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How to Watch Michigan Wolverines Football Live Without Cable in 2023

Written by John O'Connor

Last updated on

Watch the Michigan football season opener versus East Carolina on 9/2/23 at noon live without cable on Peacock. Michigan’s season opener will be a streaming exclusive available only on Peacock.

Michigan football viewing guide 2023-24.
Table of Contents
  1. How to watch today’s Michigan football game
  2. The most important channels for watching Wolverines football
  3. Michigan football player to watch in 2023 – #2
  4. Can I watch Michigan football on fuboTV?
  5. Can I watch Michigan football on Hulu + Live TV?
  6. Can I watch Michigan football on Sling TV?
  7. Can I watch Michigan football on DIRECTV STREAM?
  8. Can I watch Michigan football on YouTube TV?
  9. How to watch Michigan football on Peacock
  10. Watching Michigan football FAQ
  11. More Big Ten Football Teams

If you can’t make it to the Big House this season, there are several good options for watching Michigan football live without cable on the device of your choice, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, and more.

Although several live TV streaming services carry the channels you need to watch Michigan football, our top pick is DIRECTV STREAM “Choice.” With DIRECTV STREAM “Choice,” sports fans across Michigan can watch Wolverines football, Big Noon Kickoff on both WJBK-TV FOX 2 Detroit and WXMI-TV FOX 17 Grand Rapids, plus in-market Pistons, Tigers, and Red Wings games on Bally Sports Detroit.

DIRECTV STREAM

Watch WJBK FOX 2 Detroit, CBS, ESPN, FS1, Big Ten Network, and upgrade for Bally Sports Detroit.

$74.99 / month

Free 5 Day Trial

Fubo

Watch WJBK FOX 2 Detroit, CBS, ESPN, FS1, Big Ten Network, and more.

$74.99 / month

7 Day Free Trial

How to watch today’s Michigan football game

What channel is today’s Michigan Wolverines football game on? We list the 2023 Michigan football TV schedule, as well as the live TV streaming services that carry each game, in the easy-to-use table below.

How to watch Wolverines football on any device, from any location.

The most important channels for watching Wolverines football

Under the Big Ten’s new TV deal, the channels that will air games have undergone a shakeup for 2023. For the first time in 40 years, ESPN does not have the TV rights to air Big Ten games. The Big Ten’s new media partners are CBS, NBC, and FOX, which means Big Ten football will be on air coast to coast all day, and late into the night, on Saturdays. Games will also air on Big Ten Network and FS1. Expect to see more primetime Michigan football games on NBC this year as the network unveils its Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC series.

FS1 and Big Ten Network, as properties owned by FOX and the Big Ten respectively, will feature less sought after Big Ten matchups while FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff airs the week’s premier Big Ten game. FOX has the TV rights to broadcast the Big Ten Championship game, which will be of interest to Michigan fans if the Wolverines can emerge again as Big Ten East champs again in 2023.

DIRECTV STREAM – ChoiceFuboHulu + Live TVSling TV Blue + Sports ExtraSling TV Orange + Sports ExtraYouTube TV
ABC ABC
CBS CBS
ESPN ESPN
FOX FOX
FS1 FS1
NBC NBC

Michigan football player to watch in 2023 – #2

#2 Blake Corum, one of Michigan’s star running backs, returns for the 2023 after foregoing the NFL draft where he surely would have been picked in the first round. Corum is the Streaming Stadium player to watch for UM this season, along with some key offensive line transfers. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Corum had one of the highest graded seasons in the history of the rankings in 2022 before being injured against Illinois. Watch how Corum meshes with Michigan’s rebuilt offensive line, which has leaned heavily on the transfer portal. UM’s OL play has been fantastic in seasons past, winning the Joe Moore Award for best offensive line in the country two years in a row. However, Corum’s success this season will hinge on how well Arizona State transfer Ladarius Henderson holds down the left tackle position (Henderson is small to play tackle and has primarily started at guard) and whether Stanford transfer Drake Nugent can fill the big void at center left by Rimington Award winner Olu Oluwatimi. Keep a close eye on the Michigan offensive line in this year’s rivalry game against Ohio State. The Buckeyes return one of the highest rated defensive lines in school history, with book-end 5 star starters in Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau. How well Michigan’s new starters at tackle hold up could decide the Big Ten East and the Big Ten Champion this season.

Can I watch Michigan football on fuboTV?

fuboTV is a great option for watching Michigan football in 2023 for several reasons. First, it carries all the channels you need to live-stream Wolverines football, even under the new Big Ten TV deal. Next, fuboTV allows users to record an entire team’s season on DVR automatically, rather than game by game. Michigan is a national brand with fans across the country and a large contingent of fans on the west coast. Being able to “set it and forget it” and record all of U-M’s football games will be a major convenience for Wolverines on the west coast where Big Ten games often kick off in early the morning. Last, fuboTV is our top pick for live-streaming the Detroit Lions, so fans in Michigan get football Saturdays and Sundays both covered with a fuboTV membership. In addition, Fubo carries ESPN for watching MNF.

Although the state of Bally Sports Detroit is in a state of flux with the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, fuboTV does offer Bally Sports Detroit in its channel lineup and representatives at fuboTV have communicated to me that they still plan on broadcasting the Bally Sports RSNs.

We love the ease with which a fuboTV subscriber can pause a membership during the football off-season. With a click of a button, football fans can leave their fuboTV account dormant while football is hibernating, and pick it right back up when the pigskin starts flying and the grills light up.

Read our fuboTV sports review.


Can I watch Michigan football on Hulu + Live TV?

Regardless of where they live, Hulu + Live TV will give Michigan fans all the channels they need to stream the Wolverines live without cable, including CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates nationwide. UM fans in Chicago take note: Hulu + Live TV carries Big Ten Network and NBC Sports Chicago in its base package.

Read our Hulu + Live TV review for sports fans.


Can I watch Michigan football on Sling TV?

The Big Ten’s new TV deal was not kind to Sling TV. Because Sling TV doesn’t carry CBS or NBC in Detroit, UM fans will have major gaps in coverage with Sling.

However, with Sling Blue + Sports Extra, Michigan fans in Detroit can get access to FOX and Big Ten Network which affords partial coverage, including the Ohio State game and the Big Ten Championship.

Michigan fans in Grand Rapids and Traverse City can’t watch UM football on their local CBS, FOX, or NBC affiliates with Sling TV.

Read our Sling TV sports review.


Can I watch Michigan football on DIRECTV STREAM?

DirecTV Stream’s “Choice” package is one of the best overall options for watching Wolverine football and Detroit sports teams in the regular season.

DirecTV Stream “Choice” gets you all the channels you need to watch Big Ten Football, as well as Bally Sports Detroit for live streaming the Pistons, Tigers, and Red Wings regular seasons.

Although it’s not carried in the base package, “Choice” gets you the Big Ten Network, so all your Big Ten Football and basketball bases are covered.

See also: How to watch Michigan basketball

Read our DirecTV Stream sports review.


Can I watch Michigan football on YouTube TV?

While I don’t love the requirement of a Google account to use the platform, I do love YouTube TV for streaming football. Wolverine fans can get all the channels they need with YouTube TV, and an upgrade to the 4K package will get a lot of FOX and ESPN games in 4K. If you’re a fantasy football enthusiast, YouTube TV’s mobile app integrates with NFL.com fantasy teams in real-time.

Last, YouTube TV is the new home for NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023, which makes the platform a football powerhouse this season and beyond.

Detroiters and Michiganders take note: YouTube TV lacks Bally Sports Detroit.

Read our YouTube TV sports review.


How to watch Michigan football on Peacock

New for 2023, NBC will host a prime-time Big Ten Football matchup branded Big Ten Saturday Night Football on NBC. These prime-time games will be carried on local NBC affiliates nationwide, but will also live-stream on Peacock.

In addition, 8 Big Ten football games each season will be carried exclusively by Peacock, which is a move similar to the deal NBC made with MLB for Sunday Morning Baseball. It’s likely that Peacock will try to have one of the 8 games be an Ohio State or Michigan game to draw eyeballs to the app.

Watching Michigan football FAQ

Can I watch Michigan football on ESPN+?

No, Michigan football games never air on ESPN+. For the first time in 40 years, ESPN does not have TV rights to air Big Ten football or basketball games.

Can I watch Michigan football live online?

Yes, with the rise of the sports streaming industry, every Michigan football game can be live streamed, and there are several good option for doing so. The best choices for watching Michigan football online are YouTube TV, DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, and Hulu. Our top pick in the Detroit market is DIRECTV STREAM.

Can I watch Michigan football on Roku?

Yes, every major live TV streaming service’s app is compatible with Roku devices, including YouTube TV, DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, and Hulu.

Can I watch Michigan football live stream if I live out-of-state?

Yes, unlike the NFL, almost every Michigan football game is televised nationally. This means you can watch Michigan football even if you live in NYC, New Jersey, Los Angeles, or another major city outside of Michigan.

How can I watch Michigan football for free?

Several live TV streaming services offer free trials, which allow UM fans to watch the Wolverines for free. YouTube TV usually has the longest free trial, at two weeks.

More Big Ten Football Teams

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