You’re sitting on the couch, remote in hand, wondering is there football today on tv or if you’re stuck watching home renovation reruns. It happens to the best of us. Whether it’s a random Tuesday in October or a Sunday in January, the broadcast landscape for football has become a fragmented, chaotic mess of streaming apps and cable channels.
Football isn't just a game anymore. It’s a logistical puzzle.
Honestly, the answer depends entirely on the calendar. If it’s a Sunday during the fall, you know the drill. But with the NFL expanding into Thursdays, Mondays, and even the occasional Friday or Saturday, plus the sprawling world of college ball and spring leagues like the UFL, the "off" days are becoming rare.
Checking the NFL Schedule for Today
The NFL is the king of the mountain. Most people asking is there football today on tv are looking for the shield. On Sundays, your local CBS and FOX affiliates handle the bulk of the heavy lifting. CBS usually takes the AFC-heavy matchups, while FOX leans into the NFC. But that’s not a hard rule anymore. The league mixes things up to maximize ratings.
Sunday Night Football belongs to NBC and Peacock. It’s usually the "prestige" game. If it’s Monday, you’re looking at ESPN or ABC. Thursday? That’s almost exclusively Amazon Prime Video territory now, which still feels weird to some fans who aren't used to launching an app to see a kickoff.
The schedule gets weird late in the season. Once the college regular season ends in December, the NFL swoops in like a hawk to claim Saturday afternoons and evenings. You have to keep an eye on the "flexible scheduling" too. The league can move games from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night with just a few weeks' notice to ensure they don't have a blowout in primetime.
College Football’s Midweek Chaos
College football is a different beast entirely. While Saturday is the holy day for the NCAA, "MACtion" changed everything. If you find yourself asking about football on a Tuesday or Wednesday in November, you’re likely looking at the Mid-American Conference. These games are usually on ESPN2 or ESPNU. They are high-scoring, unpredictable, and perfect for anyone who just needs a football fix in the middle of the work week.
✨ Don't miss: What Place Is The Phillies In: The Real Story Behind the NL East Standings
Fridays have also become a hotspot for the Big Ten and the Mountain West. It’s a way for these conferences to grab a national audience without competing with the Saturday juggernauts like Alabama, Ohio State, or Texas.
Where to Stream if You Ditched Cable
The "cord-cutting" movement has made finding football a bit of a scavenger hunt. You can’t just flip to channel 5 and hope for the best.
YouTube TV is currently the big player because they host NFL Sunday Ticket. It’s expensive. It’s a huge investment. But if you want every single out-of-market game, that’s where you go. FuboTV is another solid option because it carries almost every sports-related channel, including the harder-to-find ones like the NFL Network or the SEC Network.
Don't sleep on the individual apps. Paramount+ gets you your local CBS game. Peacock has the NBC feed. ESPN+ carries a massive amount of lower-tier college games that never make it to the main cable networks. If you’re an alum of a smaller school, ESPN+ is basically mandatory.
- Amazon Prime: Thursdays.
- Netflix: They’ve started bidding on Christmas Day games.
- Apple TV: Mostly MLS for now, but they’ve hovered around football rumors for years.
International Games and Time Zones
We have to talk about the London and Germany games. If you’re asking is there football today on tv at 9:30 AM on a Sunday, the answer might be yes, but it’s happening in a different time zone. The NFL has made a massive push into Europe. These games usually air on the NFL Network or ESPN+, providing a weirdly early start for fans in the States who are used to waiting until 1 PM ET.
West Coast fans have it even tougher. A London kickoff at 6:30 AM PT is a commitment. It requires coffee. Lots of it.
🔗 Read more: Huskers vs Michigan State: What Most People Get Wrong About This Big Ten Rivalry
The Rise of Spring and Alternative Leagues
When February rolls around and the Super Bowl is over, the "Post-Super Bowl Depression" sets in. But the calendar is filling up. The UFL (the merger of the XFL and USFL) typically kicks off in the spring. These games find a home on ABC, FOX, and ESPN.
Is it the same level of play as the NFL? No. But it’s professional football, and for many, that’s enough. The rules are often slightly different—shorter play clocks or unique kickoff returns—which keeps things interesting for the hardcore junkies.
Why Your Local Guide Might Be Lying
Ever check your digital cable guide and it says "To Be Announced" or shows a game that isn't actually airing? Blackout rules are the bane of every fan's existence. If a game isn't sold out (though this is rare in the modern NFL), or if a local station chooses a "more relevant" game for your market, you might be out of luck.
Regionalization is real. If you live in Dallas, you’re getting the Cowboys. If you live in a "neutral" market like Las Vegas or Los Angeles, the networks choose based on what they think will pull the highest Nielsen ratings. Usually, that means the Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allens of the world.
How to Verify the Schedule Fast
Don't trust a random social media post. Use official sources.
- The NFL App: It’s surprisingly clean and will tell you exactly which channel a game is on based on your GPS location.
- ESPN’s Scoreboard: This is the gold standard for college football. You can filter by "Division I-A" (FBS) to see everything from the Power 4 to the Sun Belt.
- Sports Media Watch: This is a niche site, but it’s incredible. They list every single sporting event on TV, including the announcers and the specific channel numbers.
The reality of finding out is there football today on tv is that the "off-season" is shrinking. Between the NFL, NCAA, and spring leagues, there are only about three months a year where the answer is a definitive "no."
💡 You might also like: NFL Fantasy Pick Em: Why Most Fans Lose Money and How to Actually Win
Practical Steps for Today’s Kickoff
Check your local listings immediately because kickoff times are firm, but pre-game shows can be misleading. If you’re out of your home market, look for a "sports bar" app or use a VPN if you’re trying to access your home cable subscription from a hotel.
If there is a game on, verify the platform. Nothing is worse than settling in with a plate of wings only to realize the game is on a streaming service you haven't subscribed to yet. Sign up for the free trials when they're available, but remember to cancel them before the monthly charge hits.
The best way to stay ahead is to sync a digital calendar from a site like Stanza or the official league websites. That way, the "is there football today" question gets answered by a notification on your phone before you even have to ask.
Now, go check the 1 PM window. Chances are, someone is lining up for a kickoff right now.
Actionable Next Steps
- Download the NFL or ESPN app and enable "Game Start" notifications for your favorite teams to avoid missing a kickoff.
- Audit your streaming services to ensure you have access to the big four: CBS (Paramount+), NBC (Peacock), FOX (local/cable), and ESPN.
- Bookmark Sports Media Watch for a daily, comprehensive list of every televised game across all networks, which is much more reliable than standard cable guides.