The College Football Playoff officially begins on December 19 with a showdown between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Oklahoma Sooners. The SEC rivals met just a few weeks ago during the regular season; on November 15, the Sooners defeated the Crimson Tide 23-21. While a four-game winning streak late in the season gave the team some hope, historically they have struggled in the playoffs. (The Sooners are 0-4 in the College Football Playoff, the dubious distinction of being the only team in the country to make multiple CFP appearances without winning.)
Alabama’s game against Oklahoma State will be broadcast live on ABC and ESPN Unlimited. Here’s how to watch Friday’s College Football Playoff and how to watch the rest of the NCAA football season.
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How to watch the Alabama vs. Oklahoma game:
date: Friday, December 19
time: 8 p.m. ET
TV channel: ABC
Streaming media: ESPN Unlimited, DirecTV, Fubo and more
When does Alabama vs Oklahoma take place? game?
You can watch coverage of this week’s Alabama vs. Oklahoma State game on Friday, Dec. 19, starting at 8 p.m. ET.
where to watch Alabama vs Oklahoma State game Without cable
You can watch the Alabama vs. Oklahoma State game on ABC as part of ABC ESPN. ABC is available on streaming platforms like DirecTV and Sling, but for the most comprehensive college football coverage, you can also subscribe to ESPN Unlimited to watch this game and hundreds more on the ESPN app.
ESPN’s streaming service is divided into two tiers: ESPN Unlimited package and ESPN Select package.
For $29.99, the ESPN Unlimited plan provides access to all of ESPN’s linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNNews and ESPN Deportes, as well as programming on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+ and ACCNX. This means fans will have access to coverage of more than 47,000 live events annually, as well as on-demand replays, original programming and more.
Now, for a limited time, you can bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99 per month for 12 months – it’s like getting the other services for free for a year! Even if you’re a current Disney+, Hulu, or even bundle subscriber, you can still upgrade to this great deal.
Not interested in the bundle? ESPN Select (also known as ESPN+) is still an option. For just $12.99 per month, you can tune in and get exclusive access to select NCAA football games, F1 driver live broadcasts, simulcasts of certain sporting events aired on other channels, PPVs of UFC matches and more.
ESPN $29.99 per month
DirecTV is currently offering an entertainment package for just $49.99 for the first month, a savings of $40 off the regular price.
DirecTV’s entertainment tier gives you access to a ton of channels for college and professional sports, including ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, as well as local affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC (depending on where you live).
No matter which plan you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.
The best part is, you can currently try all of them for free for 5 days. If you’re interested in trying a live TV streaming service during football season but aren’t quite ready yet, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
Free trial on DirecTV
This week’s College Football Playoff/Bowl Game schedule:
All times Eastern
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Friday, December 19
11 a.m. | Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan | Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, S.C.) | ESPN
2:30 PM | Memphis vs. North Carolina | Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, FL) | ESPN
8 PM | No. 9 Alabama, No. 8 Oklahoma | College Football Playoff first-round games | ABC
Saturday, December 20
12 PM | No. 10 Miami (Fla.), No. 7 Texas A&M College Football Playoff First Round Game | ABC
3:30 PM | Tulane 20 vs. Ole Miss 6 | College Football Playoff First Round Game | TNT
7:30 PM | No. 24 James Madison, No. 5 Oregon College Football Playoff first-round game | TNT
Monday, December 22
2 PM | Utah State vs. Washington State | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Idaho) | ESPN
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Tuesday, December 23
2 PM | Louisville vs Toledo | Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, FL) | ESPN
5:30 PM | Western Kentucky vs. Southern Mississippi State New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, La.) | ESPN
9 p.m. | Ohio State vs. UNLV | Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas) | ESPN
Wednesday, December 24
8 p.m. | California vs. Hawaii | Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu, Hawaii) | Hawaii Bowl ESPN
Friday, December 26
1 PM | Northwestern vs. Central Michigan | GameAbove Sports Bowl (Detroit, MI) | ESPN
4:30 PM | New Mexico vs. Minnesota | Rate Bowl (Phoenix, AZ) | ESPN
8 p.m. | UTSA vs. FIU | First Aid Bowl (Dallas, Texas) | ESPN
How to watch college football games in 2025
NCAA football games will air on ESPN, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and the College Conference Network. If you don’t have cable TV, keeping up with the latest on your favorite team can be difficult. Here are our recommendations for NCAA football broadcasts in 2025.