There are numerous free trials to choose from of various on multiple streaming services, we break them down.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are on the doorstep of completing a remarkable turnaround following a stunning defeat in the regular season finale. Just 60 minutes of football stands between Ryan Day’s team and the College Football Playoff National Championship. Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET (or likely closer to 7:45 p.m.), the Buckeyes will face off against a familiar foe in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The game will be broadcast across the vast majority of the ESPN family of networks, as well as on radio and the worldwide leader’s streaming app. However, 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 cheapest way to stream tonight’s game, a healthy portion of college hoops, NHL, NBA, and MLB action, and more 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. Notre Dame College Football Playoff National Championship Game?
Game Date/Time: Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes
Broadcasters: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Molly McGrath
Betting Line: Ohio State -8.5 | 45.5 o/u
Best Streaming Option for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame:
Hulu + Live TV | 3-Day Free Trial
If you’re looking for a streaming service just for this specific game, 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 postgame coverage in the coming days without having to pay a single penny.
If you are looking for something for year-round sports, then Hulu is also 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 a Variety of Sports: 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 includes ESPN.
Normally, Sling costs $46 per month, but you can currently get 50% off your first month of service, meaning that you can watch the stretch run of the NFL season as well as hockey and basketball coverage 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 regardless of the season. The one drawback to Sling is that it does not carry all broadcast networks in every market, and it does not offer CBS at all. So, just be wary of what options you have where you live when you sign up.
Other Streaming Options for the Ohio State and Notre Dame Game:
DIRECTV STREAM: $87.99 per month five-day free trial
Sling TV: $46 per month, $23 for first month
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. Notre Dame 2025 national title 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!