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NDSU vs SDSU Live Stream: How to Watch National Championship Online

Bison Jacks

Getty SDSU's Mark Gronkowski and NDSU's Cam Miller look to lead their teams to the national title on Sunday.

The rivalry between North Dakota State and South Dakota State reaches a new climax on Sunday, January 8, in the FCS national championship game.

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:

FuboTV Free 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:

DirecTV Stream Free 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:

Get Sling TV

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:

Get Hulu With Live TV

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:

Get Vidgo

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

It took a century before North Dakota State and South Dakota State to become the intense rivalry it is today.

NDSU and SDSU first played in 1903 when the Bison, known as the North Dakota Agricultural Aggies thumped the Jackrabbits 85-0. That’s a far cry from Sunday’s Division I FCS National championship where the Bison (12-2) will meet the Jacks (13-1) in Frisco, Texas.

Longtime Division II opponents in the North Central Conference, the Bison and Jacks had polar opposite program histories before their jump to Division I in 2004. The Bison won eight national titles as a College Division or Division II program, and they dominated the Jacks from 1964 to 2001.

SDSU notably dominated the series from 1904 to 1963 before NDSU’s first College Division national title, but the Jacks only won 14 conference titles in the NCC during that span. The Jacks lost its only Division II playoff game in 1979, a 51-7 loss to Youngstown State.

NDSU’s dominance in Division II led to rumors of the Bison moving up for years, but the Jacks making the move came as part of an attempt to get a chunk of the NCC to join the Bison in Division I. Both of NDSU’s and SDSU’s in-state rivals stayed behind in Division II instead, which necessitated a traveling trophy between the Bison and the Jacks.

Suddenly, the Bison and Jacks formed a rivalry between the two programs that once circled other schools annually such as North Dakota for the Bison and South Dakota and Augustana for the Jacks. Things started off competitive with a Jacks 24-21 win in the first Dakota Marker game in 2004, but the Bison took the next two handily. Then, the Jacks stole a perfect season from the Bison in 2007 with a 29-24 win, and the Jacks won three-straight Dakota Marker games.

That success ended once the Bison’s FCS dynasty began in the 2010s, but the Jacks started catching up to the Bison during the second half of the decade. SDSU won twice against the Bison in 2016 and 2017 followed by a three-game regular season winning streak from the 2020 season to 2022.

Along the way, SDSU became an FCS national power like it never was in Division II. The Jacks amassed a 17-11 playoff record in its regular appearances and made it to Frisco for the title game once in 2021.

Amid the Jacks’ success, they hosted “College Game Day” when the Trey Lance-led Bison came to Brookings in 2009. The Jacks haven’t seen three quarterbacks drafted by NFL teams like the Bison, but the Jacks have boasted plenty of NFL talent in recent years — most notably Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.

Now, SDSU will seek to do two things for the first time in program history: beat the Bison in the playoffs and win a national title. For NDSU, the Bison look to keep its FCS dynasty going with a 10th ring and a perfect 10-0 record in Frisco, which has been known to draw a home crowd-level of Bison fans.