How To Watch College Football Bowl Games

Capping off the latest college football campaign is the 2023–2024 bowl season, where over 40 college bowl games will occur. It all begins on December 16 with the Myrtle Beach Bowl before wrapping up on January 8 with the College Football Playoff National Championship in Houston.

Most college football bowl games, like the coveted Rose Bowl Game, air across ESPN channels. But there are a few notable matchups that appear elsewhere on TV. So prep your game day snack roster and keep scrolling to learn how to watch college football’s mightiest competitions.

Jump to:

• Bowl game schedule
• Best TV plans for bowl season
• Watch college bowl games for free

What channels are the college bowls on?

With 43 bowl games this season, you’ll need the following six channels to watch every matchup available on TV.

• ABC (5 games)
• CBS (1 game)
• ESPN (34 games)
• ESPN2 (1 game)
• FOX (1 game)
• The CW (1 game)

College football bowl game schedule

Below is a complete list of all 43 college football bowl games—including the three College Football Playoff games. We still have a while before the championship game in January, but we’ll update our bowl game schedule as more details become available.

Data effective as of post date.

Best TV plans for watching college bowl games

Usually, we would recommend DIRECTV or Fubo for watching college football because they carry many college conference networks. But none of those channels air the postseason’s top bowl games.

Instead, you’re better off signing up for YouTube TV to watch all the bowls. At $72.99 a month, YouTube TV is slightly cheaper than Fubo and Hulu + Live TV, and it comes with the six primary college bowl channels. It also has unlimited DVR storage, no bulky equipment requirements, and a slick interface that’s easy to navigate.

One month of YouTube TV will get you through the entire college bowl season—meaning you can cancel after the National Championship Game to avoid paying for a second month. Though, it’s not too bad if you stick around longer because the NFL Playoffs start on January 13, 2024.

Sling TV is another good option if you’re looking to save even more money. The main downside to Sling TV is that it doesn’t offer CBS or The CW, while ABC and FOX are available only in select markets. But the Sling Orange plan ($40.00 a month) carries ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3—that last one allows you to stream games that air on ABC.

You could also try getting those local channels over the air with a digital antenna, which we discuss in our free section below.

Which TV providers carry bowl games?

You can find bowl games across most TV providers. But to illustrate that point, we’ve listed some of the most popular services in the table below and whether they carry the main bowl game channels. (We left out ESPN2 because every provider that has ESPN also includes ESPN2.)

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

*Available in select markets.

How to watch college bowl games for free

During the college football postseason, you can watch seven bowl games for free with an over-the-air (OTA) antenna connected to your TV. ABC, CBS, and FOX are popular OTA channels available nationwide. But you’ll first want to double-check that you live within range of each channel’s local network affiliate. One way to verify your location is by entering your zip code into the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Reception Map Tool.

If you don’t already own an antenna, you can get a pretty good one for anywhere between $20 to $60. The Mohu Leaf 50 is a great option if you live in the suburbs because its 60-mile range will likely get you the three OTA bowl channels and more. But you can check out our Best OTA Antennas page to browse other antenna options.

Even if you end up subscribing to a TV service to watch all those ESPN bowl games, it’s still wise to own an antenna. The one-time purchase is the most effective way to watch local TV, and you’ll even get access to other marquee sporting events depending on what channels are in your area. After all, both the Super Bowl and the World Series air on OTA channels.

Want to watch college football bowl games?

This season’s college football bowl games air on ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, and The CW. Most cable, satellite, and live TV streaming providers carry the five channels, so it really comes down to what’s available in your area and what service type you prefer.

Our favorite service for watching bowl games is YouTube TV. It’s the cheapest way to stream all five channels in a single subscription without any demanding equipment requirements.

With YouTube TV, you’ll get 100+ live channels, unlimited DVR, and the ability to stream anywhere with a reliable internet connection. You can also add teams and specific matchups to your YouTube TV library to avoid missing out on the most crucial football matchups.

How to watch college bowl games FAQ

Methodology

Our football experts spent over eight hours researching and testing the best ways to watch college football bowl games. We matched TV providers head-to-head, comparing channel lineups and pricing options. Then, we determined our viewing recommendations, with sign-up convenience and ease of use playing a pivotal role.

Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.

Disclaimer

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

^†Amazon.com price as of 9/19/23 10:45 a.m. CT. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. CableTV.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.