How To Stream the 2025 Cotton Bowl on ESPN for Free Tonight: Main Broadcast, Megacast, and en Español
Texas and Ohio State square off in the Cotton Bowl tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and ESPN Deportes, and you can watch it for free with a live TV streaming free trial.
I’ll walk you through which streaming services and plans will get you the broadcast you want and how long you’ll have before you need to cancel your free trial.
Watch the 2025 Cotton Bowl on a streaming service for free
Fubo has a seven-day free trial, while DIRECTV STREAM offers a five-day free trial. Depending on the plan you choose, both services carry every channel of the ESPN Megacast.
Until January 12, YouTube TV is offering a 21-day free trial. YouTube TV free trials come and go, but this one will get you through the CFB Playoff and the lion’s share of the NFL Playoffs.
Nota para los hispanohablantes: YouTube TV no ofrece una muestra gratis de su plan en Español que incluye ESPN Deportes (lo siento).
That said, certain streaming plans will get you specific alt broadcasts, so keep that in mind when you sign up for your free trial. More on each service below.
ESPN Cotton Bowl broadcasts using a Fubo free trial
You can catch the main broadcast featuring Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on ESPN and the Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show alt broadcast on ESPN2 by signing up for a free trial of any Fubo plan.
Likewise, every Fubo plan will unlock the ESPN app if you’re interested in the All-22 and Marching Band alt broadcasts. Just remember that you’ll need to download the ESPN app separately and sign in using your Fubo credentials before kickoff.
For the Command Center alt broadcast on ESPNU and SkyCast alt broadcast on ESPNews, you’ll need to sign up for a free trial of Fubo’s Elite plan.
And finally, for the Cotton Bowl en Español, only Fubo Latino carries ESPN Deportes.
This is fine.
— Occupy LF (@OccupyLF) January 9, 2025
Travel to the Cotton Bowl will be fine.
I believe. 🥵😮💨😳😭🤬🥶pic.twitter.com/jIlYsyUCjz
ESPN Cotton Bowl broadcasts using a DIRECTV STREAM free trial
Like Fubo, every DIRECTV STREAM package comes with ESPN and ESPN2, which, again, air the main broadcast and the Pat McAfee alt broadcast, respectively.
Every package also features the All-22 and Marching Band alt broadcasts through the ESPN app with your DIRECTV STREAM login credentials.
But you’ll want to sign up for a free trial of the CHOICE package and above if you’re looking for the Command Center on ESPNU and the SkyCast on ESPNews.
Similarly, ESPN Deportes is only offered through the DIRECTV ÓPTIMO MÁS and above packages for Spanish-language broadcasts.
ESPN Cotton Bowl broadcasts using a YouTube TV free trial
YouTube TV is a lot simpler than Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM because it only has one package, which features ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNews.
With YouTube TV, you can access every ESPN broadcast except for the Spanish-language version on ESPN Deportes.
But isn’t the Cotton Bowl on ESPN+?
Unfortunately, the Cotton Bowl won’t air on ESPN+, which will stream the Australian Open tonight instead. But even if ESPN+ broadcasted the Cotton Bowl this year, it doesn’t offer a free trial (*boo!*), which is why you’re here, right?
Which free trial should I choose to watch the Cotton Bowl?
If you want the Cadillac of sports streaming services, go with DIRECTV STREAM. If you don’t need ESPN Deportes, YouTube TV is the simplest way to get the ESPN Megacast. Both rate highly in our Best of the Best for Streaming Sports guide.
Mike Strayer, PhD, has written and edited TV, internet, and tech content across the interwebs for over 10 years. As Managing Editor of CableTV.com, he nerds out dissecting labyrinthian channel lineups and sifting through massive on-demand libraries. Off the clock, catch him on his couch deep in The Twilight Zone or wandering Westworld.
Related Posts
