry more local subchannels than streaming services do.
Overflow channels
·
Conference Networks
o As mentioned earlier, conference networks will frequently air multiple games at the same time with the primary game for your region usually determined by geography. This means that if you are interested in watching the secondary game, you must either find the alternate channel for the network or find the online stream of the game via the networks app.
For example, when BTN or SECN airs multiple games at the same time, they usually setup alternate channels to carry all the games. However, not all of the streaming services carry these alternate channels. Thus, you may need to use the appropriate app (ESPN app, FOX Sports app, etc.) to watch a particular game if it is not the one airing on the main channel in your area. (► 8/23/21) Please note that the SECN alternate channel is not the same as SECN+. The SECN alternate channel is a second SECN channel that airs games and is viewable via streaming services (if carried), cable & satellite companies, and also online via the ESPN app/ESPN’s website. SECN+ is a digital channel that only airs events online (similar to ESPN3) and can only be viewed through the ESPN app/ESPN’s website.
Game windows
·
Game running late into the start of the next
game
o Most college football games are scheduled for 3.5-hour windows; however, games frequently last longer than 3.5 hours, especially when there are weather delays, which end up delaying the start of the next scheduled game on the same channel. When these situations happen, the next game is usually started on an alternate network, or if none is available, streamed online via the ESPN or FOX Sports apps. For games on the ESPN channels, ESPNU & ESPNEWS are usually used as overflow channels, although the SECN alternate channel has been used occasionally as well for SEC games. If there are no overflow channels available, the next game will usually be made available to be streamed on ESPN3. For games on the FOX channels, FS2 and Fox Business Network are usually used as the main overflow channel, although there was once instance where a game (Oklahoma-Texas Tech) was moved to FOX News Channel because the World Series was set to air on FOX that night. Although each network usually stays with the current game until its conclusion, there are cases where the network will leave a current game early if the result is out of hand to show the start of the next game; this usually happens with networks that are located in the broadcast area for one of the teams that is playing in the next game. However, for most games, especially those on cable channels, unless the game is a large blowout the network will stay with it until its conclusion. This is something to keep in mind if you decide to subscribe to a streaming service as there may be channels you do not anticipate needing to watch (such as ESPNU or ESPNEWS) which may occasionally air part of a game you’re interested in because the game before yours ran late, pushing the start of your game to an alternate channel temporarily.
Away Games
·
The TV partners of the home team determine who which
channel airs each game. Generally, the
home team has the broadcast rights to each game and thus, one of the channels
of those partners will be the one that airs the game. In the case of a neutral site game, the
contract for the game usually designates one of the teams as the “home team”
for both uniform and broadcasting purposes.
This is important because even if your favorite team is in a conference
whose home and/or conference games are only aired on certain channels, they may
play a road game (or games) which is aired on other channels because the team(s)
they are playing has a different media partner.
Therefore, when deciding which streaming service best fits your needs,
you should make sure to research any away games for your favorite team(s) to
see which channels you may need to subscribe to in order to watch those road games.
CONFERENCE
& CHANNEL CHARTS
Below are several charts to assist with your decision to cut the cord and/or sign up for an online streaming service. The first one shows the channels which have the Tier 1, 2, and 3 media (i.e. TV) rights for each of the Power 5 conferences. The second one shows the television partners for the other 5 FBS conferences, aka the Group of 5. The third one shows the most common channels which carry college football and the level of package (if available) on each streaming service.
MEDIA RIGHTS BY CONFERENCE (POWER 5
CONFERENCES)
|
|
Tier 1 |
Tier 2 |
Tier 3 |
Conf Champ Game |
|
ACC |
ABC |
ESPN/2/U/NEWS |
ACCN & RSN (RSNs vary
by market) |
ABC/ESPN/2 |
|
Big 12 |
ABC & FOX |
ESPN/2/U/NEWS
& FS1/FS2 |
Longhorn Network
(Texas), Sooner Sports Network (PPV) & ESPN+ |
ABC/ESPN/2 |
|
SEC |
CBS |
ESPN/2/U/NEWS |
SECN & ESPN+ |
CBS |
|
Big Ten |
ABC & FOX |
ESPN/2/U/NEWS
& FS1/FS2 |
BTN |
FOX |
|
Pac-12 |
ABC & FOX |
ESPN/2/U/NEWS
& FS1/FS2 |
P12N |
*FOX & ABC/ESPN/2 |
*This game is split between FOX (even years) and ESPN channels (odd years).
*This game is split between FOX (even years) and ESPN
channels (odd years).
Notre Dame – NBC Sports owns the rights to all
Notre Dame home games. Six of Notre
Dame’s seven home games will air on the NBC broadcast channel while the Sept 11th
game vs Toledo will air exclusively on Peacock Premium. Peacock Premium will also stream the other
six NBC games as well.
BYU – ESPN has the rights of first selection to all BYU home games or neutral site games where BYU is the designated home team. This includes a minimum of 3 games to air on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 and at least one game to air on ESPNU. Any home games that ESPN does not televise can be aired on BYUtv, which is a TV channel founded and run by the university. BYUtv general airs one BYU football game per year and is currently not available as part of any streaming service.
MEDIA RIGHTS BY CONFERENCE (GROUP OF 5
CONFERENCES)
|
|
Partner 1 |
Partner 2 |
Partner 3 |
Partner 4 |
|
AAC |
ESPN |
CBSSN* |
ESPN+ |
------------------------- |
|
Conf USA |
ESPN |
CBSSN |
Stadium |
ESPN+ |
|
Sun Belt |
ESPN |
Stadium |
ESPN+ |
------------------------- |
|
MAC |
ESPN |
CBSSN* |
ESPN+ |
------------------------- |
|
MWC |
CBS/CBSSN |
FOX/FS1/FS2 |
Stadium |
------------------------- |
*These
games are sublicensed from ESPN which controls the initial rights to them.
Below
is an Excel spreadsheet that will allow you to input up to 15 channels and will
return all streaming service options which carry that group of channels,
including highlighting the cheapest available option. Please read the
instructions (located on the 2nd tab in the file) before using but it is fairly
straightforward. You simply enter in the name of each channel (it has to
match the name I've assigned to it in the Channel Key in the file) and the
spreadsheet will automatically update to show all available packages which
carry the channel(s). There's also an Out of Market filter which is only
used for receiving LHN, ACCN, and/or SECN on certain services.
To
see a PDF view-only copy of the spreadsheet, click here.
To
download a copy of it (it's a zip file which you must save & unzip to
access the Excel file), click here.
To see the chart above as a PDF file, click here.
POSTSEASON
GAMES
2021 Bowl Schedule (PDF - updated 12/7/21 or see images below) – A full
2021 Bowl Schedule will be posted in early December once all bowl matchups have
been announced.
SOURCES &
REFERENCES:
The information in the chart above and this entire post came from a variety of sources. Some websites that are very useful for CFB TV listings are Matt Sarz Sports, FBSCHEDULES.com, and LSUFootball.net.
College Football Game Broadcast Schedules
Matt’s College Sports on TV Website - Has CFB & CBB TV listings for each week in
addition to archived listings dating back to 2006-07
LSUFootball.net – Has CFB TV listings for each week for & a schedule of upcoming game replays; also includes archived TV listings back to 2004
ESPN
ESPN3 – List
of Participating Providers (ISP & TV)
Sling TV
Sling TV – Local Channel List
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM –
Local Channel & RSN Lookup by Zip Code
FuboTV
FuboTV – List of Broadcast Channels
FuboTV – List of Regional Sports Networks
Hulu Live
Hulu Live – Local Channel Lookup (enter zip code)
YouTube TV
YouTube TV – List of
all available markets & local channels in each (1/23/19)
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