The College Football Playoffs are under way this week, and on Friday, the Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Texas Longhorns in the semifinals at the Cotton Bowl. Though the Cotton Bowl Classic traditionally took place at the Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas, for the last several years it relocated to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys. Ohio State defeated Oregon at the Rose Bowl, while Texas defeated Arizona State at the Peach Bowl in order to earn their places in the semi-finals. The winner of tonight’s game will face Orange Bowl winner Notre Dame in the Championship final on Jan. 20.
Here’s how to watch the Cotton Bowl game between Ohio State and Texas and you can check out the college football playoff schedule for the rest of the post-season, too.
How to watch Ohio State vs. Texas in the Cotton Bowl:
Date: Friday, January 10, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
TV Channel: ESPN
Streaming: DirecTV, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and more
Where to watch the Cotton Bowl game on TV:
You can watch coverage of this week’s Ohio State vs. Texas Cotton Bowl game starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Where to watch the Cotton Bowl game without cable:
You can tune into the Ohio State vs. Texas game on ESPN which is carried by several platforms including Fubo TV, DirecTV, and YouTube TV.
Fubo TV gives you access to ESPN, Fox, ABC, CBS, NFL Network, and 100+ more live channels. At $80/month, the live TV streaming service is definitely a big investment for football fans but it’s one of the most comprehensive ways to catch tons of NCAA games this season, and still leaves you with major savings compared to a traditional cable package. Fubo subscribers also get 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage.
Right now the platform is offering a free 7-day trial so you can check out everything the platform has to offer, risk-free.
DirecTV Stream’s Choice tier (currently $105.98/month with fees) gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. Plus the Choice tier will get you CBSSN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty of local RSNs. The best part is, currently you can try all this out for free. So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for football season, but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV Stream.
You’ll also get unlimited Cloud DVR storage included in whatever DirecTV package you choose.
2025 College Football Playoff Schedule:
All times Eastern
Thursday, Jan. 9
Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Jan 10
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, Jan. 20
CFP National Championship: Teams TBD, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
How to watch NCAAF playoff games in 2025:
The remaining NCAA football playoff games will air on ESPN. If your cable provider doesn’t carry ESPN or you’re looking for a way to stream it, the channel is available on several services including Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV, and Sling.
Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team’s games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV….
DirecTV Stream’s Choice tier (currently $105.98/month with fees) gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. Plus the Choice tier will get you CBSSN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty of local RSNs. The best part is, currently you can try all this out for free. So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for football season, but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV Stream.
You’ll also get unlimited Cloud DVR storage included in whatever DirecTV package you choose.
- Full package free trial available
- Many local RSNs included
- Unlimited Cloud DVR
- Cost
- ABC and ESPN currently not included
Fubo TV gives you access to ESPN, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and 100+ more live channels. Starting at $80/month, the live TV streaming service is definitely pricey (but certainly not the most expensive option on this list), but offers nearly every channel you’ll need to watch both the NCAA football season and the 2024 NFL season.
Fubo subscribers also get unlimited cloud DVR storage and right now, new subscribers can get $30 off their first month of any tier.
- 1000 hours of cloud DVR storage
Other ways to watch NCAAF playoff games:
