There are numerous free trials to choose from of various on multiple streaming services, we break them down.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are two wins away from a College Football Playoff national championship, and tonight it will be the first move in a Texas two-step as they face off in the Cotton Bowl with the Texas Longhorns at 7:45 p.m. ET. As all but two of the CFP games have been this season, the match-up will air on ESPN with additional coverage strewn across the rest of the family of networks.
The remainder of the playoff — and Ohio State’s season — will be played on ESPN. With so many different streamer services carrying the most popular cable network on the market, it can be tough to keep up with the best ways to stream the action.
As cord-cutting has become far more the norm than the exception across the United States, it would not be a surprise if you gave up cable or a live-streaming service following last year’s season only to realize that it’s the day of the game and you have no way to watch it.
And I know it can be incredibly confusing to find the best way to watch a game in today’s entertainment landscape. Fortunately for you, I am something of a streaming expert—no, really. I write about streaming services for a living. So, I am going to walk you through the best—and cheapest—ways for you to stream today’s game.
If you are looking for the cheapst way to stream tonight’s game, the title game, and college hoops, I would recommend Sling TV. But if you are just hoping to stream tonight’s game, I’d go with Hulu + Live TV.
How can I watch the Ohio State vs. Texas College Football Playoff game?
Game Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:45 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Broadcasters: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge
Betting Line: Ohio State -6 | 53 o/u
Best Streaming Option for Ohio State vs. Texas:
Hulu + Live TV | 3-Day Free Trial
If you’re looking for a streaming service just for this weekend of football, then Hulu + Live TV might be the perfect option. Everyone who signs up gets a three-day free trial, so you can watch the game tonight and all of the NFL Wild Card weekend without having to pay a single penny.
But, if you are looking for something for year-round sports, then Hulu is great because it comes with ESPN+ (more on that below), so in addition to all of the channels available on the live streaming service, you also get all of the streaming-exclusive games via the worldwide leader’s platform.
Hulu + Live TV has one of the few guaranteed multi-day free trials in the industry and provides nearly all of the major cable channels on the market. The basic package comes with all of the major broadcast network channels — all of which have college football — ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. It also has ESPN, ESPN2, Big Ten Network, FS1, FS2, ESPNU, CBS Sports Network, SEC Network, ACC Network, and the NFL Network (yes, they have college games) without having to sign up for any sports add-on plans. However, if you do want more sports, you can add NFL RedZone, MLB StrikeZone, FanDuel TV, the Tennis Channel, and more.
What’s great about Hulu + Live TV is that in addition to all of the broadcast and cable channels that you could possibly want, it also comes with the Disney Bundle for free. So, you also get the full on-demand Hulu library, Disney+, and ESPN+, which also has hundreds of college football games every season.
Currently, a subscription to Hulu + Live TV costs $82.99 per month after your three-day free trial. It is a little more expensive than some of the other options, but if you are just looking to watch this game, Hulu + Live TV is your best option.
Best Streaming Option for All of College Football Playoff: Sling TV | $23 for one month
There is a reason that ESPN is known as the “worldwide leader in sports,” and that’s because they carry more live games than anyone else. So, if you don’t want to miss any of that, then Sling is the way to go for you. It is the cheapest way to get national broadcast channels and the biggest cable networks as well, which will be especially important as the College Football Playoff will air a significant portion of its games on cable.
Normally, Sling costs $46 per month, but you can currently get 50% off your first month of service, meaning that you can watch a month of the college postseason and the stretch run of the NFL for as little as $23. Sling has two different base packages, Orange and Blue. You can subscribe to one or both. If you do opt to combine Orange and Blue it will run you $61 monthly — still substantially cheaper than the comparable live TV streaming services — but with the first-month deal, you can stream everything on both packages for just $30.50. That means that there is no cheaper option in streaming to watch all of the ESPN action over regardless of the season.
Other Streaming Options for the Ohio State and Oregon Game:
DIRECTV STREAM: $87.99 per month five-day free trial
Fubo: $79.99 per month, at least a one-day free trial | $30 off first month
YouTube TV: $82.99 per month
Join the conversation
Below is your Ohio State vs. Texas 2024 game thread. Be respectful, be kind and — as always — keep it classy, BuckeyeNation. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Let’s finish the season strong!