How to Watch 2025-26 NCAA Football Season Online Without Cable

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.

Although the Ohio State Buckeyes won the Playoff National Championship for the 2024-25 season, a new season of NCAA Football begins. Will a new team win it all, or can Ohio State repeat as champions?

The NCAA Football season starts on Saturday, Aug. 23 and goes until the end of the regular season on Saturday, Dec. 13. Check out the complete 2025-26 NCAA Football season schedule here.

At a Glance: Watch the 2025-26 NCAA Football Season Online

With kick-off in full swing, keep reading to find out how to watch the NCAA Football 2025-26 season, as well as where to find tickets to games online.

How to Watch NCAA Football Season Without Cable: Stream Online Free

Cable subscribers can watch the NCAA football season on TV across ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, SEC Network and truTV.

Cord-cutters can stream the games on web-based streaming cable services, like DirecTV and Fubo, some of which even offer free trials. In addition, games are available to stream on ESPN+, Paramount+, HBO Max and Peacock.

Ahead, find out how to watch the NCAA Football games with and without a cable subscription.

Editors’ Choice

DirecTV

Watch the 2025-26 NCAA Football season with DirecTV, which carries ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, SEC Network and truTV, along with more than 90 other channels — such as AMC, Bravo, CNBC, Disney Channel and others.

The streamer has a free five-day trial available, which will let you watch college football. Afterwards, you can either cancel the service or keep watching, with prices starting as low as $49.99 for the first month of the entry-level Entertainment package ($84.99 per month afterward).

Sling’s package is one of the cheapest options for new live TV streaming subscribers who want to watch NCAA Football games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, SEC Network and truTV. The Sling Orange + Blue plan includes Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, CNN, Fox News, TNT, TBS, Bravo, FreeForm, QVC, MSNBC and much more.

For an additional $11 and up per month, you can sign up for the Sports Extra add-on to watch networks, like the Big Ten Network, NBA TV, MLB Network and more.

Prices and channel availability depend on your local TV market. Learn more about Sling Orange + Blue and Sports Extra here.

Another way to watch NCAA football games online is through Fubo, which starts at $54.99 for the first month of service ($84.99 per month afterward) for more than 235 channels, including ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC and SEC Network. You can also record over 1,000 hours of TV shows, movies, games and more. If you want to watch some of college football games live online free, the online TV streaming service offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers.

A subscription to Hulu + Live TV is one of the best streaming services for watching NCAA football games on ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, SEC Network and truTV. The cable streamer carries over 90 live channels starting at $82.99 per month with ads and comes with Hulu’s entire streaming library, Disney+ and ESPN+. Hulu offers a three-day free trial to try before you buy a monthly subscription.

ESPN+ is also live-streaming NCAA football games this season. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for ESPN+ for $11.99 per month. It includes original programming, such as The Pat McAfee Show, 30 For 30, McEnroe’s Places, Man in the Arena: Tom Brady, Southern Hoops: A History of SEC Basketball, Deion’s Double Play and others. Meanwhile, it comes with streaming access to live sports from UFC, Formula 1, NHL, MLB and other sports leagues.

Peacock also has NCAA football games streaming online. Subscriptions are $10.99 monthly (or $109.99 yearly) for the ad-free plan or $16.99 per month (or $169.99 annually) for the ad-free Premium Plus package. Aside from college football, you’ll also get access to originals like Wicked, Those About To Die, Love Island USA, The Traitors, Ted and others; hit movies like Back to Black, Abigail, Oppenheimer, Lisa Frankenstein and others; live sports and entertainment from NBC Sports; and more than 50 “always-on” streaming channels.

Related: The Best Peacock Streaming Deals

HBO Max (formerly known as Max) offers livestream NCAA football this season starting at $9.99 per month for the ad-free plan and $16.99 to $20.99 monthly for the ad-free packages. (Save 17 percent with annual billing from $99.99 to $200.99 per year.)

The streaming service also includes NHL on TNT, U.S. Soccer, MotoGP and other sports leagues. It has hit movies like Barbie, Blue Beetle, The Zone of Interest, Wonka, Avatar: The Way of Water and others, as well as award-winning series, such as Succession, Barry, The White Lotus and more.

Watch college football games for free with a seven-day trial to Paramount+, which offers CBS and CBS Sports Network during the 2025-26 NCAA Football season. Paramount+ is $7.99 per month for the basic ad-supported Essential plan or $12.99 monthly for the Paramount+ Premium package. Save 16 percent when you sign up for an annual package ($60 or $120 per year, respectively).

How to Watch NCAA Football Season with Cable

The NCAA Football games broadcast on ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, SEC Network and truTV in the U.S. You can watch those channels online on their respective websites by logging in with your cable TV provider account.

Where to Buy NCAA Football Tickets Online

Want to watch college football games in person? Tickets are available for the NCAA Football season at StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, Ticket Liquidator, Ticketmaster and GameTime — prices depend on the city and seat location. For more info, visit NCAATickets.com.

One of the best deals on last-minute tickets right now is at Ticket Network, which offers THR readers $150 off orders of $500 with promo code THR150 or $300 off $1,000 and up with code THR300.

Meanwhile, other deals on tickets can be found at Vivid Seats, where you can save $20 with code THR30; or at SeatGeek where you can use promo code HOLLYWOOD10 to save $10 on eligible purchases of $250 and up.