YouTube TV–Fox standoff: How to stream college football without disruption

Week 1 of the 2025 college football season kicks off Thursday night with five consecutive days of games. But fans could be left scrambling to watch some of the top games of the opening weekend of college football.

YouTube TV and Fox are currently locked in a carriage dispute, a day away from Week 1 of the college football season. The parties have until 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday to reach a deal. If YouTube TV and Fox do not reach an agreement, YouTube TV subscribers will lose access to Fox, FS1 and Big Ten Network.

If no deal can be reached, college football fans who subscribe to YouTube TV could be left in the dark for some of the top games of Week 1. The headline game of the opening weekend of college football is set for Noon ET on Saturday on Fox, a top-five showdown between Texas and Ohio State in Columbus.

But FS1 and Fox also have games on Thursday and Friday, highlighted by Auburn at Baylor on Friday night. If the parties don’t reach an agreement in the coming days, YouTube TV subscribers may also be left searching for viewing options for Week 1 of the NFL on September 7.

YouTube pays broadcasters, including Fox, to carry channels. Millions of college football fans could be left in the dark after opting to cut cable for YouTube TV. YouTube TV’s base plan costs $82.99 per month and includes over 100 live channels and unlimited cloud DVR. YouTube TV is estimated to have roughly 9.4 million paying subscribers.

“Fox is asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive,” YouTube wrote on its blog earlier this week. “Our priority is to reach a deal that reflects the value of their content and is fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers.”

What college football games could be impacted?

Here is the full breakdown of college football games set to be broadcast on a Fox network in Week 1:

• Buffalo at Minnesota, Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, FS1
• Western Michigan at Michigan State, Friday at 7 p.m. ET, FS1
• Auburn at Baylor, Friday at 8 p.m. ET, FOX
• Central Michigan at San José State, Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET, FS1
• Texas at Ohio State, Saturday at Noon ET, FOX
• Old Dominion at Indiana, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET, FS1
• South Dakota at Iowa State, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX
• Albany at Iowa, Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, FS1
• Georgia Southern at Fresno State, Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET, FS1
• Utah at UCLA, Saturday at 11 p.m. ET, FOX

What is YouTube TV offering as a workaround?

YouTube said in its blog that subscribers would receive a $10 credit if access to Fox channels is lost starting Wednesday night. But that does not come with a solution for fans wanting to watch some of the premier college football games of Week 1.

How can you watch college football games on Fox?

Fubo offers live sports at $79.99 a month, but it is also offering a free trial. Hulu + Live TV with ads and a live TV plan starts at $82.99 per month following a three-day free trial. Last week, Fox launched a direct-to-consumer streaming service called FOX One. The service includes Fox Sports properties and is priced at $19.99 per month with a seven-day free trial or $199.99 per year.

“While Fox remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace,” Fox said in a statement.