In a collision of traditional Big Ten powerhouses, Paul Chryst leads the No. 15 ranked Wisconsin Badgers (4-1) into the Big House in Ann Arbor against Jim Harbaugh and the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines (5-1) in primetime on Saturday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ABC. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ABC (live in select markets, but even if it isn’t included in your market, you’ll be able to watch the game on the ESPN digital platforms with your Hulu credentials).
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and if ABC is live in your market, you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app. If ABC isn’t live in your market, scroll down to the “ESPN Platforms” section to see where you can watch.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Although ABC isn’t technically part of the Sling TV package, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial of the “Sling Orange” bundle, which includes ESPN3, and you’ll then be able to watch a live stream of the game on the ESPN digital platforms (see next section).
ESPN Platforms
You can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3) can be watched for free without cable if you have a participating internet service provider (ISP), but even if you don’t have a participating ISP, you can still sign use your Hulu or Sling TV (or other cable TV) credentials to sign in and watch the game on the ESPN digital platforms.
Preview
As always, big games in the bruising Big Ten always come down to defense. Michigan remains near the top in defense. The Wolverines are third in the nation in total defense, allowing just 203.5 yards per game and just under 16 points per game (15.8).
The Wolverines haven’t been tested much since an opening-weekend road loss to Notre Dame. Since, in order, Michigan has defeated Western Michigan, SMU, Nebraska, Northwestern and Maryland. And the only time the Wolverines struggled in any of those games came two weeks ago at Northwestern, when quarterback Shea Patterson and the offense needed to muster a fourth-quarter, come-from-behind win.
Patterson has gotten better as the season progresses. He is completing 68.8% of his passes for 1,187 yards, 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. Senior running back Karan Higdon (582 rushing yards, five touchdowns) has amassed over 100 rushing yards in each of Michigan’s last four contests.
Wisconsin averages 480.2 yards per game on offense. The Badgers average 287 rushing yards per game, which ranks ninth in the nation.
Sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor is the third in the nation with 849 rushing yards and tied for seventh with eight rushing touchdowns. Taylor has eclipsed 100 yards in each of Wisconsin’s five games and 200 yards twice, against New Mexico and against Nebraska last week.