Carries ABC or ESPN and TNT for $40 or $45 per month
Sling TV
Carries ABC, ESPN and TNT for $83 per month
Hulu Plus Live TV
Carries ABC and ESPN for $80 per month
Fubo
The 12-team College Football Playoff gets in full swing on Saturday with three more first-round games. Penn State and SMU are up first, followed by Texas taking on Clemson. Then in the nightcap, Ohio State hosts Tennessee. Unlike bowl games played at neutral sites, these first-round games are played at the home stadium of the higher seed.
Here’s the TV schedule for Saturday’s action:
- No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State at 12 p.m. on TNT/Max
- No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas at 4 p.m. on TNT/Max
- No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State at 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
Most games of the playoff will be on ESPN, but you’ll also need TNT or Max for two of Saturday’s first-round games — because nothing is easy when it comes to live streaming sports. If you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch every game of the CFP with a live TV streaming service. Keep reading to see the first-round matchups, full playoff schedule and the best ways to watch the games over the next month.
College Football Playoff TV schedule
After the first round concludes Saturday night, the CFP will resume on New Year’s Eve with the first quarterfinal game and end with the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 20. Here’s the remaining schedule (all times ET):
Quarterfinals:
Tuesday, Dec. 31
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. Penn State/SMU winner at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. Texas/Clemson winner at 1 p.m. on ESPN
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. Ohio State/Tennessee winner at 5 p.m. on ESPN
- Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. Notre Dame/Indiana winner at 8:45 p.m. on ESPN
Semifinals:
Thursday, Jan. 9
- Orange Bowl: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Friday, Jan. 10
- Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
CFP National Championship
- Monday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
How to watch the CFP without cable
Nine of the 11 playoff games will be on ESPN, with two first-round games on TNT and Max. All five of the major live TV streaming services carry ESPN, and four of the five include both ESPN and TNT (all but Fubo).
Sling TV’s Sling Orange plan includes ESPN and TNT, and the Blue plan includes ABC (in only in a handful of markets) and TNT. You’ll want the Orange plan for CFP viewing because every game after the first round will be shown on ESPN.
Each plan costs $45 a month in the areas with ABC and $40 elsewhere. The combined Orange-and-Blue plan costs $55 or $60 a month.
Read our Sling TV review.
YouTube TV costs $83 a month after a recent price hike and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. Right now, the first three months are discounted to $60 a month. There is a 21-day free trial. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $83 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and TNT. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the “Can I watch local news in my area?” question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Fubo’s Essential plan costs $80 a month and includes ABC and ESPN but not TNT. With Fubo, you’ll miss out on the two first-round games on TNT — Penn St. vs. SMU and Texas vs. Clemson — but will be able to watch every other game of the playoff on ESPN.
Fubo is currently offering the first month for $45. You can click here to see which local channels you get.
Read our Fubo review.
All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
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