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It is time to crown the Football Championship Series national champion when the North Dakota State Bison take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Sunday, January 8.
The game (2 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on ABC, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both include ABC in nearly every market and come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch North Dakota State vs South Dakota State streaming live online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in most markets) and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch North Dakota State vs South Dakota State live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include 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.
You can also watch the game (labeled as ESPN3) live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a participating internet service provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials if you don’t have that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ABC (live in most markets) is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch North Dakota State vs South Dakota State live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include 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.
You can also watch the game (labeled as ESPN3) live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a participating internet service provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials if you don’t have that.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN3 (which simulcasts games on ABC) and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch North Dakota State vs South Dakota State live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include 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.
You can also watch the game (labeled as ESPN3) live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a participating internet service provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials if you don’t have that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in most markets) and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch North Dakota State vs South Dakota State live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include 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.
You can also watch the game (labeled as ESPN3) live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a participating internet service provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials if you don’t have that.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in a few markets) and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which does not come with a free trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch North Dakota State vs South Dakota State live on the Vidgo app or Vidgo website.
Compatible devices for the Vidgo app include 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.
You can also watch the game (labeled as ESPN3) live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a participating internet service provider to watch this way, but you can use your Vidgo credentials if you don’t have that.
FCS National Championship 2023 Preview
The FCS national title for the 2022-2023 season is between the 13-1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits and the 12-2 North Dakota State Bison. When these two teams met in the regular season, the Jackrabbits emerged victorious by a score of 23-21. North Dakota State’s only other loss came at the hands of the FBS University of Arizona Wildcats, while South Dakota State’s only loss came from the D-I University of Iowa Hawkeyes in the season opener.
North Dakota State is a perennial powerhouse in FCS football. This will be the team’s 10th national title in 12 seasons if they win. However, South Dakota State is favored by 5.5 points in its quest for its first national title since moving up to FCS, so it should be a hotly contested game.
South Dakota State head coach John Stiegelmeier was named FCS Coach of the Year for his work this year. He was honored with his award at the FCS National Award banquet on January 7 ahead of the championship game.
In his pre-game press conference, Stiegelmeier said that they’ve been trying not to overdo things with the extra time between the semifinals and the championship, and also impressing upon the players how to keep the distractions to a minimum.
“It’s been good … our guys have had great energy. Our coaches, I believe, have limited the amount of stuff they’re telling our guys so we don’t overdo it with the extra time [between games],” said Stiegelmeier, adding, “We’ve told them to keep the main thing the main thing and then don’t let outside noise impact your preparation for the game.
He continued, “Case in point, I’ve got a guy at church telling me to watch the personal fouls, I go to Burger King with my wife, got two other people telling us what to do, I get a text from a guy that explains how to win the game, all in the matter of an hour and a half. They’re getting even more than that. We’ve got a very mature team … and I’m certain they’re enjoying the process and it’s not distracting from what we do. I’m excited to go down there early, different from the spring, and experience a true championship. That doesn’t concern me at all. It excites me and it excites our leadership.”
The FCS national championship between the North Dakota State Bison and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits kicks off Sunday, January 8 at 2 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.