How to Watch Notre Dame vs. Louisville: Live Steam Fighting Irish vs. Cardinals College Football

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Catch every minute of Notre Dame vs. Louisville

(Image credit: Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire/Getty)

The opening weekend of the 2019 college football season isn't over just yet. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to Kentucky to take on the Louisville Cardinals, capping off the Labor Day weekend with a prime time clash. And you don't have to miss a minute of the game, even if you're nowhere near a TV.

Thanks to multiple streaming options, you can watch the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game from just about anywhere — even overseas — when the two teams kick off tonight (Sept. 2). Here's how to see if the No. 0-ranked Fighting Irish can make a run at the national title or if the Cardinals can pull off the upset.

When can I watch the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game?

The Notre Dame vs. Louisville game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT tonight. ESPN will broadcast the game in the U.S. Canadian fans can watch on TSN, while the game airs on BT Sport ESPN in the UK.

How can I use a VPN to watch the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game?

If you're traveling when the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game kicks off, a virtual private network, or VPN, may be just the tool you need to stay tuned in to college football. A VPN can make it seem as if you're surfing the web from your home country, so that you still get access to the same streaming services you'd enjoy at home. This is particularly helpful if you happen to be overseas when a game kicks off.

We've tested many different services, and our pick for the best overall VPN is ExpressVPN. In our testing, ExpressVPN got the nod for its strong performance and excellent customer support. You've got other options, though, so here's a trio of VPNs that you should consider.

ExpressVPN:

ExpressVPN: Expect superior performance and responsive customer service from ExpressVPN, which also happens to be very easy to use. ExpressVPN also can access more than 3,000 servers spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries, so the service will have you covered no matter where you are.

One month of service at 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.


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NordVPN:

NordVPN: Go with NordVPN if you value privacy since the service uses 2084-bit encryption. It also works well with streaming services. While NordVPN costs $11.95 per month, you can cut that down to $2.99 per month if you sign up for a multi-year service plan.


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TunnelBear:

TunnelBear: It's not the best-performing service we tested, but if you want a VPN just for a one-off event such as watching the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game, consider TunnelBear. Not only is it easy to use, but it only costs $9.99 a month.

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How can I watch the Notre Dame vs. Louisville live stream?

ESPN live streams its coverage on both its website and its mobile app (Android, iOS). You can fire up either to watch the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game if you're not close to a TV that also carries ESPN.

However, ESPN requires you to sign in with your login info from your cable or satellite TV provider. That means cord cutters can't live stream Notre Dame vs. Louisville through ESPN's website or app. And ESPN's $5-a-month ESPN+ streaming service won't be of any help here, since Notre Dame vs. Louisville isn't part of ESPN+'s offerings.

How can I live stream the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game without a cable subscription?

You'll need to turn to a subscription service that carries ESPN if you want to watch the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game tonight. Fortunately, nearly every service includes ESPN in its basic tier of live TV. (The exception is Fubo.TV, which doesn't have access to any of ESPN's channels.) Here are the streaming services available to you if you're looking to add ESPN

AT&T Now:

AT&T Now: The service formerly known as DirecTV starts at $50 a month for a package that includes ESPN.

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Hulu + Live TV:

Hulu + Live TV: Hulu's $45 monthly package includes ESPN in its live streaming service. There's also a cloud DVR feature for recording games to watch later.

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PlayStation Vue:

PlayStation Vue: The streaming service's entry-level Access package starts at $50 a month and includes ESPN. But right now a special takes $10 off the price of PlayStation Vue's Core package, so instead of paying $55 a month, you'll pay $45 and get more channels.

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Sling TV:

Sling TV: Sling TV's Orange package, normally $25 a month, includes ESPN. A current promotion cuts the price to $15 a month for your first month.

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YouTube TV:

YouTube TV: You'll find ESPN among the 70-plus channels YouTube TV includes for $50 a month. There's also a cloud DVR feature for recording games to watch later.

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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.