How to Watch College Football Live Online in 2024

The 2024 NCAA college football season, starting 24 August, will primarily be broadcast via US providers. You can follow the games on platforms like ESPN and YouTube TV, but you'll need a US IP address to access your accounts.

Luckily, I also discovered a few streaming services will air the event live in the UK, Canada, and Australia. While a VPN can give you a US IP, theoretically allowing you to watch college football from anywhere, this is against the T&Cs of the platforms and can be a violation of copyright law. Still, if you’re in the US, a quality VPN will help you stream the games in HD without risking your personal data.

After my global team and I tested 50+ VPNs, ExpressVPN came out on top for securely watching college football games without interruptions. With its fast speeds and easy-to-use apps, you won't miss any explosive runs, fierce tackles, and spectacular touchdowns. Plus, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free.

Watch College Football in HD >>

Best VPNs to Watch College Football Live Online in 2024

1. ExpressVPN — Fastest Speeds to Watch College Football Without Buffering

Editor’s Choice Editor’s Choice Try Risk-Free for 30 Days
Tested April 2024

Works With:

Sky ESPN+ Dazn FIFA+

Netflix Disney+ APV More

Try ExpressVPN >

www.ExpressVPN.com

ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol is faster than all other VPNs I tested, making it the top choice for watching college football in UHD. When testing servers in New York from the US, I only had a 6% speed reduction from a base connection of 126.29Mbps. Additionally, its lightweight design optimizes battery usage when you’re streaming on mobile devices. So, you can watch games uninterrupted, even when switching networks or as your signal fluctuates​​.

With ExpressVPN, US servers never dropped my speed by more than 11%

With its native Android and Apple TV apps, you can watch college football games live on your big screen. If you have a device incompatible with VPNs, like an older smart TV or gaming console, its native router software is easy to install. Once you set it up, you can stream games on any device connected to your network. Following the straightforward instructions on ExpressVPN's website, I had it set up on my Asus router and could watch football on my PS5.

The VPN regularly updates its IP addresses, so it reliably works with platforms airing college football. I tested various ExpressVPN US servers for 2 weeks from my Miami hotel room, and I never once experienced any error messages accessing my ESPN+ or fuboTV accounts.

The only downside is that the VPN costs more than the others on my list. However, ExpressVPN offers regular discounts to help you save. I paid 49% less on my longer-term subscription and got 3 months of service for free. Plus, all plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Getting a refund takes about 3 days after canceling your subscription.

Useful Features

• MediaStreamer. This feature lets you watch college football in UHD on your smart TV or other devices that don’t natively support VPNs, like PlayStation and Roku. There’s no complex setup, either. However, it does not encrypt your traffic and only works for US and UK content, so you need to be in these countries to use it.
• Obfuscated servers. This makes your VPN connection indistinguishable from regular traffic, so you can watch college football on any network, even your school or work WiFi.
• Browser extensions. You can connect to a server, change locations, and even adjust ExpressVPN settings directly from your browser. This is convenient since you don’t need to launch the app to start watching college football matches.
• 24/7 support. If you encounter any issues while setting up ExpressVPN or streaming college football, the VPN’s support is available round the clock via live chat and email.

2. CyberGhost — Streaming-Optimized Servers That Work With the Most Popular College Football Broadcasters

Works With:

Sky ESPN+ Dazn FIFA+

Netflix Disney+ APV More

Try CyberGhost VPN >

www.cyberghostvpn.com

CyberGhost has dedicated servers for various US streaming platforms, including YouTube TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, and ESPN+. The VPN team regularly tests and updates these servers to work reliably. While in the US, I tested the ESPN+ streaming server and watched football matches live without issues, even during peak viewing times.

Type your country into the search bar to find streaming servers near you

Performance on these servers is fast, too, as they're designed to handle high bandwidth activities. Even CyberGhost's non-optimized servers gave me good speeds with only a 9% speed drop testing servers in Los Angeles from the US. I never experienced buffering while watching NCAA football with CyberGhost.

Like ExpressVPN, its user-friendly apps are available for all major operating systems and devices, including FireStick, Apple TV, routers, and Kodi. I installed the VPN on my Windows laptop and connected to a nearby US server in under 5 minutes.

One drawback is that the VPN's monthly plans are expensive and have a short 14-day refund period. Fortunately, its long-term plan only costs $2.03/month, and has an extended money-back guarantee. So, you can try CyberGhost free for up to 45 days. I requested a refund via 24/7 live chat and received the full amount in my bank account 5 days later.
five

Useful Features

• Smart Rules. You can configure CyberGhost to start your streaming app whenever you connect to an optimized server in your country, allowing you to start watching football immediately.
• Quick connection. CyberGhost’s smart algorithm can automatically select and connect to the fastest server closest to you. You don’t need to try multiple servers to find the best one for watching NCAA college football.
• Leak protection. I found no DNS or IP leaks on CyberGhost’s streaming servers, so your personal information is safe from hackers and online snoopers.

3. Private Internet Access (PIA) — Huge Server Network to Reliably Stream College Football

Works With:

Sky ESPN+ FIFA+ Netflix

Disney+ APV More

Try Private Internet Access >

www.PrivateInternetAccess.com

With PIA, you’ll always have plenty of nearby servers to choose from. Its extensive server network includes server locations across all 50 US states. It even has 2 US streaming servers that reliably work with Hulu + Live TV, Peacock, and more. During my tests from Miami, PIA’s East streaming server gave me better speeds, only a 10% drop compared to the regular servers' 15%.

Type "streaming" into the PIA search bar to see if it has one in your country

Its highly customizable settings allowed me to control my connection for higher-quality streaming based on my network conditions. For example, when on stable networks, I used its WireGuard protocol, which is notably faster. However, when on unstable networks, I switched to OpenVPN, which provides better connectivity to poor networks and allows you to reduce your encryption level for better speeds.

One minor con is that all the advanced settings can be daunting for beginners. Thankfully, its default configurations are adequate for HD streaming, so you can dive straight into streaming college football without adjusting anything.

You can get a long-term PIA subscription at just $2.03/month. If you're still unsure, you can use its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Useful Features

• Sort by latency. PIA shows the latency — the amount of delay you can expect — next to each server. Pick the server with the lowest latency for minimal lag when streaming live college football games.
• Small packets feature. Reduce the packet size in PIA’s advanced settings to improve speeds and quality when streaming on unreliable networks.

Tips on Choosing the Best VPN for Watching NCAA College Football

Below are the key features I tested when searching for the best VPNs for streaming college football. You can use these criteria if you want to do your own tests:

• Fast speeds. You need a VPN with consistently fast speeds to avoid missing a crucial play due to slowdowns and lag. I tested each VPN’s speeds during peak NCAA game times to confirm they could handle live sports streaming without buffering.
• Device compatibility. You want a VPN to watch college football securely on all your devices. The VPNs I recommend all offer apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and even routers and smart TVs.
• Simultaneous device connections. I verified that each VPN on this list permits at least 5 concurrent device logins to accommodate households with several sports fans.
• Value for money. Invest in a VPN that will work reliably for college football streams without breaking the bank. My top picks are all affordable and offer frequent discounts.
• Excellent customer support. Look for a VPN that offers 24/7 customer support so you can quickly troubleshoot issues and avoid missing games. Each VPN on this list has 24/7 live chat and email.
• Easy to use. The VPN apps should be intuitive, so even a beginner can start securely streaming football.
• Trustworthy money-back guarantee. Choose a VPN that allows you to try its service risk-free for at least 30 days so you don’t get locked into a VPN that doesn’t meet your needs.

Where Can I Watch College Football Online?

If you're in the US, you have plenty of options for watching your favorite teams online. Several platforms live-stream NCAA college football. ESPN+ is my top recommendation since it extensively covers the games, including those from major conferences like the SEC, Big 12, and more.

A few streaming platforms are also available for those in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Here is the full selection of services that broadcast college football:

FAQs on Watching College Football With a VPN

Can I live-stream NCAA college football outside the US?

You can now live-stream NCAA college football in Canada, the UK, and Australia, as these countries have specific streaming platforms licensed to broadcast the games. However, outside these countries, you can’t watch NCAA college football without breaking copyright law.

Which channels will air college football games from each NCAA conference?

The best way to watch games from every NCAA conference is with a live TV service that includes conference-specific channels. For example, YouTube TV includes the Big Ten Network, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and ACC Network. You need subscriptions to multiple TV networks to catch every college football game that will air.

For example, Peacock has exclusive broadcast rights to certain match-ups but won’t show every game in all conferences. To watch the most NCAA college football across multiple conferences, like the Mountain West Conference, with only one service, I recommend YouTube TV or ESPN+ if you're in the US. Almost every game will air on channels they include in their base TV packages.

The Big Sky Conference and Stadium are also free on Pluto TV for people streaming from the US.

How can I watch college football for free?

You can technically watch some college football games for free on streaming platforms with free trials, like YouTube TV and FuboTV.

Can I watch college football on Roku and Apple TV?

Yes. You can watch college football on Roku, Apple TV, PC, Mac, Android, iOS, Fire Stick, smart TVs, and even gaming consoles. To protect your personal information while watching college football, a VPN that’s compatible with your streaming device is recommended.

Watch College Football Securely in Minutes

ESPN+ and YouTube TV are my top choices for streaming NCAA college football from the US. These two platforms provide extensive coverage of college football games across multiple conferences like the SEC, Big 12, ACC, and others. Collectively, they cover a significant portion of the NCAA football schedule, including key conference games and national championships.

I recommend ExpressVPN to protect your data while watching college football in the US. Its fast speeds allow you to stream games in high definition without buffering. It even has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can confidently try it.

To summarize, these are the best VPNs for watching NCAA college football...

Rank

Provider

Our Score

Discount

Visit Website

1

9.9 /10

9.9 Our Score

Save 49%!

Find Out More

2

9.7 /10

9.7 Our Score

Save 84%!

Find Out More

3

9.5 /10

9.5 Our Score

Save 83%!

Find Out More