Buckeyes on TV & Online
OSU is the most valuable college football franchise in the country and a powerhouse program from the stacked Big Ten. The Buckeyes have played at Ohio Stadium since 1921, and thanks to their conference's own network and partnership with Fox Sports, many of their home games can be watched live on TV or online by subscribing to the Big Ten Network, BTN+ and various Fox Sports channels.
All the best cable plans (cord-cutting, satellite, in-home cable) carrying a Ohio State game are included for you to select the best plan to suit your watching needs. And if you prefer to live stream, every link is provided, allowing you to stream games on your computer, on your phone or tablet, or cast to your TV using all the most popular streaming boxes.
OSU Away Games
Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network have rights to Buckeye home games but away games can air on any sports network or streaming service airing college football games -- all depends on their opponent's broadcast deals. OSU away games can air on networks owned by ESPN, FOX, NBC or CBS; the full schedule and all stream links are included throughout this guide.
Ohio State on Big Ten Network
Big Ten Network (BTN) is a cable channel made for fans of Big Ten sports; they emphasis coverage of Big Ten football and basketball games. Content is produced in partnership with Fox Sports and BTN airs some of the most high profile Buckeyes games of the season - look for BTN and FOX to split coverage of the biggest in-conference matchups, particularly between rivalry teams like Michigan, Illinois and Penn State.
Chose between cord-cutting cable plans, satellite TV and traditional cable for BTN; they all carry the channel in many of their packages. Also learn which of three is really best for you.
BTN Streaming
Fox integrates BTN live stream coverage into their Fox Sports Live website stream and Fox Sports app. Login with cable credentials and watch on your computer, on your phone or tablet, or with these streaming boxes - Apple TV, Roku, XBOX, Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast and smart TVs with androidtv.
BTN+ Subscriptions
A secondary option to Big Ten Network is BTN+, a streaming-only network run and operated solely by the Big Ten conference.
You don't need a cable plan to watch OSU games that stream on BTN+ but you do need an additional subscription if you want both BTN and BTN+. Buckeyes games that can't find their way onto TV will very likely exclusively stream on BTN+ instead.
Subscribe to a monthly or yearly plan with BTN+ and watch games live and on-demand next day from the BTN+ app. They offer a cheaper plan to just follow a single school for $9.95/month or $79.95/yr. The app is available on Apple and Android app stores, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon firetv and Google Chromecast.
Another way to go is to select a single sport plan from BTN+, football in this case, and get on-demand only access to all Big Ten games, next day. This package runs $39.99 per season but does not include live games, just next day replays. This option works if you aren't interested in seeing any other Big Ten sports, you already have a cable plan for watching games live and just want to rewatch as many OSU and other Big Ten games as you can, all season long.
Fox Airing the Buckeyes
You don't need a cable plan to watch some of the biggest Ohio State games of the season. Fox Sports is the other major TV network airing Buckeyes games, and since OSU is so popular they opt to broadcast games primarily on their main FOX network.
Luckily FOX is a local channel you can get for free with a digital antenna, provided you live close enough to receive the signal. If not, rest assured almost every basic cable package includes FOX, as long your plan includes local channels.
FS1 & Fox RSNs
FS1 is the other major channel Fox Sports can air OSU games on. FS1 is a cable channel, one you get with most basic cable plans or higher.
And while more rare, a Buckeye away game can technically air on any number of other Fox Sports Regional Sports Networks; it's worth considering a cable plan that includes Fox Sports RSNs if you want to guarantee yourself access to all the OSU football Fox decides to air live.
Fox (RSNs) by location: Arizona, Carolinas, Detroit, Florida, Indiana, Kansas City, Midwest, New Orleans, North, Ohio, Oklahoma, San Diego, South, Southeast, Southwest, Sun, Tennessee, West, Prime Ticket, Wisconsin
Fox College Sports Networks (FSNs): FCS Pacific, FCS Atlantic and FCS Central
All of these channels are regional, meaning you must live within that TV market to watch, and have a cable package that includes Fox Sports regional sports channels. Not every cable provider offering regional sports includes Fox Sports RSNs unfortunately, so be sure to use these links to see all the current providers that still have an agreement with Fox Sports.
**Bonus tip - you can avoid the regional access limitation by subscribing to premium packages from satellite TV provider DirecTV, or premium options from in-home cable providers. They offer plans that include out-of-market Fox Sports RSNs. Of note, no internet TV plans offer such a package.
Fox Sports Livestreams
No matter which station Fox decides to air a Buckeye game, as long as you have that channel as part of your cable plan you can stream the game online via the Fox Sports Live website or Fox Sports app. Just login with your cable provider credentials.
The app is free to download for Apple and Android phones and tablets, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast, smart TVs with androidtv, Roku and XBOX consoles.
OSU Football Team Links
For all the latest on the Buckeyes, including breaking news, scores, highlights, interviews, buying gear, team events and much more, make use of the official Buckeyes football website.
Or connect with the team on-the-go with their iOS or Android mobile apps -- a great option as the free apps include live game audio and interactive stadium maps; a tailor made gameday experience for any OSU fan.