College football bowl game guide: Schedules, channels and how to live stream the games

News
By
published

Don't miss a single bowl game this holiday season

(Image credit: Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

New Year's Day always looms large on the college football calendar, and the start of 2020 is no exception. Four bowl games mark the start of the New Year, and college football fans won't want to miss a moment.

While the big game is still to come — that'd be the national championship between LSU and Clemson on Jan. 13 — there are plenty of bowl games to enjoy as you recuperate from your New Year's Eve celebrations. Alabama faces Michigan in a tasty Citrus Bowl match-up, while the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl cap off the day.

Whether you're interested in LSU vs. Clemson, the other major bowl games, the one featuring your favorite school, or every bowl game on the schedule, you've got plenty of options for live streaming each and every bowl game. Here's a guide to when and where you can find each college football bowl game and how you can live stream those games on any device.

When can I watch the 2019/2020 college football bowl games?

A better question might be when can't you watch this season's bowl games. With 40 games scheduled between Dec. 20 and the national title game on Jan. 13, there's a good chance a college football game is taking place right now.

New Year's Day promises four college football bowl games, starting with the Citrus Bowl (Alabama vs. Michigan) and Outback Bowl (Minnesota vs. Auburn) at 1 p.m. ET. Those games air on ABC and ESPN, respectively. The Rose Bowl between Oregon and Wisconsin kicks off at 5 p.m. ET, while Georgia and Baylor cap off the day in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. ET.

Those final two games air on ESPN, as do all the remaining college football bowl games between now and the national championship on Jan. 13. You'll find a full schedule of college football bowl games at the end of this guide.

How can I use a VPN to watch the 2019/2020 college football bowl games?

If you're out of the country when the college football bowl game you want to watch, you're not out of luck. A virtual private network, or VPN, can help you connect to the internet like you're surfing the web at home. That allows you to access the same streaming services you'd normally receive.

After testing many services to find the best overall VPN, our top pick is ExpressVPN. It offers a great mix of good performance and friendly customer support should you run into any troubles with this easy-to-use VPN software. You can also enjoy an attractive price if you opt for a longer service contract.

ExpressVPN:

ExpressVPN: Express VPN can access more than 3,000 servers spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. Expect reliable performance and responsive customer support should you run into trouble.

One month of ExpressVPN costs $12.95, but you can lower that to $6.67 a month if you opt for a year of service; ExpressVPN will throw in three additional months for free. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.


View Deal

How can I live stream the 2019/2020 college football bowl games?

Your immediate streaming options will depend on who's broadcasting the bowl game you're hoping to live stream. Since most of the remaining bowl games appear on ESPN or ABC, you'll want to familiarize yourself with either the ESPN website or the sport channel's mobile app (Android, iOS). Any college football bowl game airing on ESPN or ABC will also stream through those options. Likewise, CBS streams any bowl games airing on CBS or SPS Sports Network on its website and app (Android, iOS).

There's one problem with turning to these services, though. You can only log in with the sign-in information from your satellite or cable TV provider. No cable subscription? Then you've got to find another way to live stream these college football bowl games.

Your best bet will be to turn to a subscription streaming service, with the challenge being to find a service that includes most of the channels carrying college football bowl games. That makes Fubo.TV a less attractive option — while the $55-a-month service specializes in streaming sports, it doesn't include ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC among its channels. You'll also want to confirm that the streaming service you pick offers local channels in your area — not all services do in every market.

With that in mind, here are you best options for subscription streaming services to watch this year's college football bowl games.

Hulu:

Hulu: The price of Hulu's live TV service just increased to $55 a month, but it's still a good option, thanks to the extensive number of channels it offers. You'll get all the ESPN channels, plus FS1 and the CBS Sports Network, and Hulu includes ABC, CBS and Fox in many local markets. You also get a cloud DVR service if there's a bowl game you want to record and watch later.

View Deal
YouTube:

YouTube: At $50 a month, YouTube TV is now cheaper than Hulu, and it also offers a cloud DVR feature. You'll find the ESPN channels, FS1 and CBS Sports Network along with ABC, CBS and Fox in most markets.

View Deal
Sling:

Sling: If you're looking to watch something on ABC, CBS or Fox, consider alternatives to Sling, as it only includes local channels in a few select cities. After a price hike, the Orange package featuring all the ESPN channels now costs $30 a month, while FS1 lives on the Blue package, which also costs $30. (CBS Sports Channel is MIA on Sling.) You can combine Orange and Blue packages into a $45-a-month subscription. A sale at Sling knocks $10 off the first month of service, so that's $20 for either the Orange or Blue packages and $35 for the combined channels.

View Deal
AT&T Now:

AT&T Now: At $65 a month for its Plus tier, AT&T Now is the most expensive streaming service featured here, but you'll get ESPN, FS1 and local channels in most markets. You'll need to upgrade to the $80-a-month Max tier to get CBS Sports Network, which is a steep price to pay for the Cure Bowl and the Arizona Bowl.

View Deal

What's the full schedule for the 2019/2020 college football bowl games?

Mark your calendars for these dates to watch all 40 college football games.

Friday, Dec. 20

  • Bahamas Bowl: Buffalo 31, Charlotte 9
  • Frisco Bowl: Kent State 51, Utah State 41

Saturday, Dec. 21

  • Celebration Bowl: North Carolina A&T 64, Alcorn State 44
  • New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State 48, Central Michigan 11
  • Cure Bowl: Liberty 23, Georgia Southern 16
  • Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic 52, SMU 28
  • Camellia Bowl: Arkansas State 34, Florida International 26
  • Las Vegas Bowl: Washington 38, Boise State 7
  • New Orleans Bowl: Appalachian State 31, UAB 17

Monday, Dec. 23

  • Gasparilla Bowl: Central Florida 48, Marshall 25

Tuesday, Dec. 24

  • Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii 38, BYU 34

Thursday, Dec. 26

  • Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech 14, Miami (Fla.) 0
  • Quick Lane Bowl: Pitt 34, Eastern Michigan 30

Friday, Dec. 27

  • Military Bowl: North Carolina 55, Temple 13
  • Pinstripe Bowl: Michigan State 27, Wake Forest 21
  • Texas Bowl: Texas A&M 24, Oklahoma State 21
  • Holiday Bowl: Iowa 49, USC 24
  • Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force 31, Washington State 21

Saturday, Dec. 28

  • Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame 33, Iowa State 9
  • Cotton Bowl Classic: Penn State 53, Memphis 39
  • Peach Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): LSU 63, Oklahoma 28
  • Fiesta Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): Clemson 29, Ohio State 23

Monday, Dec. 30

  • First Responder Bowl: Western Kentucky 23, Western Michigan 20
  • Music City Bowl: Louisville 38, Mississippi State 28
  • Redbox Bowl: California 35, Illinois 20
  • Orange Bowl: Florida 36, Virginia 28

Tuesday, Dec. 31

  • Belk Bowl: Kentucky 37, Virginia Tech 30
  • Sun Bowl: Arizona State 20, Florida State 14
  • Liberty Bowl: Navy 20, Kansas State 17
  • Arizona Bowl: Wyoming 38, Georgia State 17
  • Alamo Bowl: Texas 38, Utah 10

Wednesday, Jan. 1

  • Citrus Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan, 1 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Outback Bowl: Auburn vs. Minnesota, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Baylor, 8:45 p.m. ET on ESPN

Thursday, Jan. 2

  • Birmingham Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Boston College, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN

Friday, Jan. 3

  • Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Ohio, 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Saturday, Jan. 4

  • Armed Forces Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Tulane, 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN

Monday, Jan. 6

  • Lending Tree Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Miami (Ohio), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Monday, Jan. 13

  • National Championship Game: LSU vs. Clemson, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.