Saturday, September 2, 2023

Watching College Football in 2023: Week 1, 2nd weekend

It's Week 1 (again) for college football in 2023. Last week, the games actually began, but only seven games were on the schedule. Many sportscasters call it "Week Zero" as it comes before this week's Week 1. Okay, fine. Or, it's Week 1, 2nd weekend. I like that better. After all, wouldn't it be great if every week had two weekends?

First, I'm talking about Division 1-A/FBS. There may be some Division 1-AA/FCS schools involved, if they scheduled a game against an FBS team. Why would they do that? Money. Everything's about money. And all the FCS teams playing FBS teams are getting a big paycheck. Look no further than University of Tennessee at Martin. The UT-Martin Skyhawks are playing a little school knows as the University of Georgia, current two-time defending national champion and pre-season Number 1.

UT-Martin is getting half a million dollars for the game. That's around $500/mile for the round trip. Not a bad paycheck. Get on TV. Even if they lose, as expected, they will get a pretty decent memory of a game against the Number 1 team. Imagine if they pull of the upset!

There were 11 games Thursday night, and six games last night. The first big Saturday of college football starts today, with 66 games on the schedule today. There are 19 games involving ranked teams today. There was one Thursday night, two of the three on Sunday, including the only matchup of ranked teams -- Louisiana State vs Florida State -- and one on Monday.

Today's seven games will be broadcast over six networks:

  • ABC
  • ACC Network
  • Big Ten
  • CBS
  • CBS Sports Network
  • ESPN
  • ESPNU
  • ESPN+
  • Fox
  • Fox Sports 1
  • NBC
  • NFL Network
  • Pac 12 Network
  • SEC Network
  • Peacock

Between this weekend's games and next Saturday, there are three games involving Division 1-A/FBS teams. Those will air on:

  • ACC Network
  • Big Ten
  • ESPN2

Over the season, these are the networks that will be broadcasting the games:

  • ABC
  • ACC Network
  • Big Ten Network
  • CBS
  • CBS Sports Network
  • CW
  • ESPN
  • ESPN2
  • ESPNU
  • ESPN+
  • Fox
  • Fox Sports 1
  • Longhorn Network
  • NBC
  • NFL Network
  • Pac 12 Network
  • Peacock
  • SEC Network

There may even be another network or two that carries games, but these are the ones that are confirmed as the season begins. Here's how to get all the networks:

ABC

  • Antenna (free)
  • Sling TV (8 markets only) ($45/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

ACC Network

  • Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Big Ten Network

  • Sling TV (Blue + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

CBS

  • Antenna (free)
  • Paramount Plus (Premium) $12/month
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

CBS Sports Network

  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Ultimate) ($139/month)

CW

  • Antenna (free)
  • Not available streaming.

ESPN, ESPN2

  • Sling TV (Orange) ($40/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

ESPN+

  • ESPN+ (standalone) ($10/month)
  • Disney Bundle ($15/month)

ESPNU

  • Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro + Fubo Extra) ($83/month)
  • DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Fox

  • Antenna (free)
  • Sling TV (18 markets only) ($45/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

Fox Sports 1

  • Sling TV (Blue + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

Longhorn Network

  • Sling TV (Orange + Sports Extra) ($51/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

NBC

  • Antenna (free)
  • Peacock (Plus) ($12/month)
  • Sling TV (11 markets only) ($45/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Entertainment) ($80/month)

NFL Network

  • Sling TV (Blue) ($40/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

Pac 12 Network

  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)

Peacock

  • Peacock is its own service, and can be used to watch NBC live programming with the $12/month plan.

SEC Network

  • Sling TV (Orange) ($40/month)
  • Vidgo (Plus) ($70/month)
  • Hulu+Live TV ($70/month, $77/month after October 12, 2023)
  • YouTube TV ($73/month)
  • Fubo (Pro) ($75/month)
  • DirecTV (Choice) ($114/month)

That covers this weekend in college football, and covers all the networks -- so far -- that are carrying college football games in 2023. My Streaming Life revolves around college football during this time of year. I'm not the only one.

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