2018 CFB Guide to Cord Cutting

I created this guide last year 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 Saturdays this fall (or Thursday or Friday as well).  The guide has been revamped to be easier to read & updated for the 2018 College Football 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 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 Power 5 conferences (ACC, B1G, Big 12, Pac-12 & SEC).  If you’re already familiar with these terms, services, etc. please feel free to jump down below to the conferences section.

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 static map of all US DMAs from 2015-16, click here or you can use enter an address into this dynamic, zoomable map 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 (BTN, 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 Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC control these Tier 3 rights for all their member institutions and air these games on their respective conference networks.  The ACC has sold these rights to Raycom for syndication but is re-purchasing them in advanced of the launch of the ACC Network in 2019.  The Big 12 allows each member institution to control one home game and the institution can then choose how & who to sell the broadcast rights to that game to.

Regional Sports Networks – FOX (FOX Sports <channel>), Comcast (NBC Sports <channel> and 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 FOX Sports RSNs, your local FOX Sports RSN may not carry it. 

Conference Networks – Several conferences (Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) 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 also in the number of subscribers each has.  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 and the SEC started the SEC Network (SECN) in 2014.  The ACC announced last summer that the ACC Network (ACCN) will debut as a linear television channel in 2019.

TV CHANNELS

ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNEWS/ESPN GOAL LINE – 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.  ESPN GOAL LINE runs only on Saturdays and switches between various games on the ESPN networks similar to how the Red Zone channel works for the NFL.

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.  For example, Sling TV & PlayStation Vue both include ESPN3 access with their subscriptions.  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.  One other thing to be aware of regarding ESPN3 is that the WATCHESPN app requires an ESPN video subscription (i.e. credentials) in order to view ESPN3 content via a connected device such as Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, or PlayStation 4.  In other words, if you do not have a subscription to a service that includes ESPN (but do have ESPN3 access through your ISP) and try to watch ESPN3 content through the WATCHESPN app on a Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, etc., you will receive an error.  The only way to watch ESPN3 content without an ESPN video subscription is via a computer web browser (www.watchespn.com) or the WATCHESPN app on mobile devices such as phones and tablets.  For more information on this, please see here.

ESPN+ – ESPN+ is an online streaming service which launched in April 2018 and will air college football games from the Conference USA, the MAC, and Sun Belt.  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, FOX Sports 1 (FS1), and FOX Sports Regional Sports Networks (for more information on these see Regional Sports Networks below).  Fox Sports 2 (FS2) traditionally has only been used as an overflow channel when games run late but in 2017 it aired 2 Big 12 games in their entirety.  FS1 has games every Saturday, most Thursdays, and occasional Fridays.  FOX generally has games on Saturdays only but not every Saturday due to other sports commitments (NASCAR, MLB Playoffs, etc.).  Two bowl games will be broadcast on FOX channels for the 2018 season.

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 most weeks.  CBS will carry one bowl game and CBSSN will carry two bowl games in 2018.

NBC/NBC SPORTS NETWORK – NBC Sports carries games on the NBC broadcast channel, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), and regional sports networks such as NBC Sports (NBCS) <channel (for more information on these see Regional Sports Networks below).  NBC usually only broadcasts Notre Dame home games on Saturdays while NBCSN carries FCS games; it also broadcast one Notre Dame game in 2017 but does not have any scheduled for 2018.

Regional Sports Networks – The two most common types of Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) are FOX Sports 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 FOX Sports RSN games, in addition to some other games.  However, none of these channels are currently available on any national streaming service.  Additionally, some other RSNs like NESN, Prime Ticket, SportsTime Ohio 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.  BTN2GO is the website/app that BTN uses to stream its content and BTN content is also able to be viewed via Fox Sports Go app.

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 in addition to games on the first Thursday & Friday of the season.  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 WATCHESPN/ESPN apps and the ESPN website.  SECN+ generally does not air any CFB games.

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. 

ACC Network/ACC Network Extra – The linear ACCN cable channel is scheduled to launch in 2019.  Currently, ACCN refers to ACC college football games that are syndicated either via over-the-air (OTA) stations by Raycom or on RSNs, which are generally FOX Sports RSNs plus some others.  The ACCN Game of the Week airs on OTA stations, is syndicated by Raycom, and starts at 12:20 PM ET on Saturdays.  Additionally, the ACCN Game of the Week is streamed on the ACC’s website with no authentication required.

There is also usually one RSN game aired each Saturday at various times, although several weeks two of these games are shown.  The RSN games are also available outside of the airing markets on ACC Network Extra which is an online channel that can only be viewed with authenticated credentials (i.e. it requires a subscription to a service which has ESPN) via the WATCHESPN/ESPN apps or the ESPN website.  What this means is that if a regional sports network 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 ESPN-authenticated credentials via WATCHESPN.  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 WATCHESPN.  ACC Network Extra begin in 2016 as before that all ACCN games were available via ESPN3 access outside of the local viewing area.  ACC Network Extra 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 WATCHESPN/ESPN apps 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 which was previously known as American Sports Network.  They carry games hosted by Conference USA, Mountain West Conference, 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, FuboTV in the Sports Plus add-on pack, Twitch, PlutoTV, and via their app which is available for Apple & Android products (► 12/15/18) It is also now on PlayStation Vue on the Elite package & above in addition to both of Sling TV’s Sports Add-on packages (Blue & Orange).  Games airing on Twitter can be viewed here, while games airing on Facebook can be viewed here.

beIN SPORTS – beIN SPORTS is a group of sports channels owned by Al Jazeera with both domestic and international channels.  The domestic channel, beIN SPORTS USA (beIN), broadcasts some college football games of Conference USA.  Games can be streamed on their website and additionally via the beIN SPORTS CONNECT app.

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 WATCHESPN and ESPN apps while FOX uses the FOX Sports Go app for FOX broadcast channel sporting events & FOX Sports RSNs.  BTN uses the BTN2GO app and the Fox Sports Go app while P12N uses the Pac-12 Now app. CBS & CBSSN both streams their games through the CBS Sports App (no authentication required for CBS games while authentication is required for CBSSN).  NBC & NBCSN & NBCS RSNs all stream their content through the NBC Sports App.  STADIUM streams via the Stadium App while beIN streams via the beIN SPORTS CONNECT app.

STREAMING SERVICES

Sling TV

·       Plans: 

o   Orange ($25/month), Orange Sports Add-on ($5/month)

o   Blue ($25/month), Blue Sports Add-on ($10/month)

o   Orange + Blue ($40/month), Orange + Blue + Sports Add-on ($50/month)

·       Channels:

o   Orange - ESPN/ESPN2

o   Orange Sports Add-on - ESPNU,ESPNNEWS,ESPN GOAL LINE,SECN,P12N*,beIN,STADIUM

o   Blue - FOX,FS1,FS2,NBC,NBCSN,NBCS RSN,FOX SPORTS RSN

o   Blue Sports Add-on - P12N*/STADIUM/beIN

§  *P12N includes the 6 regional feeds only; the national feed is not included

·       # of Streams: Orange (1 stream); Blue (3 streams)

·       Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices

Summary: Sling TV (Sling) is a decent option for college football fans and still the cheapest way to get just the ESPN channels.  Plus, it is the only service that carries beIN, P12N, STADIUM and ESPN.  However, it doesn’t carry BTN or CBSSN (► 10/16/18 and also blacks out certain Big Ten games on FS1, see here for more info) and while it’s Orange + Blue package ($40) is similar in price to other services that doesn’t include networks such as ESPNU or SECN.  Plus, its coverage of local channels is the smallest compared to the other services so if an antenna is feasible, 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 WATCHESPN or ESPN apps to watch additional streams.

Best For:  ACC/SEC/Pac-12 Fans, Conference USA Fans, People who can get OTA stations via antenna

Worst For:  Big 10 Fans, Fans who cannot get their local OTA stations via antenna

PlayStation Vue

·       Plans: 

o   Access ($45/month), Core ($50/month), Sports Pack ($10/month), Elite ($60/month), Ultra ($80/month)

§  PlayStation Vue increased the price of all of their plans by $5/month effective 7/24/18

·       Channels:

o   Access - ABC,CBS,FOX,NBC,ESPN,ESPN2,FS1,FS2,NBCSN

o   Core - Access Channels + ESPNU,ESPNNEWS,SECN,BTN,CBSSN,LHN*,NBCS RSN,FOX SPORTS RSN

o   Elite – Core Channels + STADIUM

o   Sports Pack - Core Channels + ESPN GOAL LINE,LHN*

§  *LHN is available on the Core plan within select in-market states; other states require the Core plan + the Sports Pack add-on

·       # of Streams: 5 (3 at signup + 2 additional available, in-home only, after a home device is set)

o   Limited to a max of one PS3, one PS4, and three mobile/web-based devices at all times

·       Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices

Summary:  The price increase that PlayStation Vue (Vue) instituted in July 2018 now makes it less attractive to college football fans; the most desirable package, Core at $50/month, is now $10/month more than comparable packages from Hulu & YouTube TV, since those services base packages have the exact same networks  as Vue except for LHN.  The inclusion of LHN (those who are out-of-market and want to receive it must order the Sports Pack as well, bringing the total to $60/month) is one positive aspect of Vue in addition to the fact that it offers the highest number of in-home streams (5), except for Hulu + Unlimited Screens, which is an extra $15/month. 

Best For:  People who want to have multiple (> 3) games playing at once, Texas Longhorn fans

Worst For:  Fans who are in a YouTube TV market, Pac-12 Fans

DIRECTV NOW

·       Plans: 

o   Live a Little ($40/month), Just Right ($55/month), Go Big ($65/month), Gotta Have It ($75/month)

§  DIRECTV NOW increased the price of all of their plans by $5/month effective 8/1/18

·       Channels:

o   Live a Little - ABC,CBS,FOX,NBC,ESPN,ESPN2,FS1,NBCSN

o   Just Right - Live a Little Channels + ESPNU,ESPNNEWS,SECN,BTN,LHN*,NBCS RSN,FOX SPORTS RSN

§  *LHN is only available in select markets

o   Go Big – Just Right Channels + CBSSN,FS2

·       # of Streams: 2 with the option of purchasing an additional stream for $5/month

·       Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices

Summary: DIRECTV NOW’s (DTV NOW) price increase of July 2018 made it slightly less attractive because it’s most basic plan is now priced identically to YouTube TV and Hulu but lacks many networks such as ESPNU, BTN, FS2, SECN, and any local RSNs.  To receive those requires another $15/month ($55/month total), plus CBSSN is on an even higher plan.  However, DTV NOW does offer LHN (in-market only) and does have a $15/month credit available to AT&T Unlimited Data cell phone subscribers.  Otherwise though, there’s nothing that makes DTV NOW particularly compelling given its higher price, lower number of streams, and lack of specialty channels (i.e. no P12N or beIN or STADIUM or ESPN GOAL LINE).

Best For:  Texas Longhorn fans, AT&T Unlimited Data subscribers

Worst For:  General Fans, Fans who are in a YouTube TV market, Fans who want to watch multiple games at once, Pac-12 Fans

Hulu Live

·       Plans:

o   Base Plan (► 1/26/19) ($40/month) ($45/month starting 2/26/19)

·       Channels:

o   ABC,CBS,FOX,NBC,ESPN,ESPN2, ESPNU,ESPNNEWS,SECN,FS1,FS2,BTN,NBCSN, NBCS RSN,FOX SPORTS RSN,CBSSN

·       # of Streams:

o   2 with the option of purchasing “unlimited” streams for an extra (► 1/26/19) $15/month $10/month starting 2/26/19

o   Unlimited streams includes unlimited streams at home and max 3 streams outside of home

·       Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices

Summary: Hulu Live is a very good choice for most college football fans as it offers a wide range of channels at the lowest base package price (► 1/26/19) at a slightly higher price point with its Feb 2019 $5/month price increase.  Additionally, it’s available on Fire TV and several other devices on which YouTube TV currently isn’t. Thus, it features the best overall combination of channels, available devices, and price.  The one main downside is the fact that its base package only includes 2 streams although the option for “unlimited streams” does exist.  For those who are not in a YouTube TV market, Hulu Live is the best option for general college football fans.

Best For: General Fans who are not in a YouTube TV market, ACC/B1G/B12/SEC Fans, Fans who want to watch multiple games at once (for an extra fee)

Worst For:  Pac-12 Fans

YouTube TV

·       Plans:

o   Base Plan ($40/month)

·       Channels:

o   ABC,CBS,FOX,NBC,ESPN,ESPN2, ESPNU,ESPNNEWS,SECN,FS1,FS2,BTN,NBCSN, NBCS RSN,FOX SPORTS RSN,CBSSN

·       # of Streams:

o   3

·       Devices: Roku, Apple TV (not Fire TV) + some other devices

Summary: YouTube TV(YTTV) is another excellent choice for most college football fans as it offers a wide range of channels at the lowest base package price.  Also, its DVR will store programs for up to 9 months without any type of storage limit.  However, it’s not available everywhere in the US (► 1/26/19) YTTV announced on 1/23/19 that they expanded to 95 additional markets (195 total in the US) with the remaining unsupported markets to be available in the coming weeks.  It is currently not available to watch on Fire TV devices (Note: there are some workarounds to view it but most are clunky and/or not fully 100% functional) and does not have the widespread device availability that most of the other services offer, but still features a good combination of channels and price. but still features a good combination of channels and price.  It’s very similar to Hulu Live but its unlimited DVR space and extra stream (3), compared to Hulu Live (2), may make it a better option for some fans.

Best For: General Fans, ACC/B1G/B12/SEC Fans, Fans who plan to record many hours of college football

Worst For:  Pac-12 Fans, Fans who have Fire TVs

FuboTV

·       Plans: 

o   Base Plan ($45/month), Extra Plan ($50/month), Sports Plus ($9/month)

·       Channels:

o   Base Plan - CBS,FOX,NBC,BTN,FS1,FS2,NBCSN,CBSSN,P12N*,NBCS RSN,FOX SPORTS RSN,beIN

§  The Extra Plan has 15 additional channels compared to the Base Plan but none are college football related

o   Sports Plus – Base Plan + STADIUM, P12N*

§  *The P12N national feed is included with the Base Plan while the 6 regionals feeds are included with the Sports Plus add-on

·       # of Streams: 2 with the option of purchasing an additional stream (Family Share Add-On) for $6/month

·       Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices

Summary: FuboTV is an overall poor choice for most college football fans due to its lack of ESPN channels, since every single conference has a tv deal with ESPN.  However, it is the only current streaming service that offers BTN & P12N so if you are a fan of  Big Ten and Pac-12 teams that are frequently featured on their conference networks, it may be worth it.  Also, it is the only service that carries all of the non-ESPN partners for Conference USA (CBSSN, STADIUM, beIN) so if you’re a fan of that conference, it may be worth it.  However, it’s lack of ESPN channels makes it virtually unusable for ACC & SEC fans and its price ($45/month) coupled with only 2 streams, make it probably the least desirable option for most fans.

Best For: Certain Big Ten & Pac-12 Fans, Conference USA Fans, College Football Fans who have other sports interests (soccer)

Worst For:  ACC/SEC Fans

ESPN+

·       Plans: 

o   Base Plan ($5/month or $50/year)

·       Channels:

o   Base Plan – ESPN+ only

·       # of Streams: 5

·       Devices: Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV + most common devices

Summary: ESPN+ is brand new this year and will feature games from Conference USA, the MAC, and Sun Belt.  Although the cost of ESPN+ is relatively modest, it is a bit disappointing that fans now to have pay to watch games that were previously available via ESPN3, which is generally included with your ISP and/or a cable/satellite tv subscription.  The only real reason to purchase an ESPN+ subscription is if you’re a hardcore college football fan (not that there’s anything wrong with that), a fan of one of the three specific conferences that will be on it, or there is other content (MLS, etc.) that you’re already deciding to subscribe to it for.   

Best For: Fans of Conference USA or MAC or Sun Belt, Hardcore College Football Fans

Worst For: Pretty much everyone else

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, in the Pittsburgh market, WTAE ABC (4.1) is the station which has the rights to the OTA ACCN Game of the Week each Saturday @ 12:20 PM ET.  However, ABC usually airs a national or regional college football broadcast starting at 12:00 PM ET.  Thus, the ACCN Game of the Week usually ends up being shown on This TV (4.2), the digital sub channel of WTAE. However, when the ACCN Game of the Week features Pittsburgh, that game is aired on WTAE and the ABC regional/national game is bumped to This TV.  On November 5, 2016, Pitt played at Miami starting at 12:30 PM ET; this game was shown on WTAE which forced Northwestern-Wisconsin (ABC national broadcast starting at 12:00 PM ET) to be shown on This TV.  Thus, if you subscribed to a streaming service which carried ABC (WTAE), you would not have seen the Wisconsin-Northwestern game.  Instead the only way you could have watched it would have been to use the WATCHESPN or ESPN apps or to use an antenna to receive This TV.  It should be noted that all ABC games are available via ESPN3 so this example would not have required a television subscription to view the game, only ESPN3 access.

Similar issues can happen with RSNs as well.  On September 24, 2016, San Jose State at Iowa State was distributed by FOX Sports RSNs starting at 12:00 PM ET.  However, FOX Sports Detroit chose to air the ACCN RSN Game of the Week, Central Michigan at Virginia, starting at 12:30 PM ET on its main channel.  Thus, the San Jose State-Iowa State game was aired on FOX Sports Detroit+.  Again, if you had a subscription to a streaming service that does not carry FOX Sports Detroit+, which is essentially an overflow channel, you would have needed to go to the FOX Sports Go app to be able to watch that game.  Please note that the issues described above are not unique to streaming services, but they are things to keep in mind.    

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, on September 17, 2016, BTN aired both Georgia Sate at Wisconsin & Temple at Penn State starting at 12 PM ET.  If you lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the main BTN channel showed the Temple-Penn State game while Georgia State-Wisconsin was carried on one of BTN’s overflow channels.  However, not all of these streaming services carry all the overflow channels for networks that have them.  So if you used a streaming service that did not carry all of  BTN’s overflow channels, you would have had to login to the BTN2GO app, using your provider credentials, in order to watch Georgia State-Wisconsin.  It’s similar for the SECN, except that you would use the WATCHESPN or ESPN apps.  Again, this issue is not necessarily unique to streaming services, because some cable providers do not carry all the overflow channels (compared to satellite providers who generally do), but it is something to be aware of.

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.  It also frequently happens with the channels that air the ACCN Game of the Week since that game starts at 12:20 PM ET and thus, only has 3 hours and 10 minutes until the 3:30 PM ET games start.  When these situations happen, the next game is usually started on an alternate network, or if none is available, streamed online via the WATCHESPN or FOX Sports Go 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, FOX Sports 2 is 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 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.  For example, in 2013 there was an ACC Game of the Week between Louisiana Tech and NC State that started at 12:30 PM ET on WTAE (ABC) in Pittsburgh.  However, the game was not over by 3:30 PM ET when ABC was scheduled to air Penn State-Syracuse as part of its 3:30 PM ET regional coverage.  WTAE left the ACCN game and started airing the Penn State game on time since Pittsburgh is considered part of the Penn State viewing area.   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 but 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 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 who 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 as there may be a game on a network such as CBSSN or P12N that your favorite team normally would not air on.

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	OTA (syndicated by Raycom, channels vary by market) & RSN (RSNs vary by market)	ABC/ESPN/2
Big Ten	ABC & FOX	ESPN/2/U/NEWS & FS1/FS2	BTN	FOX
Big 12	ABC & FOX	ESPN/2/U/NEWS & FS1/FS2	*Varies by team –Longhorn Network (Texas) is the only linear cable channel	**FOX & ABC/ESPN/2
Pac-12	ABC & FOX	ESPN/2/U/NEWS & FS1/FS2	P12N	***FOX & ABC/ESPN/2
SEC	CBS	ESPN/2/U/NEWS	SECN	CBS

*Each team is given one game for institutional control which they can then sell the rights to for broadcasting

**This game is split between FOX (odd years) & ESPN channels (even 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.  All 2018 home games & the game vs Syracuse in New York City are scheduled to be aired on the NBC broadcast channel.  Their five away games will air on networks determined by the broadcast partners of the teams they are facing.

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	Partner 5
AAC	ESPN	CBSSN*	-----------	-------------------------	---------------------
Conf USA	ESPN	CBSSN	beIN Sports	Stadium	ESPN+
MAC	ESPN	CBSSN*	ESPN+	-------------------------	---------------------
MWC	ESPN	CBSSN	Campus Insiders**/ Stadium	TheMWC.com**	---------------------
Sun Belt	ESPN	Stadium	ESPN+	-------------------------	---------------------

*These games are sublicensed from ESPN which controls the initial rights to them.

**These games are streamed online only.

CFB CHANNEL INPUT SPREADSHEET

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 on certain services.  

To see a 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.

STREAMING SERVICE & CFB NETWORK CHART

	Sling TV	Vue	DTV NOW	FuboTV	Hulu Live	YouTube TV
ABC	No	Access* (or higher)	Live a Little* (or higher)	No	Yes*	Yes
ESPN	Orange	Access (or higher)	Live a Little (or higher)	No	Yes	Yes
ESPN2	Orange	Access (or higher)	Live a Little (or higher)	No	Yes	Yes
ESPNU	Sports Extra (Orange)	Core (or higher)	Just Right (or higher)	No	Yes	Yes
ESPNEWS	Sports Extra (Orange)	Core (or higher)	Just Right (or higher)	No	Yes	Yes
ESPN GOAL LINE	Sports Extra (Orange)	Core + Sports Pack	No	No	No	No
SECN	Sports Extra (Orange)	Core (or higher)	Just Right (or higher)	No	Yes	Yes
BTN	No	Core (or higher)	Just Right (or higher)	Yes	Yes	Yes
FOX	Blue*	Access* (or higher)	Live a Little* (or higher)	Yes*	Yes*	Yes
FS1	Blue	Access (or higher)	Live a Little (or higher)	Yes	Yes	Yes
FS2	Blue	Access (or higher)	Go Big (or higher)	Yes	Yes	Yes
CBS	No	Access* (or higher)	Live a Little* (or higher)	Yes*	Yes*	Yes
CBSSN	No	Core (or higher)	Go Big (or higher)	Yes	Yes	Yes
NBC	Blue*	Access* (or higher)	Live a Little* (or higher)	Yes*	Yes*	Yes
NBCSN	Blue	Access (or higher)	Live a Little (or higher)	Yes	Yes	Yes
P12N	Sports Extra (Orange/Blue)**	No	No	Yes***&  Sports Plus***	No	No
LHN	No	Core**** (or higher)	Just Right* (or higher)	No	No	No
FOX Sports RSNs	Blue*	Core* (or higher)	Just Right* (or higher)	Yes*	Yes*	Yes
NBC Sports RSNs	Blue*	Core* (or higher)	Just Right* (or higher)	Yes*	Yes*	Yes
STADIUM	Sports Extra (Orange/Blue)	Elite(or higher)	No	Yes	No	No
beIN SPORTS USA	Sports Extra (Orange/Blue)	No	No	Yes	No	No
ESPN3	Orange	Access(?)	Live a Little(?)	No	Yes	Yes
WATCHESPN	Yes	Yes	Yes	---------	Yes	Yes
BTN2GO	---------	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
FOX SPORTS GO	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
PAC-12 Now	No	---------	---------	No	---------	---------
NBCSports.com/ NBCS App-ND FB	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes	No/ Yes
CBSSports.com/ CBSS App-CBSSN	---------	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes	Yes/ Yes

*Available in select markets only

**Includes all P12N regional feeds only, does not include the national feed.

***Base & Extra packages include the P12N national feed while the Sports Plus add-on includes the 6 regional feeds

****Available in select markets as part of Core; in other markets, requires Core or higher subscription + Sports Pack ($10/month)

To see a PDF version of the chart above, click here.

POSTSEASON GAMES

All bowl games will air on ESPN except for the ones listed below. 

Game	Date	Time	Channel
Celebration Bowl	12/15/2018	12:00 PM ET	ABC
Cure Bowl	12/15/2018	1:30 PM ET	CBSSN
Las Vegas Bowl	12/15/2018	3:30 PM ET	ABC
Arizona Bowl	12/28/2018	5:30 PM ET	CBSSN
Belk Bowl	12/29/2018	12:30 PM ET	ABC
Sun Bowl	12/31/2018	12:00 PM ET	CBS
San Francisco Bowl	12/31/2018	3:00 PM ET	FOX
Holiday Bowl	12/31/2018	7:00 PM ET	FS1
Outback Bowl	1/1/2019	12:00 PM ET	ESPN2
Citrus Bowl	1/1/2019	1:00 PM ET	ABC

*A chart (PDF) with all bowl games including the day, time, teams and services each game is available on will be published after the pairings are announced in early December.
(►12/7/18) 2018-19 Postseason Bowl Game Chart - here

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

FBSCHEDULES.com – Has future & past schedules for every team including TV information

LSUFootball.net – Has CFB TV listings for each week for & a schedule of upcoming game replays; also includes archived TV listings back to 2004

2018 College Football TV Schedule Releases

Conference USA ESPN & ESPN+ Release

SunBelt ESPN & ESPN+ Release

ESPN Early Season College Football Release

FOX Early Season College Football Release

ESPN

ESPN3 – List of Participating Providers (ISP & TV)

Sling TV

SlingTV – Local Channel Lookup by Zip Code

SlingTV – RSN Lookup by Zip Code

SlingTV – Article on Alternate RSNs

PlayStation Vue

PlayStation Vue– Local Channel & RSN lookup (enter zip code)

DIRECTV NOW

DIRECTVNOW – Local Channel & RSN Lookup by Zip Code

DIRECTVNOW – Master List of RSNs by Zip Code & Team
DIRECTVNOW – Comparison Guide for Channel Packages

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)

MISC

NielsenDMA Map (2015-16)
DMA Map Tool