Getty Alabama head coach Nick Saban talks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and Duke Blue Devils kick off their 2019 season in Atlanta at the in Chick-fil-A Kickoff on Saturday.
The game is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC. If you don’t have cable or don’t have that channel, you can watch the game live on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PS4 or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand library of TV shows and movies, Hulu With Live TV comes with 60-plus live TV channels, including ABC (live in select markets).
You can sign up for Hulu with Live TV right here, and you can then watch Alabama vs Duke live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app. You can also watch on ESPN.com or the ESPN app by signing in with your Hulu with Live TV credentials.
If you can’t watch the game live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
YouTube TV comes with 70-plus live TV channels, including ABC (live in select markets).
You can sign up for YouTube TV right here, and you can then watch Duke vs Alabama live on your computer via the YouTube website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or other compatible streaming device via the YouTube app. You can also watch on ESPN.com or the ESPN app by signing in with your YouTube TV credentials.
If you can’t watch live, YouTube TV comes with included DVR.
ESPN Digital Platforms
The game is also on ESPN3, which you can watch on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app.
You won’t need to log-in to a cable provider to watch this way as long as you are signed in to a participating Internet Service Provider (ISP). However, if you don’t have one or both of those, you can also sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or YouTube TV credentials to sign in and watch the game on the ESPN digital platforms.
Duke vs. Alabama Preview
Despite a disappointing ACC record of 3-5, Duke finished last season 8-5 and won the Independence Bowl. The biggest loss for the Blue Devils was quarterback Daniel Jones, who was a three year starter, throwing for 8,201 yards, 52 touchdowns and 29 touchdowns in his college career. Jones went on to be a controversial first-round pick of the New York Giants.
The Blue Devils are obviously not taking a matchup against Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide lightly.
“I think (Alabama is) probably the most talented team, top to bottom, in the country. That’s what I honestly think. Along with that, they’re extremely well-coached. They don’t have a lot of penalties, they don’t bust assignments, they don’t make errors, and so they do make you play their strengths.”
Among its heaps of talent, Alabama returns Heisman hopeful Tua Tagovailoa at the quarterback position. The stinging motivation for the talented squad will be the walloping they took in the national championship game a year ago against Clemson.
“I mean, football is just like life. That’s just how it is, you know?” Tagovailoa told the Associated Press. “You’re going to have goods. You’re going to have bads but this is an opportunity for me to learn from both the good and bad, kind of bring them together and move forward from it. I’m hoping this Saturday won’t end up like the last, the SEC championship game. Hopefully it will be better.”
There are some question marks for Alabama, however. The Tide are expected to start three freshman defenders in D.J. Dale (DT), Shane Lee (LB) and Christian Harris (LB).
“We try to get these guys prepared every day,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “They know they’re always one play away from having to be in a game. Fortunately for the guys that we have as backup linebackers they have been good students of the game.
“I think they’ve really tried to prepare themselves the right way, where sometimes you get guys that if they’re not playing, they have a hard time focusing because it’s the first time they haven’t been the guy that’s going to go out there and play. So it makes it a little more difficult for them.”
Since the start of the 2008 season, Alabama’s record is 139-15 with five national championships. Under Saban, the team has never lost an opener.
Alabama faces New Mexico state next week, while Duke will have an easier time with North Carolina A&T.