Why You Can Trust CNET College football national championship: How to watch Alabama and Ohio State tonight without cable
You don't need cable to watch the National Championship Game between Bama and the Buckeyes on ESPN.
It's down to Bama and the Buckeyes for college football's national championship. Alabama and Ohio State both bring undefeated records and a wealth of NFL talent into Monday night's title game. Alabama blew out Notre Dame in the first semifinal game last week to punch its ticket to the final, and the Buckeyes trounced Clemson in the other semifinal.
Alabama is led by Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who became the first wide receiver since 1991 to win the award for the top player in college football. Throwing Smith the ball is Mac Jones, who finished third in Heisman voting. When he isn't passing the ball, Jones can hand off to Najee Harris, who was fifth in Heisman voting and runs the ball behind the best offensive line in college football (and is able to leap defenders in a single bound). The Tide also might get Jaylen Waddle back from injury for the game; Waddle started the year as the team's top receiving target. In summary, Alabama has not struggled to move the ball and score points this year.
Ohio State turned in an offensive explosion against Clemson, with Justin Fields having his best game behind center. He threw six touchdown passes, three to tight ends and a pair to top target Chris Olave. Buckeye ball carrier Trey Sermon ran for two scores of his own en route to piling up 193 yards on the ground, which followed a school record 331 rushing yards the previous game in the Big Ten championship. (Sermon can also hurdle defenders.) The Buckeyes will need a similar offensive output to keep up the Tide, who are a nine-point favorite heading into the game.
The CFP National Championship kicks off in Miami on Monday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Ohio State and Alabama will meet on Monday night for the national championship. The two teams last met in 2015 when the Buckeyes upset the heavily favored Crimson Tide in the semifinals on their way to a national title in the first college football playoff.
How to stream the National Championship
In addition to the main broadcast on ESPN with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit calling the game, there will be alternate broadcasts across ESPN's family of channels.
- ESPN2: NFL Live crew of Laura Rutledge, Marcus Spears, Dan Orlovsky and Mina Kimes, plus NFL draft guru Todd McShay.
- ESPNU: SkyCast view of a camera behind the offense instead of the usual sideways view of the field. It will also have an 4K option.
- ESPNews: Film Room feed with college coaches yukking it up and breaking down the action.
- ESPN Deportes: Spanish-language broadcast
- SEC Network: Alabama radio announcers calling the game synced to the live video feed.
There are even more options on the ESPN app, including Ohio State radio announcers and an all-22 view of the field.
If you don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch the National Championship Game with a live TV streaming service. All five of the major services offer ESPN.
To watch on ESPN.com or the ESPN app, you will need to prove you have a TV subscription, including a live-TV streaming subscription, that includes ESPN.
Sling TV's $30-a-month Orange plan includes ESPN.
AT&T Now's $55-a-month Plus package includes ESPN.
FuboTV's Standard plan costs $60 a month and includes ESPN.
YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes ESPN.
Hulu with Live TV costs $65 a month and includes ESPN.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our massive streaming services guide.