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Bowl season is finally upon us. The 2025 NCAA football regular season has come to an end and the first college football playoff games are finally here here. As we enter into 2026, there are plenty of hard-hitting matchups to tune into this week, including the Rose Bowl featuring Indiana vs. Alabama, the Sugar Bowl with Ole Miss vs. Georgia, and Orange Bowl with Oregon taking on Texas Tech.

With most playoff football games broadcasting on ESPN and ABC, watching college sports may be easier than ever. With so many options for streaming NCAA football games online, here’s our guide to catch your favorite team’s games without cable (and for free) in 2026.

Keep scrolling to also see the full schedule and times for 2026 NCAA football playoff season as well.

What TV Networks Feature College Football?

NCAA college football games broadcast across multiple networks, such as ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, SEC Network and truTV.

Where to Watch NCAA Football for Free

For cord-cutters, there are a few ways to watch NCAA Football, if you don’t have cable, especially if you want to watch for free. DirecTV has a five-day free trial, while other streaming services, such as Fubo, also offer free trials, so you can watch your favorite teams play for free.

Keep reading for more details on how to watch NCAA Football with DirecTV, Fubo and others.

A subscription to DirecTV — which comes with ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox, Fox Sports, NBC, SEC Network and truTV — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $49.99 for the first month $89.99 per month afterwards. The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free, if you sign up now.

You can watch local networks such as PBS, while you can also watch many cable networks, including Lifetime, FX, AMC, A&E, Bravo, BET, MTV, Paramount Network, Cartoon Network, VH1, Fuse, CNN, Food Network, CNBC and many others.

To watch NCAA Football, Fubo starts at $54.99 for the first month of service $84.99 per month afterwards with nearly 235 channels — including local and cable — that are streamable on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and on web browsers. And with a seven-day free trial, you can watch for free, if you act fast and sign up now.

The service even gets you live access to local broadcast networks including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, while it also has dozens of cable networks, such as ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports, SEC Network and truTV and much more.

ESPN Unlimited is the official streaming platform for ESPN, and a subscription includes instant access to games and more exclusive content for $29.99 per month. You can save almost 17% off by purchasing an annual subscription for $299.99 per year. There is no free ESPN Unlimited trial, but it does include exclusive on-demand videos and access to content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider.

With prices starting at just $4.99 for a day pass, Sling TV includes ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN 3 (for ABC simucast) with it Sling Orange and Sling Orange + Blue packages — which features dozens of channels that can be streamed on up to three devices at the same time. Sling Orange + Blue features FS1 and the NFL Network too.

For the most content options, Hulu + Live TV gives you access to the entire Hulu library in addition to more than 95 live TV channels — including ESPN and ABC for just $82.99 per month.

And, unlike the rest of the options, you can also expand your content library by bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. You’ll not only have all of the Hulu library to watch, but also exclusive and original programming available exclusively on ESPN Unlimited.

List of Every 2026 College Football Bowl Game (Updating)

Check out the full schedule, TV channels, matchup information and more below (all times ET).

Thursday, Jan. 1

Orange Bowl (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)

Rose Bowl (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)

Sugar Bowl (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)

Friday, Jan. 2

Armed Forces Bowl

Liberty Bowl

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Holiday Bowl

Thursday, Jan. 8

College Football Playoff Semifinal

Friday, Jan. 9

College Football Playoff Semifinal

Monday, Jan. 19

College Football Playoff National Championship Game

We’ve finally turned the calendar to 2026, and thought we’re not done looking back at 2025 yet by any means, we’re taking a New Year’s Day pause to look forward a little. While we’ve all got things to work and improve on for the year to come, we also have some wishes for things our marquee pop stars could commit to accomplishing in 2026, both for our sakes and for theirs.

On this first 2026 episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard charts senior analyst/writer (and regular Greatest Pop Stars guest) Eric Frankenberg to offer some New Year’s resolutions on behalf of said pop stars. We each choose five resolutions for specific pop stars to take on for 2026, and then we also offer one each on behalf of all pop stars collectively, and then one for us ourselves as pop fans.

Among the most pressing questions addressed: Is it more important for Beyoncé to return in 2026 with visuals for her last two albums or with the last act in her LP trilogy? Would Dua Lipa be better served working with more dead-center pop collaborators on her next album? Are we overdue for an Adele legacy year? What do we think about the concept of a Frank Ocean covers album — or a Benson Boone rock opera? How should Doechii recapture the incredible momentum that she started 2025 with? And perhaps most importantly: Is it too much to ask that we all be a little less mean to our pop stars and to each other?

Check it out above, and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!

And as we say in every one of these GPS podcast posts — if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights:

Transgender Law Center

Trans Lifeline

Destination Tomorrow

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

As thousands of revelers gathered on Sydney Harbour to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Matt Corby stood and delivered a musical tribute to the lives lost in the Bondi Beach terror attack.

The Sydney-raised singer and songwriter performed INXS’ classic song “Never Tear Us Apart” for the New Year’s Eve 2025 concert, a somber moment as guests lit candles and reflected on the 15 people killed during a Hanukkah celebration.

At 11pm local time, the official festivities were paused to observer a minute’s silence, as the Harbour Bridge was lit up with white light to symbolize peace, and a menorah was projected onto its pylons to show solidarity with the Jewish community.

“Never Tear Us Apart” has a special place in the hearts of Australians. Released in 1988 as the fourth single from the album Kick, “Never Tear Us Apart” lent its name to a 2014 Australian biopic on the band, and the life and untimely passing of its singer Michael Hutchence. That two-part miniseries reignited interest in the new wave group, which is no longer active.

Earlier this year, the song came in at No.1 on triple j’s inaugural Hottest 100 of Australian Songs poll.

In the lead-up to Sydney’s NYE celebration, New South Wales premier Chris Minns had urged folks to not let the “horrible criminal terrorist event” at Bondi affect their day-to-day lives, and urged them to “show defiance” and celebrate the New Year.

On the night, Sydneysiders were confronted with an enlarged police presence of more than 2,500.

State minister for transport and minister for music and the night-time economy John Graham reiterated the premier’s comments. “Come out and celebrate and do so together and do in defiance of what we saw at Bondi beach,” he remarked.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, more than 4.6 million Aussies tuned into the NYE special, which also featured performances by Melanie C, The Cat Empire, Peach PRC, Marcia Hines, Casey Donovan, Don West, Jem Cassar-Daley, Ayesha Madon and others.

Based on the NSW Northern Rivers, Corby enjoyed a breakthrough with his 2011 single “Brother,” which is certified 10-time platinum by ARIA. Corby’s third studio album, 2023’s Everything’s Fine, became his third consecutive ARIA top 10 release and earned album of the year nominations at the J Awards and the ARIA Awards. The followup, Tragic Magic, will be released Friday, March 6 on Island Records/Universal Music.

If 2025 felt like a nightmare from start to finish, CBS delivered one final twist with a glitchy New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash.

The five-hour special featured some of the biggest names in country, from Jason Aldean to Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Dwight Yoakam, Bailey Zimmerman, and a change in the schedule that no one saw coming.  

The televised event Wednesday night, Dec. 31 went offline for roughly 12 minutes, according to various reports and scores of comments on social media, which the network covered the dead air by running an episode of Matlock.

According to Variety, the interruption occurred about 50 minutes into the show, as Lainey Wilson was mid-song. A CBS studio voice attributed “technical difficulties,” the broadcast cut to commercials, and an episode of Matlock filled the spot.

When the CBS got its train back on the tracks, hosts Bert Kreischer and Hardy apologized, before “Redneck Woman” singer Gretchen Wilson took the stage.

Social media has been unforgiving. “What the f— are you guys doing,” writes Ryder on X. “Trying to watch the Nashville Big Bash and it’s jumping all over the place. Was watching Lainey Wilson perform and it froze then a news ad and then Matlock then back to ads. What the hell???”

Another user with the handle Wild About Musik writes, “What a huge mess up!!!”.

CBS has yet to issue a statement on the technical blunder, which beamed out from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.

As previously reported, the New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash official, in-person watch party was held at Luke Combs’ Category 10 in Nashville.

New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash was executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with Music City Inc., the foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. The special was directed by Sandra Restrepo, and aired from 8p.m.-10 p.m. ET/PT and 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. ET/PT on CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

Watch snippets from the concert special below.

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Zach Bryan and Samantha Leonard have seemingly tied the knot, based on video footage uploaded on New Year’s Eve (Wednesday, Dec. 31) that appears to show the couple in wedding attire, in a car announcing them as “just married.”

Billboard reached out to a representative for Bryan for comment.

Bryan’s rep has not responded as of press time Wednesday evening, and the musician has not confirmed any wedding news himself on social media.

But the video circulating online shows Bryan and Leonard in what looks to be newlywed mode, in a tux and bridal gown. In the clip — first posted by celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi on Instagram, before being picked up by media outlets including People — a sunglasses-wearing Bryan is seen carrying his apparent bride to a convertible, in which they drive off together down a cobblestone road. The vehicle is adorned with a “just married” banner.

Furthering speculation, Bryan posted a photo on Instagram just a day prior that resembles a groomsmen group pose — captioned with lyrics from the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.” The 2009 hit is a popular song choice for special occasions like weddings.

“Tonight’s the night, let’s live it up (I feel)/ I got my money, let’s spend it up/ Go out and smash it, like, ‘Oh my God!’/ Jump off that sofa, let’s kick it off (I feel),” he wrote.

The pair were first publicly spotted together in social media snapshots during summer 2025, but have remained mostly private about their relationship.

The country hitmaker was previously married once, to Rose Madden, from 2020 to 2021.

Prior to Bryan’s relationship with Leonard, he’d publicly dated podcaster Brianna LaPaglia; they split in 2024. Bryan and LaPaglia made headlines in the messy aftermath of the breakup, with LaPaglia accusing the musician of emotional abuse and the two trading back-and-forth barbs on social media.

Bryan had the third-highest grossing country tour of 2025, according to Boxscore, with his Quittin’ Time Tour grossing $159.6M and selling 941,000 tickets. He recently shared plans to return to the road in 2026, citing “popular demand and some life changes as of late,” on a trek he’s named With Heaven On Tour.

His next album, With Heaven on Top, arrives Jan. 9. It’ll be the followup to 2024’s The Great American Bar Scene, which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and reached No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200. In 2024 Bryan became a Grammy winner for “I Remember Everything,” his Hot 100 No. 1 with Kacey Musgraves.