We’ve done it! We have made it through the fallow offseason where everything seems to be standing between us and our true happiness: seeing the Ohio State Buckeyes play a game of intercollegiate college football. After an offseason that saw Ryan Day construct arguably the best roster in recent OSU memory, expectations are high in Columbus.
So, you will want to make sure that you are keeping you with all of the action this season. This season, the Buckeyes will play on three different broadcast networks (CBS, Fox, and NBC), at least one cable channel (Big Ten Network), and exclusively on a streaming service (Peaco*ck); it can be tough to keep up with where and how to watch your favorite team.
As cord-cutting has become far more the norm than the exception across the United States, it would not be a surprise if you gave up cable or a live-streaming service following last year’s season only to realize that it’s the day of the game and you have no way to watch it.
And I know it can be incredibly confusing to find the best way to watch a game in today’s entertainment landscape. Fortunately for you, I am something of a streaming expert... no really, I write about streaming services for a living. So, I am going to walk you through the best — and cheapest — ways for you to stream today’s game.
How can I watch the No. 2 Ohio State vs. Akron college football game?
Game Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Broadcasters: Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jenny Dell
Betting Line: Ohio State -48 | 57 o/u
Best Streaming Option to Watch Ohio State vs. Akron:
Paramount+ | 30-Day Free Trial
Paramount+ has two streaming packages, the ad-supported Essentials tier and the ad-free Paramount+ with Showtime. Since both come with a 30-day free trial, if you want to watch today’s game against the Zips and all of the other football on CBS for the month of September, opt for the Paramount+ with Showtime plan. This will give you access to everything on your local CBS affiliate, plus tons of streaming exclusives, not to mention all of the original and library content from across the Paramount universe.
After your free trial expires, the ad-supported Paramount+ plan costs $7.99 per month, while the ad-free Paramount+ With Showtime option runs $12.99 monthly.
Best Streaming Option for All College Football Games:
Hulu + Live TV | 3-Day Free Trial
If just watching the games on CBS isn’t enough to keep your football appetite at bay, then Hulu + Live TV is your best option. The live TV streaming service has one of the few guaranteed multi-day free trials in the industry and provides nearly all of the major cable channels on the market.
The basic package comes with all of the major broadcast network channels — all of which have college football — ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. It also has ESPN, ESPN2, Big Ten Network, FS1, FS2, ESPNU, CBS Sports Network, SEC Network, ACC Network, and the NFL Network (yes, they have college games) without having to sign up for any sports add-on plans. However, if you do want more sports, you can add NFL RedZone, MLB StrikeZone, FanDuel TV, the Tennis Channel, and more.
What’s great about Hulu + Live TV is that in addition to all of the broadcast and cable channels that you could possibly want, it also comes with the Disney Bundle for free. So, you also get the full on-demand Hulu library, Disney+, and ESPN+, which also has hundreds of college football games every season.
Currently, a subscription to Hulu + Live TV costs $76.99 per month after your three-day free trial. However, that will go up to $82.99 in mid-October. But between now and then, this is the best choice for watching college football
Other Streaming Options for the Ohio State and Akron Game:
Fubo: $84.99 per month, at least a one-day free trial
DIRECTV STREAM: $79.99 per month
YouTube TV: $72.99 per month
Join the conversation
Below is your Ohio State vs. Akron 2024 game thread. Be respectful, be kind and — as always — keep it classy, BuckeyeNation. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Let’s finish the season strong!
