• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

How to watch the 2022 NCAA college football championship live online for free—and without cable

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 10, 2022, 4:00 PM ET

This year’s bowl season was a mess. The Omicron variant caused a lot of last-minute shuffling as schools were forced to drop out of games and substitutes were hastily made. It was a dissatisfying end to the 2021 season for many players and fans.

Ultimately, though, the two teams many people expected would go head-to-head in the NCAA national championship easily made their way to the final round. Alabama’s Crimson Tide trounced Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl 27-6, while the Georgia Bulldogs easily took out No. 2 Michigan in the Orange Bowl by a score of 34-11.

Alabama beat Georgia by a score of 41-24 when the two teams met just a month ago (on Dec. 4). So anticipate that the Bulldogs will be looking for revenge.

Working a late shift on Monday or unable to be in your living room? No worries. You’ve got several options to watch the game.  

Which teams are playing in the college football national championship? And what channel is airing the games?

ESPN is airing the NCAA national championship, and it will offer extensive pregame coverage, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Things will start getting serious at 5:57 p.m. ET, with the kickoff of College GameDay and the official pregame show starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Monday, Jan. 10

Georgia Bulldogs (No. 3) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 1), 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN2

Where is this year’s college football national championship being held?

The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will face each other in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.

How can I watch the NCAA championship for free over the air?

The best way to watch any sort of network programming for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. But, in this case, that’s not an option. NCAA championship games air exclusively on ESPN, so if you don’t have a cable subscription, you’re going to need to rely on a streaming service.

How can I stream the NCAA college football championship live online if I don’t have a cable subscription?

There are, fortunately, several options using this method:

ESPN+

The stand-alone streaming service for the sports network runs $6.99 per month or $70 per year, letting you stream exclusive live games from conferences, including Big 12, Conference USA, the American, and the Sun Belt. There is no free trial for the stand-alone version; however, you can try out the full Disney+ bundle for free (see below).

Hulu with Live TV

You can try the service free for a week. Once that’s up, you’ll pay $65 per month.

YouTubeTV

After a two-week trial, you can expect monthly charges of $65.

Sling TV

Dish Network’s Sling lower-tiered Orange plan will run you $35 per month. Adding the more comprehensive Blue plan bumps the cost to $50 per month. You’ll have a seven-day free trial first—and right now, the cord-cutting service is dropping the first month’s bill to $10.

AT&T TV

Formerly known as DirecTV Now and AT&T TVNow, AT&T’s streaming service will run you $70 per month and up. There is no longer a free trial option.

Disney+

Disney’s bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ can be enjoyed for free for seven days, after which you’ll pay $13.99 per month for all three combined.

Fubo TV

This sports-focused cord-cutting service carries broadcast networks in most markets. There’s a seven-day free trial, followed by monthly charges of $65 to $80, depending on the channels you choose.

Can I watch NCAA college football games on Amazon?

Not this year. There’s not even a workaround to subscribe to ESPN+ or Disney+ via the service.

Does the NCAA offer any viewing packages to watch the games I want?

Unlike the NFL, the NCAA doesn’t have an app, website, or broadcast service that broadcasts its games.

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

blizzard
North AmericaWeather and forecasting
New York City-area blizzard warning suddenly upgraded, 2 feet of snow possible
By The Associated PressFebruary 21, 2026
1 hour ago
new mexico
Politicsnative americans
Why did the U.S. government sterilize thousands of Native American women in the 1970s? New Mexico is investigating
By Savannah Peters and The Associated PressFebruary 21, 2026
1 hour ago
utah
LawCrime
Utah mother who self-published a children’s book about husband’s death now on trial for his murder
By Hannah Schoenbaum and The Associated PressFebruary 21, 2026
1 hour ago
wildfire
Lawwildfires
PacifiCorp settles wildfire claims for over half a billion dollars
By Claire Rush and The Associated PressFebruary 21, 2026
1 hour ago
zizian
LawCrime
‘Zizian’ cult member marked by beliefs about veganism, animal rights, gender identity and AI bailed out of jail
By Mark Scolforo, Patrick Whittle and The Associated PressFebruary 21, 2026
1 hour ago
FAA
LawAirline industry
After United flights roll off tarmac, lose tires, audit finds FAA isn’t staffed enough to do regular inspections
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressFebruary 21, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Fed confirms it obeyed U.S. Treasury request for an unusual ‘rate check,’ weakening the dollar against foreign currencies
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 19, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets: The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 21, 2026
11 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Peter Thiel and other tech billionaires are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 21, 2026
10 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
‘I’m deeply uncomfortable’: Anthropic CEO warns that a cadre of AI leaders, including himself, should not be in charge of the technology’s future
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 19, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Arts & Entertainment
Gen Zers and millennials flock to so-called analog islands 'because so little of their life feels tangible'
By Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressFebruary 20, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 19, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.