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It all comes down to this. The No. 8-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2) and the No. 7-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) play each other in the 2025 Playoff National Championship (CFP) game on Monday, Jan. 20.
On the line: Bragging rights to be the best college football sports program in the nation — and a fancy CFP trophy to boot.
At a Glance: How to Watch CFP National Championship 2025 Online
This is expected to be one of the most-watched college football games in years and there are a few ways to watch the CFP National Championship this year. Here’s what you need to know.
CFP National Championship: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame; Date, Start Time
These two top-ranked collegiate powerhouses face off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, Jan. 20, with kickoff at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET. The CFP National Championship game airs live on ESPN, so you can watch Ohio State vs. Notre Dame on TV on ESPN with your cable package.
Cord cutters can watch the Buckeyes-Fighting Irish game on any live TV streaming service that carries ESPN, such as DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and others. All web-based services are accessible on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or smart TV.
Keep reading to find out how to watch the Buckeyes-Fighting Irish game with and without a cable subscription, including options to watch the game for free. In addition, you can find where to buy last-minute tickets to the CFP National Championship game in Atlanta.
How to Watch 2025 CFP National Championship Game Without Cable
Since it broadcasts on ESPN, the Buckeyes-Fighting Irish game is streamable on web-based streaming cable services, some of which even offer free trials so you can watch the game online for free.
DirecTV Stream
Watch the Buckeyes-Fighting Irish games on DirecTV Stream. All of the cable alternative’s packages offer ESPN, while it includes more than 90 channels — such as AMC, Bravo, CNBC, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and much more.
In addition, the streamer has a five-day free trial available, but that’s more than enough time to watch the CFP National Championship game. You can either cancel or keep the service after the free trial is over, with prices starting as low as $74.99 per month.
Fubo
Watch the Buckeyes-Fighting Irish game on ESPN, along with more than 210 other news, entertainment and sports channels with a subscription to Fubo, which starts at $74.99 per month (with Fubo’s current deals). You can record over 1,000 hours of TV shows, movies, games and more.
The online TV streaming service offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can watch the CFP National Championship game online for free.
Hulu + Live TV
You can watch the Buckeyes-Fighting Irish game on ESPN with a subscription to Hulu + Live TV. The streaming service has access to more than 90 live channels — like BET, CNN, Discovery Channel, Food Network and more — starting at $82.99 per month and comes with Hulu’s entire streaming library, as well as Disney+ and ESPN+.
It includes unlimited cloud DVR too. Right now, Hulu + Live TV offers a three-day free trial, so you can watch the CFP National Championship game for free.
Sling
Sling might be a good fit to watch the Buckeyes-Fighting Irish game. It’s the most wallet-friendly cable alternative, with prices starting as low as $23 for your first month of service with Sling Orange ($45.99 per month afterward).
The Sling Orange package includes ESPN for 2025 CFP National Championship Game, while it also has AMC, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Freeform, TNT and other channels. Sling currently does not offer a free trial.
Please note: Pricing and channel availability varies from TV market-to-TV market. Learn more about Sling Orange here.
Where to Buy 2025 CFP National Championship Game Tickets Online
Want to watch the games in person? Tickets are available for the game at StubHub, Ticket Liquidator, Ticketmaster and GameTime — prices depend on seat location.
One of the best deals on last-minute tickets right now is at TicketNetwork, which offers The Hollywood Reporter readers $150 off orders of $500 with promo code THR150 or $300 off orders that are $1,000 and up with code THR300.
Meanwhile, other deals on tickets can be found at Vivid Seats, where you can save $20 with code THR2024; or at SeatGeek where you can use promo code HOLLYWOOD10 to save $10 on eligible purchases of $250 and up.