It’s back — the pageantry, the spectacle, all the way from Tightwad Hill down to Death Valley(s). College football begins its march through 2025 with Iowa State versus Kansas State in … Dublin? Rest assured, this year’s TV schedule is vast, loaded and full of exceptions.

The first three weeks are already set with broadcasters, as are a handful of headliner matchups later this fall. Week 4 (Sept. 20) is when networks can start toggling TV windows based on College Football Playoff gravity and in-season developments, with six- and 12-day windows to flex into before kickoff. It puts the most interesting, or consequential, games in front of the largest viewership. It also adds confusion to a process that’s already quite confusing.

Here, we break down the 2025 broadcast rotation for each major conference. We’ll worry about bowls and the Playoff once we get there. As it stands, the streaming situation is dissected as ever, and college football has packaged its many iconographies off to a long list of broadcast suitors. Consider this a refresher on the week’s flow, or a review of the subscriptions you need. Make sure you’re also following college football on The Athletic. Our Until Saturday newsletter is a banger all throughout the season, and our columnists are Heisman short-listers with the pen.

All times listed below are ET and games are on Saturdays unless noted otherwise.

Cable/satellite/streaming base

We begin our voyage (voyage? voyage!) by selecting a base TV provider. Here are the most popular options that include conference networks, with pricing as of August 2025:

Fubo (save $30) is $0 for the first week, $54.99 for the first month with the applied discount, then $84.99/month.
Hulu’s live TV add-on is free for the first three days, then $82.99/month.
YouTube TV is $49.99 for the first three months (offer good through Aug. 31), then $82.99/month.
DirecTV’s “Choice” package starts at $54.99 for the first month, then bumps up to $89.99/month.
Dish’s “America’s Top 120+” plan is free for the first three months, then $111.99/month.
Xfinity’s “Sports & News” TV and internet package is $110/month.
Verizon Fios’ “More Fios” plan is $119/month.
Sling’s most expansive “Orange & Blue” option goes for $33 in the first month, then costs $65.99/month after that. Sling’s “Sports Extras” add-on is $15/month. New as of this month, Sling also sells single-day passes for $4.99 and weekend passes for $9.99. It doesn’t carry CBS, CBSSN or The CW.
SECABC, ESPN, SEC Network

CBS fell behind ABC when its competitor landed NCAA exclusivity in 1966. It wanted a way to break into college football, and the network found a groove as the SEC’s television partner, which lasted until last season’s conference shift to …  ABC (and ESPN). That Longhorns fan muttering about Nietzsche was right after all.

The SEC is ESPN’s Saturday centerpiece now. “ABC Saturday Night Football” is the conference marquee with a weekly 7:30 p.m. start. It’s usually with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call, as Holly Rowe reports along the sideline. A typical SEC/ABC Saturday is blocked out as such:

Early game at noon
Afternoon game at 3:30 p.m.
Prime-time game at 7:30 p.m.

If there are multiple top-line matchups after sundown, well, one of them can just slide over to ESPN in the 6-8 p.m. range. All the other games go to ESPN’s many tributaries (ESPN2, ESPNU, etc.) or the SEC Network because ESPN is its parent company, naturally. Some of the lower-tier offerings will be digital exclusives to ESPN+ and SEC Network+ (Illinois State vs. Oklahoma, and Long Island vs. Florida are Week 1 examples). Ardent fans will need to “plus” up for the entire slate.

That coincides with ESPN’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) service, which launches Aug. 21. The unlimited DTC plan includes all of ESPN’s linear networks and its digital streamers. That means both SEC Network and SEC Network+ are covered. Without the new service, you can still stream SEC Network or SEC Network+ on the ESPN app … but you need a TV plan login, rather than an ESPN+ one.

Here’s the “SEC on ABC” lineup so far. The later weeks will fill out in time.

Week 1 (Aug. 30)
Syracuse vs. Tennessee, noon (neutral site)
Alabama @ Florida State, 3:30 p.m.
LSU @ Clemson, 7:30 p.m.

Week 2 (Sept. 6)
San Jose State @ Texas, noon (ABC or ESPN)
Ole Miss @ Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.
Michigan @ Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m.

Week 3 (Sept. 13)
Wisconsin @ Alabama, noon (ABC or ESPN)
Georgia @ Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.
Florida @ LSU, 7:30 p.m.

Week 5 (Sept. 27)
Notre Dame @ Arkansas, noon
Alabama @ Georgia, 7:30 p.m.

Week 6 (Oct. 4)
Kentucky @ Georgia, noon (ABC or ESPN)

Week 7 (Oct. 11)
Alabama @ Missouri, noon (ABC or ESPN)
Oklahoma vs. Texas, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site, ABC or ESPN)

Week 10 (Nov. 1)
Vanderbilt @ Texas, noon (ABC or ESPN)
Georgia vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site)

Week 11 (Nov. 8)
Georgia @ Mississippi State, noon (ABC or ESPN)

Week 13 (Nov. 22)
Missouri @ Oklahoma, noon (ABC or ESPN)

Week 14 (Nov. 28-29)
Black Friday: Ole Miss @ Mississippi State, noon (ABC or ESPN)
Black Friday: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site)
Black Friday: Texas A&M @ Texas, 7:30 p.m.
Clemson @ South Carolina, noon (ABC or ESPN)

What you’ll need to watch:

ABC is free over the air with a broadcast antenna, but is also included in pay-TV packages and any ESPN/Disney subscription.
ESPN is included in pay-TV packages, and it streams with a Disney+ bundle subscription (starts at $10.99/month) or ESPN DTC (unlimited at $29.99/month).

ESPN+ is required for a few games. It’s included with a Disney+ subscription or ESPN DTC.

SEC Network comes with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier. It can also be streamed with pay-TV credentials and is included with ESPN DTC, but not ESPN+.

SEC Network+ can be streamed on the ESPN app with pay-TV login credentials. It’s also included with ESPN DTC, but not ESPN+.

Big Ten

Fox, CBS, NBC, Big Ten Network

So, CBS’ friendship ended with the SEC. The Big Ten is now their best friend. Well, they share their best friend with two other competitors, and secure times to hang out through an eight-hour, in-person draft.

According to the current contract, which runs through 2029, Fox gets to claim the first three games off the Big Ten schedule (that’s where Michigan-Ohio State keeps falling). CBS and NBC are both guaranteed three of the top 11 picks, and those two alternate on the fourth pick each year. Needlessly complicated? Wonky pastime? Who is to say.

Seven of the conference’s 18 opening games are on Big Ten Network (BTN). By comparison, there are six on the Fox networks (two on Fox and four on FS1), two on the NBC networks (the main channel and Peacock) and one on CBS … plus two on ESPN networks, because Nebraska is opening against Cincinnati (Big 12) and Northwestern is at Tulane (American). Things settle down a bit once conference play starts, but still, what a headache.

In general, think:

A Friday night draw, on either BTN or the Fox networks
BTN action throughout Saturday
Saturday early slot at noon
Saturday afternoon slot at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday evening slot at 7:30 p.m.
An occasional late Pacific Coast game (last year’s USC-UCLA bash kicked off at 10:30 p.m.)

The CBS lead broadcast team puts Brad Nessler on the call, Gary Danielson on color and Jenny Dell on sideline. Danielson is set to retire after 2025 and will be replaced by Charles Davis.

Fox has the Big Ten championship game this year, as well as the annual Buckeyes-Wolverines melee. The inimitable Gus Johnson does Fox’s “Big Noon Saturday” game with Colorado lifer Joel Klatt; Jason Benetti, Tim Brando and several others round out the play-by-play rotation. Fox’s new all-in-one subscription, called Fox One, also launches Aug. 21. That unlimited plan has Fox, FS1, FS2 and the Big Ten Network.

When NBC has the evening game, expect to hear Noah Eagle (son of Ian). Also expect to hear national champion-turned-analyst Todd Blackledge, reporter (and Rutgers alum) Kathryn Tappen … and this late-career Fall Out Boy song commissioned for “Big Ten Saturday Night.” Like the SEC, the Big Ten has a few digital exclusives. Peacock has listed four of those so far, including Western Illinois at Illinois in Week 1.

Here’s what the Big Ten network schedule looks like so far:

Week 1 (Aug. 28-30)
Thursday: Nebraska vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site; designated home team is Big 12)
Texas @ Ohio State, noon on Fox
Nevada @ Penn State, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
New Mexico @ Michigan, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
Utah @ UCLA, 11 p.m. on Fox

Week 2 (Sept. 6)
Iowa @ Iowa State, noon on Fox
Illinois @ Duke, noon on ABC or ESPN (home team is ACC)
Oklahoma State @ Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
Boston College @ Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
Michigan @ Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC (home team is SEC)

Week 3 (Sept. 13)
Oregon @ Northwestern, noon on Fox
Wisconsin @ Alabama, noon on ABC or ESPN (home team is SEC)
USC @ Purdue, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
Minnesota @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN (home team is ACC)

Week 4 (Sept. 19-20)
Friday: Iowa @ Rutgers, 8 p.m. on Fox
Purdue @ Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. on NBC
Michigan @ Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
Washington @ Washington State, 7:30 p.m. on CBS

Week 5 (Sept. 27)
Oregon @ Penn State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC

Week 8 (Oct. 17-18)
Friday: Nebraska @ Minnesota, 8 p.m. on Fox
USC @ Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. on NBC

Week 11 (Nov. 7-8)
Friday: Northwestern @ USC, 9 p.m. on Fox

Week 12 (Nov. 14-15)
Friday: Minnesota @ Oregon, 9 p.m. on Fox

Week 14 (Nov. 28-29)
Black Friday: Iowa @ Nebraska, noon on CBS
Black Friday: Indiana @ Purdue, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
Ohio State @ Michigan, noon on Fox

What you’ll need to watch:

BTN comes with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier. It’s also included with Fox One (starts at $19.99/month).
CBS is free over the air with a broadcast antenna, but is also included in pay-TV packages and a Paramount+ subscription (starts at $7.99/month).

CBSSN comes with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier.

NBC is free over the air with a broadcast antenna, but is also included in pay-TV packages and a Peacock subscription (starts at $7.99/month).

Peacock is required for a few games.

Fox is free over the air with a broadcast antenna, but is also included in pay-TV packages and a Fox One subscription.

FS1 and FS2 come with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier. They’re also included with Fox One.

ACC

ABC, ACC Network, ESPN, The CW

The ACC’s television setup is similar to the SEC’s — four giant red letters stamped atop it. ABC-ESPN for the prime-time games, ACC Network for the others. Yes, ESPN is the parent company here.

This year’s ACC schedule includes its annual Labor Day Monday (TCU at North Carolina) and 12 Friday games, the most of any conference. Wes Durham does play-by-play for both ACCN and ESPN, anchoring the latter’s “ACC Primetime Football” block. He used to call Georgia Tech games on the radio, and his father Woody was the “Voice of the Tar Heels.” Durham is flanked by Tom Luginbill and Dana Boyle. ACC Network overflow goes to ACC Network Extra, the digital-only alternate channel. Again, because it’s a jumble: You can watch ACC Network/ACCNX with ESPN DTC, or on ESPN’s app by using cable/streaming provider credentials.

And then there’s The CW. Against all odds, yeah … that The CW. The Saturday ACC call over there is Thom Brennaman. Against all odds, yup … that Thom Brennaman. Will Blackmon, Boston College alum, joins for analysis.

Here’s the ACC’s schedule for national TV and ESPN:

“Week 0” (Aug. 23)
Stanford @ Hawaii, 7:30 p.m. on CBS (home team is Mountain West)

Week 1 (Aug. 29-Sept. 1)
Friday: Georgia Tech @ Colorado, 8 p.m. on ESPN
Syracuse vs. Tennessee, noon on ABC (neutral site)
Alabama @ Florida State, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
LSU @ Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
California @ Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday: Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina, 3 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site)
Sunday: Notre Dame @ Miami, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Monday (Labor Day): TCU @ North Carolina, 8 p.m. on ESPN

Week 2 (Sept. 6)
Illinois @ Duke, noon on ABC or ESPN
Baylor at SMU, noon on The CW
Boston College @ Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC (home team is Big Ten)
Stanford @ BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN

Week 3 (Sept. 11-13)
Thursday: NC State @ Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Clemson @ Georgia Tech, noon on ABC or ESPN
Pitt @ West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
South Florida @ Miami, 4:30 p.m. on The CW
Minnesota @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN

Week 5 (Sept. 26-27)
Friday: Florida State @ Virginia, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Week 7 (Oct. 11)
Wake Forest @ Oregon State, 3:30 p.m. on The CW

Week 8 (Oct. 17-18)
Friday: Louisville @ Miami, 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2
Friday: North Carolina @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Washington State @ Virginia, 6:30 p.m. on The CW
Florida State @ Stanford, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN

Week 9 (Oct. 24-25)
Friday: California @ Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

Week 10 (Oct. 31-Nov. 1)
Friday (Halloween): North Carolina @ Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

Week 12 (Nov. 14-15)
Friday: Clemson @ Louisville, 8 p.m. on ESPN

Week 13 (Nov. 21-22)
Friday: Florida State @ NC State, 8 p.m. on ESPN

Week 14 (Nov. 28-29)
Black Friday: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. on ABC (neutral site)
Clemson @ South Carolina, noon on ABC or ESPN

What you’ll need to watch

ABC is free over the air with a broadcast antenna, but is also included in pay-TV packages and any ESPN/Disney subscription.
ACC Network comes with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier. It’s also included in ESPN DTC.

ACCNX is required for some games. It’s included in ESPN DTC and streams on the ESPN app with pay-TV login credentials. It is not included with ESPN+ or Disney+.

ESPN itself is included in pay-TV packages, and it streams with a Disney+ bundle subscription or ESPN DTC.

ESPN+ is required for some games. It’s included with a Disney+ subscription.

The CW comes with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier (except Sling).
Big 12

ABC, ESPN, Fox, TNT

Like the Big Ten, the Big 12 splits its games across three national TV partners. ESPN is omnipresent at this point, and Fox has been a broadcast partner since its 2012 media rights agreement. Of note here is TNT, which picks up 13 of the conference’s best games. The network even has two first-round CFP games this winter (sublicensed from ESPN, why not?). Bring back “Super Football Saturday Night” presentation next.

J.B. Long and Mike Golic Jr. are TNT’s official Big 12 pairing, after working together last year on Mountain West football. Long has also been with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams since 2016; Golic is a Notre Dame guy.

“Week 0,” which still very much sounds like a failed sci-fi pilot, has the Big 12 exporting to Ireland. The Cyclones and Jayhawks open the “Aer Lingus College Football Classic” on ESPN.

This is what we know about the Big 12’s opening weeks on national TV, ESPN and TNT. Most other games are on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, FS1 or FS2.

“Week 0” (Aug. 23)
Iowa State vs. Kansas State, noon on ESPN (neutral site)
Fresno State @ Kansas, 6:30 p.m. on Fox

Week 1 (Aug. 28-Sept. 1)
Thursday: Nebraska vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site)
Friday: Georgia Tech @ Colorado, 8 p.m. on ESPN
Friday: Auburn @ Baylor, 8 p.m. on Fox
South Dakota @ Iowa State at 3:30 p.m on Fox
Hawaii @ Arizona, 10:30 p.m. on TNT
Utah @ UCLA, 11 p.m. on Fox
Monday: TCU @ North Carolina, 8 p.m. on ESPN

Week 2 (Sept. 6)
Kent State @ Texas Tech, noon on TNT
Baylor @ SMU, noon on The CW (home team is ACC)
Iowa @ Iowa State, noon on Fox
Oklahoma State @ Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS (home team is Big Ten)
Delaware @ Colorado, 3:30 p.m. on Fox
Army @ Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPN
Stanford @ BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN

Week 3 (Sept. 12-13)
Friday: Colorado @ Houston, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Friday: Kansas State @ Arizona, 9 p.m. on Fox
Oregon State @ Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m. on Fox
Pitt @ West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Texas State @ Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. on TNT

Week 4 (Sept. 19-20)
Friday: Tulsa @ Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. on ESPN

Week 5 (Sept. 26-27)
Friday: TCU @ Arizona State, 9 p.m. on Fox
Friday: Houston @ Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
BYU @ Colorado, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN

Week 6 (Oct. 3-4)
Friday: West Virginia @ BYU, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN

Week 14 (Nov. 28-29)
Friday: Utah @ Kansas, noon on ABC or ESPN
Friday: Arizona @ Arizona State, TBD on Fox

Of particular note to Big 12ers, ESPN DTC and Fox One can be bundled together as of Oct. 2 for $39.99/month.
What you’ll need to watch

ABC is free over the air with a broadcast antenna, but is also included in pay-TV packages and any ESPN/Disney subscription.
ESPN itself is included in pay-TV packages, and it streams with a Disney+ bundle subscription or ESPN DTC.

ESPN+ is required for some games. It’s included with a Disney+ subscription.

Fox is free over the air with a broadcast antenna, but is also included in pay-TV packages and a Fox One subscription.

FS1 and FS2 come with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier. They’re also included with Fox One.

TNT comes with the cable and streaming packages outlined earlier (except Fubo). It also streams with an HBO Max subscription (starts at $9.99/month with ads).
Others

The American Athletic Conference (AAC) has a TV rights deal with ESPN/ABC. Extra games fall to ESPNU, ESPN+. etc. The Sun Belt Conference also has an ESPN/ABC deal. Mid-American Conference (MAC) football is under that umbrella, too.

The annual Army-Navy game is locked in at CBS Sports. That exclusivity runs through the 2038 season.

Conference USA is split between CBS Sports (“tier one selection status” since 2022) and ESPN/ABC.

The Mountain West Conference has its main deal split between CBS and Fox. The Fox Sports networks get 22 broadcasts this fall, CBSSN has 28 and CBS proper has three.

The Pac-12 is back. It is indestructible. It is the “Conference of Champions.” It … has two teams right now. Oregon State and Washington State are to be showcased across CBS Sports, The CW and ESPN this fall. There are 10 Pac-12 CW kickoffs scheduled so far.

Notre Dame has its own situation set up at NBC. It’s been that way since 1991. The latest extension to the media rights agreement keeps Fighting Irish home games there through 2029. Road games are determined by the host’s conference.

Top coverage from The Athletic

Freaks List 2025: Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith tops a list of 101 — Bruce Feldman

Preseason Coaches Poll: Who’s overranked and underrated in the top 25? — Scott Dochterman

Who are the most important transfer portal additions for every Power 4 team? — Manny Navarro

College football 2025 quarterback tiers: Ranking the FBS’ projected starters from 1 to 136 — Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales

What we learned from Netflix’s SEC football documentary, ‘Any Given Saturday’ — Seth Emerson

College Football Playoff sleepers: 11 unranked dark-horse teams to watch — The Athletic College Football Staff

Heisman Trophy Fantasy Draft: LaNorris Sellers, Jeremiyah Love and 30 more picks for NYC — The Athletic College Football Staff

Updated 2025 futures

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(Photo of Jeremiah Smith: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)