How to live stream NCAA College Football online abroad

Aiming to watch the NCAA College Football season with a VPN? Here’s a guide taking you through how to live stream 2023-2024 NCAA College Football from anywhere in the world.

Following the start of the regular 2023-2024 NCAA College Football season late in August 2023, games are set to continue until December 9th. Broadcasting rights are split between numerous services in the US, so we’ve put together a guide discussing how to stream 2023-2024 NCAA College Football games online. 

We’re only going to be looking at official streaming services, rather than discussing any illegal options that tend to be a headache in terms of performance and privacy. We’d recommend using official streaming partners that offer the ability to watch NCAA College Football games in the 2023-2024 season with no issues. 

How to watch NCAA College Football online from anywhere

US users are spoiled for choice when it comes to streaming platforms for college football. These include free channels and paid services like Sling TV. Here’s a guide for anyone planning to watch on an NCAA streaming platform with a VPN. 

Here’s how to watch NCAA College Football live streams using a VPN:

1. Firstly, you’ll need to sign up with a VPN service. NordVPN is our top recommendation in this scenario, but Surfshark is a decent budget alternative.  
2. Next, download and install the VPN app on the devices that you’re planning to use for streaming. You’ll also be able to connect with a NordVPN browser extension if you’d prefer. 
3. Open the app, log in, and connect to a relevant server within the US. 
4. You might need to clear your browser or device cookies, as well as your cache. This will help the streaming service to forget your physical location.
5. Open the streaming app or website that you plan to use. You should now be able to access any college football content.
6. If you’re running into any issues, check to see if the VPN has any streaming-optimized servers, or switch to a different location. If all else fails, it’s best to contact the VPN support team for more advice.   

How to watch NCAA College Football online

If you’re not in the US or Canada, it is going to be tough to find streaming platforms that have secured the rights to show NCAA College Football games in different regions. One perk is that college football is often broadcast on free channels in the US, so you’ll be able to bypass any geographic content restrictions with a VPN to watch live games. 

US-based NCAA college football streaming services include ESPN, ABC, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports, NBC Sports Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. That’s pretty comprehensive, although it can be tough to stream via every channel, even if you have traditional cable. We’ll discuss how to access each service in detail below. 

As for Canada, the majority of games can be streamed via Sportsnet Now, DAZN, TSN, and a handful of other platforms.

For anyone who wants to watch NCAA College Football abroad in countries like the UK, Australia, Germany, or anywhere else, a VPN is the best method to do so. The majority of games can be watched on platforms found in the US and Canada. 

United States NCAA College Football streaming broadcasters 

A long list of services have secured broadcast rights in the US for NCAA College Football. While the NCAA doesn’t enforce many blackouts, it can be tough to stream live games if you’re not in the region.  

Broadcasters like ESPN and CBS show most games, and it’s possible to watch the majority of regional college football games live if you have an account with a couple of streaming platforms. Only a few broadcasters have secured the rights to the NCAA College Football Championship and Bowl games, so it’s much easier to keep up with the latter stages of the season. Until then, here’s a list of the various streaming platforms offering access:

American Athletic Conference (AAC)

• ESPN
• ABC
• CBS Sports

Atlantic Coast (ACC)

• ACC Network
• ESPN
• Local syndicates in select cities include CW, MyNetworkTV, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS

Big 12

• ESPN
• ABC
• FOX Sports

Big 10

• Big Ten Network
• Fox Sports
• ESPN

Conference USA

• CBS Sports
• ESPN
• Stadium

Independents (FBS)

• Various local TV networks. To find out more, check with the individual school. FBS Independents include the United States Military Academy, Brigham Young University, Liberty University, New Mexico State University, University of Notre Dame, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Mid-American (MAC)

• ESPN
• CBS Sports
• MAC Digital Network

Mountain West

• ESPN
• Mountain West Network
• Pac-12 Networks
• Stadium
• CBS Sports

Pac-12

• Pac-12 Networks
• ESPN
• FOX, FOX Sports

Southeastern (SEC)

• SEC Network
• ESPN
• FOX Sports

Sun Belt

• ESPN
• SEC Network
• CBS Sports

For access to the majority of games, you’ll need ESPN, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, SEC Network, Pac-12 Networks, Stadium, and Big 10 Network. If you don’t have traditional cable, there isn't a streaming service that has every channel listed above. Nevertheless, we’ll take you through what to expect from various popular platforms.

Free NCAA streams 

Free NCAA college football streams are available with some of the networks we’ve discussed above. For example, you’ll be able to access live and on-demand content via the following NCAA conferences free of charge:

• Big Sky Conference (Available via PlutoTV)
• Stadium (also available on FuboTV, PlutoTV, Twitter, and Twitch)
• MAC Digital Network
• Big 12 Digital Network
• Mountain West Network

Alternatively, some games are broadcast on local channels. If you have a strong antenna, it should be possible to watch any games available in your area. You can access the free networks above with a VPN if you happen to be traveling outside of the United States. 

NCAA with Sling TV

Sling TV tends to be one of the more affordable streaming services if you only need access to some of the broadcasters mentioned above. For more extensive coverage, a Sling Orange + Blue subscription works with ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, ACC Network, and NBC Sports. For $11 extra per month, an add-on package includes SEC Network, SEC Network+, Pac-12 Networks, and ESPN U. With 10+ channels, this works out to be fairly comprehensive coverage for US college football fans.

NCAA with YouTube TV

YouTube TV is another solid option for streaming lots of live NCAA football games. Coming in at $64.99 per month, channels include the Big Ten Network, SEC Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS Sports, Fox Sports 1, and Fox Sports 2.

NCAA with Hulu

Hulu with Live TV gives the user access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, and SEC Network. As with YouTube TV, it’s priced at $64.99 per month.

NCAA with FuboTV

FuboTV offers great coverage, with channels including FOX Sports 1 and 2, ESPN, SEC, ACC, Pac-12 Networks, CBS Sports Network, and Big Ten Network. It’s advertised as having ‘the most college football you can get without cable’. Once again, it comes in at $64.99 per month. 

NCAA with ESPN+

ESPN offers access to various college sports, including football. You’ll only be able to stream selected games, although it’s a cheaper alternative coming in at $6.99 per month.

Canada NCAA College Football streaming broadcasters

Viewers in Canada can stream NCAA College Football from three streaming services:

• DAZN (covers Pac-12 Networks games)
• TSN (most ESPN-provided games)
• RDS (most ESPN-provided games in French)

If you live close enough to the United States, you might be able to catch some games with the use of an OTA antenna.

International NCAA College Football streaming broadcasters

Unfortunately, not many streaming services carry NCAA football outside of the US and Canada. However, you’ll be able to use a VPN to access most of the sports streaming services listed above while abroad. 

To do so, you’ll need to connect to a VPN server that matches the location of the streaming service that you’d like to access. For example, you’d pick a Canadian VPN server to access services like TSN and RDS. Likewise, a US server location can be used to stream from abroad with various services such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu, FuboTV, and more. 

Some college football is available via DAZN DE, both live and on-demand. However, for fans in countries like the UK, a VPN is the only way to access games.