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How to watch the 2023 NCAA college football season

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College football is back, sports fans. While friends and family members make big plans for Labor Day weekend and for the fall, you can tell them that you'll be busy blissfully delving into one tremendous college football matchup after the next.

See, there's really nothing like the excitement, enthusiasm and surprises that come with a college football game. The 2023 NCAA college football season looks like it may even exceed our expectations. This is the season the Georgia Bulldogs will try for an unprecedented national championship three-peat. With that comes a surly Nick Saban who will stop at nothing to get his Alabama Crimson Tide back to their rightful place at the top of the SEC. The 13-week 2023 college football season runs through Dec. 9.

First up: Tonight's Florida Gators vs. Utah Utes rematch, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. 

Next during Week 1, the can't-miss game of the week will be the LSU Tigers at the Florida State Seminoles, on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Saban NIL Football
Paul Sancya / AP

ESPN is included in many cable TV packages. Don't have a cable TV package that includes ESPN? One of the most cost-effective ways to get it is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to the ESPN, NFL Network, local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available) and ESPN with its Orange + Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season's top NFL matchups.

That plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you'll pay just $30. You can learn more by tapping the button below.

Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:

  • There are 46 channels to watch in total, including local NBC, FOX and ABC affiliates (where available).
  • You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
  • All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

Upgrade to Sling TV's Sports Extra package

Sling TV has a new offering for the 2023 NFL Season called Sports Extra. The new package is designed for NFL and college football fans, with access to NFL Redzone, ESPN, NFL, SEC, ACC, PAC 12, Big10 and Longhorn Networks.

There's a great preseason deal on Sling TV Sports Extra going on right now: You can get five months of Sling TV Orange + Blue + Sports Extra for $274. That works out to just $55 per month, an even better price than subscribing to just the $60 per month Orange + Blue plan. It's the most cost effective way to stream most NFL games this year.

You can learn more about Sling TV and Sports Extra by tapping the button below.


More ways to watch the 2023 NCAA college football season: FuboTV

You can also catch the 2023 NCAA college football season on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network, NFL RedZone and more, so you'll be able to watch more than just today's games.

To watch college football without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. 

In addition to college football,  FuboTV offers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. FuboTV starts at $75 per month for the Pro tier (includes NFL Network); the $100 per month Ultimate tier includes NFL RedZone.

Top features of FuboTV:

  • The Pro tier includes 169 channels, including NFL Network; the Ultimate tier includes 289 channels, including NFL RedZone.
  • FuboTV includes all the channels you'll need to watch live sports, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
  • All tiers come with 1,000 hours of DVR recording.

Stream college football games on Hulu + Live TV

You can watch every college football game with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including both Fox and FS1. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus you can personalize your viewing experience and Hulu will offer curated recommendations based on the teams and playmakers you follow.

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $70 per month.


What to expect during the 2023 college football season

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Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Important dates for the 2023 college football season: 

  • The 13-week 2023 college football season runs from Aug. 27 through Dec. 9.
  • Two semifinal games, the Rose Bowl Game and the Allstate Sugar Bowl, are scheduled for New Year's Day (Monday, January 1, 2024).
  • The College Football Playoff National Championship is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2024 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

What to look forward to in the 2023 college football season:

The Georgia Bulldogs want to run it back: The Bulldogs became just the fifth program to win back-to-back national championships when they beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in 2022. Since 1936, no college team has won three-in-a-row. The Bulldogs are hoping to change all that. Head coach Kirby Smart has focused on leadership skills for his players, stating the team's biggest opponent is "complacency." Sure, complacency is scary, but so is the University of Tennessee at Martin whom the Bulldogs face in Week 1, Saturday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Can Deion Sanders make the Colorado Buffaloes great? Coach Prime made headlines during the offseason. Only ten scholarship players from the Buffaloes' 2022-season roster remain on the team after Sanders took advantage of transfer portal rules to revamp the team's roster. Prime's in his first season as the Buffaloes coach and he'll hope to work the same magic on the Buffaloes program as he did in his successful three years at Jackson State. But the lights of the Pac-12 shine brighter than they do in the FCS and Sanders will have to rise to the occasion. Good news for Sanders, the Buffs finished 1-11 last season. There's only one way to go but up.

The Colorado Buffaloes face TCU in Week 1, Saturday, Sept. 3 at 9 a.m. ET on Fox Sports.

How do all the college football shake ups shake out? In July, 2022, UCLA and USC finally agreed on something. The frenemy rivals would both leave the Pac-12 in favor of the Big Ten in 2024. This summer, Colorado announced it would return to the Big 12. Since then, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah have announced an exodus from the Pac-12 to the Big-12 at the end of the 2023 season. Washington and Oregon State are also ditching the Pac-12 for the Big 10 at the same time. 

The school shuffling won't affect the 2023 season much, but expect journalists to talk about it to no end. With the Pac-12 currently down to just four teams for the 2024 season, the demise of the Pac-12 is sure to be one of the biggest stories of the season.

We're also looking forward to these stories during the 2023 NCAA college football season: The Alabama Crimson Tide came into the 2023 season ranked No. 4. Saban and co. aren't going to be comfortable with the demotion and will surely be a major threat to the Bulldogs scoring that three-peat. Ohio State has arguably one of the best receiver rooms in college football led by the dazzling Marvin Harrison Jr. The Buckeyes face some tough competition against Indiana in Week 1, but if the team has ever been primed to go all the way, this is that year. And don't forget that Florida/Utah rematch.


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