Getty Head coach Scot Loeffler of the Bowling Green Falcons will face Tennessee week 1.
The Josh Heupel era in Knoxville gets underway Thursday night when the Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) open their 2021 college football season against the Bowling Green State Falcons (0-0) at Neyland Stadium.
The game (8 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on SEC Network. But if you don’t have cable or don’t have that channel, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of Bowling Green vs Tennessee online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of SEC Network and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV. You’ll need the Sports Plus add-on, but you can include the main channel package and any add-ons with your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Bowling Green vs Tennessee live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Fubo credentials to log in and watch.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of SEC Network and 90+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but you can get your first month for just $10:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch Bowling Green vs Tennessee live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Vidgo credentials to log in and watch.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” SEC Network is included in “Choice” and up, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Bowling Green vs Tennessee live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials (may still be listed as AT&T on the list of cable providers) to log in and watch.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of SEC Network and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange + Sports Extra” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with SEC Network, and you can get your first month for just $21:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Bowling Green vs Tennessee live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of SEC Network and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Bowling Green vs Tennessee live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
Bowling Green vs Tennessee Preview
The Josh Heupel era begins in this one, as the former UCF head coach will try to improve upon the Volunteers’ 3-7 mark last season. Tennessee put up 21.5 points and 346.2 yards per game on offense, while allowing over 30 points a game on defense in 2020.
Heupel discussed a few areas he wants to see his team focus on in the season opener against the Falcons.
“A big part of football games is, and you guys have seen it, special teams and penalties early in the season,” Heupel said this week. “We need to play penalty-free and our special teams has to do a great job of playing with great technique and understanding their assignment. All three phases have got to adjust. Week one you have to expect the unexpected and be ready to adjust and be able to communicate well from the sidelines.”
Leading the Vols on offense will be Michigan transfer Joe Milton. In six games with the Wolverines last year, Milton completed 80 of 141 passes for 1,077 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had 109 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
Bowling Green went winless in head coach Scot Loeffler’s third season, going 0-5 last year. The Falcons had one of their most lopsided seasons in recent memory. Five games is a small sample size, but the team managed just 11.4 points a game while surrendering 45.0 points a game on defense. Not good.
Junior quarterback Matt McDonald will take the reins this year, but he’ll have a short leash, as Drew Gunther, a transfer from Syracuse, is waiting in the wings. Whoever is under center should get help from running back Terion Stewart, who looked promising in the three games he appeared in last year. Steward had 295 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries (that’s an impressive 8.0 yards per rush), so he’ll be one to watch.
“It’s going to be super exciting taking a young group down to Knoxville, Tennessee, and have them experience a game with fans in a real, true college experience,” Loeffler said about his group. “I want to say 70 percent of our roster, this will be the first time they’ve ever played a college football game with people in the stands, which will be really exciting and outstanding.”
Tennessee won the only game these two teams have ever played against each other, 59-30, back in 2015.