For those who want to watch college football, local networks and leading sports channels broadcast a majority of the games. So you can find bigger conference games on ABC, CBS, ESPN, FOX, FOX Sports 1, NBC, and CBS Sports Network.
Smaller conference games and lower-profile matchups are also available through college sports channels such as Big 10 Network, ESPNU, and FOX Sports Network, to name a few. Plus, you can watch additional games on streaming-only channels such as beIN Sports, Eleven Sports, ESPN+, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.
Fortunately for you, you can use streaming services like YouTube TV to access most of these channels and watch live college football games without cable. Read this post to find out how.
YouTube TV plans and sports channels compared
YouTube TV college sports channels
College sports channels broadcast several games featuring lower-profile matchups. This includes channels such as ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, FOX College Sports, and more. You get many of these channels with the default YouTube TV subscription. Learn more about this default lineup in our YouTube TV channels and packages guide.
Besides the channels in the default lineup, you can also get FOX College Sports with the Sports Plus add-on for $10.99/mo. However, you’ll still be missing Longhorn Network and Pac-12 Network as there are no add-on options to get these channels. That means you’ll end up missing a few smaller conference games.
| Channel | YouTube TV $72.99/mo. |
| ACC Network | ✔ |
| ACC Network Extra | ✔ |
| Big Ten Network | ✔ |
| CBS Sports Network | ✔ |
| ESPNU | ✔ |
| FOX College Sports | + $10.99 |
| Longhorn Network | X |
| Pac-12 Network | X |
| SEC Network | ✔ |
YouTube TV streaming-only channels
Some smaller college football games are also available through streaming-only channels such as beIN Sports, ESPN3, ESPN Plus, etc. These are channels that you can only get through live TV streaming services or as standalone subscriptions. That means you won’t get them with your cable subscription.
YouTube TV offers a couple of streaming-only channels either with the default lineup or through the Sports Plus add-on. But you still won’t get beIN Sports or Eleven Sports with this service. Other than that, you’ll also need a separate subscription to ESPN+ for $9.99/mo. to get the additional games that broadcast through the service.
| Channel | YouTube TV Free Trial $72.99/mo. |
| beIN Sports | X |
| Eleven Sports | X |
| ESPN 3 | ✔ |
| SEC Network Plus | ✔ |
| Stadium | + $10.99 |
YouTube TV local networks
You can watch most of the major college football games through local networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. And each network is dedicated to broadcasting certain conferences, so you can’t find every game on a single channel. For instance, you can watch Big 10, Big 12, and Pac-12 Conferences on ABC and FOX. But Southeast Conference games air on CBS.
So you’ll need to find a live TV streaming service that offers all of these major local networks as a part of its channel lineup. Fortunately, YouTube TV has all 4 local networks in the default lineup. That means you won’t need to pay any additional fee to access them. Plus, it has an expansive coverage area, although these networks may not be available in every television market.
| Channels | YouTube TV |
| ABC | ✔ |
| CBS | ✔ |
| FOX | ✔ |
| NBC | ✔ |
Can I stream every college football game on YouTube TV?
YouTube TV lets you stream all the major college football games through its default channel lineup. The service gives you access to every local network that broadcasts bigger conference games, including ABC, CBS, FOX, The CW, and NBC. So you won’t have to miss any of the games that air on these channels as long as you live within the eligible market areas.
Besides these, YouTube TV also offers all the leading sports channels that broadcast additional games such as ESPN, ESPN2, FOX Sports 1, and CBS Sports Network. This will give you access to several prime-time games that aren’t available on network television.
That means YouTube TV is a great option for streaming all the important college football games live. As for smaller conference games and lower-profile matchups, YouTube TV gives you several options to watch them too. You get most of the college sports channels that broadcast these games, except for Longhorn Network and Pac-12 Network.
That means your subscription comes with access to ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network. And you can also get FOX College Sports with the Sports Plus add-on for $10.99/mo.
As for streaming-only channels, YouTube TV only offers ESPN3 in the default lineup. But when you add the Sports Plus package to your subscription, you’ll also get access to Stadium. You can find out more about the additional features and add-on options in our YouTube TV review.
However, since the service lacks a few college sports and streaming-only channels, you can’t watch every single game. This isn’t a complete deal breaker if you only want to watch the bigger games and championships.
Keep in mind that ESPN Plus is a standalone streaming service. So if you want to watch the games that broadcast on the service, you’ll need to subscribe to it separately for $5.99/mo.
What about College Football Playoffs/Championships on YouTube TV?
All the College Football Playoff games, including the semifinals and championship, will air on ESPN. This includes coverage of the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl games in addition to the National Championship.
So you can use your YouTube TV subscription to keep up with all of the College Football Playoffs/Championships since the service offers ESPN by default. This makes sense for diehard college football fans since you won’t even need a cable subscription to watch the live games that you care about.
The final cut
With the option to watch all the major college football games and several smaller conferences, YouTube TV is an excellent streaming option. You even get to try out the service for free for a whole week before you decide if it’s the right choice for you. Check out our YouTube free trials and deals guide to learn more about this.
And sign up for your 7-day trial to enjoy the YouTube TV streaming experience for free. Don’t forget that you even have the option to get free sports broadcasts with over-the-air antennas like HDHomeRun. So you might want to consider enhancing your sports streaming experience with this option.