No. 5 Ohio State’s trip to Iowa on Saturday gives viewers the same headache that follows plenty of big college football games these days: figuring out where the thing actually is.
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes kick off Oct. 3, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. ET, with CBS carrying the broadcast.
Brad Nessler, Charles Davis and Jenny Dell will be on the call. Ohio State enters as a 14.5-point favorite, with the over/under set at 45.5.
For anyone trying to watch without paying full price, the cleanest answer is DIRECTV MySports. It includes a five-day free trial, and while the package normally runs $64.99 per month, new sign-ups can get $20 off each of the first six months, dropping the cost to $45 a month during that stretch.
That bundle is built for college football fans. It carries the major broadcast networks - ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC - in almost every market, plus ESPN, ESPN2, Big Ten Network, FS1, FS2, ESPNU, CBS Sports Network, SEC Network, ACC Network and the NFL Network without requiring extra sports add-ons. It also includes other channels such as the Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, TBS, TNT, truTV, USA and several cable news channels.
There’s another perk layered in too: free access to ESPN Unlimited. That means access to ESPN’s cable channels, ABC games, streaming exclusives, on-demand content including the “30 for 30” library, WWE Premium Live Events, alternate broadcasts and more.
YouTube TV is another route, priced at $82.99 per month, with a free trial that can run anywhere from two to 21 days. The catch is that you don’t know which trial length you’ll get until you go through the sign-up process. It also has a sports-oriented skinny bundle, the Sports Plan, which normally costs $64.99 per month but is available for $44.99 monthly for six months.
Sling TV offers a different kind of flexibility. There’s no free trial, but it does sell 1-Day, 3-Day and 7-Day Passes priced from $5 to $20. Those passes include ESPN and ESPN2, and the Sling Sports Pack can be added for as little as $1 to bring in the alternate broadcast channels.
Hulu + Live TV comes in at $89.99 per month. It’s pricier than DIRECTV’s MySports Genre Pack, but it includes the same channel lineup found in DIRECTV’s Signature packages and also comes with the full Disney Bundle, so subscribers do not have to pay extra for Disney+, Hulu or the new ESPN Unlimited streaming service.
Fubo is listed at $84.99 per month and includes at least a one-day free trial.
If the goal is simply to watch this game and nothing more, Paramount+ Premium is another option. It costs $13.99 per month, but you need the Premium tier to access your local CBS affiliate, which is what makes this game available there. That plan covers CBS college football and NFL games, but not much beyond that.
And for anyone who wants to avoid another monthly bill entirely, an over-the-air antenna still gets the job done. Games on ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC can be watched in local markets with an antenna, which can pick up broadcast channels from as far away as 100 miles depending on the device. Once it’s plugged in and the channels are scanned, there are no subscription fees after the upfront purchase.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Just Got Pulled Into A New Big Noon Controversy
Big Noon Kickoff found itself in an unexpected swirl this week after Dave Portnoy and Big Cat were reportedly removed from the FOX pregame show, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. The move adds another layer to a show that already sits close to the center of the college football conversation, especially for Ohio State fans who follow every storyline around Ryan Day and the national spotlight that comes with it.
Portnoy then took to social media with a striking claim, saying Day had pressured the Big Ten and FOX to get him fired, though Ohio State has denied any role in the decision. FOX is still set to feature Urban Meyer and the rest of its main Big Noon Kickoff desk as planned, but the episode has only sharpened the attention around how much influence coaches, networks and personalities really have when those worlds collide. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Faces New Pressure In The Game
Michigans uneven start has changed the temperature around the rivalry long before the teams get to late November. After the loss to Minnesota, the Wolverines are sitting at 3-2 and still trying to sort out their offense, with Bryce Underwoods play at quarterback and the running game both part of the problem. Instead of arriving as a clear College Football Playoff threat, Michigan looks more like a team searching for answers, which adds a different kind of edge to the buildup.
For Ohio State, that makes the annual showdown feel even less forgiving. When Michigan is not peaking, the Buckeyes are expected to handle business, and anything short of that invites a familiar round of frustration from their own fan base. The rivalry has always carried pressure, but this version brings a twist: Ohio State is being asked to beat a Michigan team that has not looked like a contender, and that can make the margin for error feel even smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Enters Brutal October With A Top Four Doubt
Ohio State heads into a punishing October with plenty of talent and just enough unease to keep the conversation going. The Buckeyes are sitting at No. 5, and while they have shown dominant stretches against Power 4 competition, the early read has not been spotless. There is still real confidence in the top-end pieces, and the offense has produced at a strong clip under new play-caller Arthur Smith, but the broader picture has been a mix of impressive bursts and lingering questions.
Desmond Howard added to that skepticism ahead of the Week 5 game against Iowa, casting doubt on whether Ohio State has enough consistency to climb above its current spot. The coming stretch will tell a lot, because this is the kind of schedule that exposes whether a team is truly built for a top-four finish or simply looks the part in flashes. For the Buckeyes, the month ahead is less about style points and more about proving the whole operation can travel through one of the toughest slates in the country. [Read more 🡒]