The Notre Dame Fighting Irish face the Penn State Nittany Lions in this year’s CFP semifinal — here’s how to livestream the game
Jayden Harrison #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish returns the second-half kickoff for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs during the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 02, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sean Gardner/Getty Images
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The College Football Playoff semifinals are here, starting with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2025 Orange Bowl. The No. 7 Fighting Irish (13-1) enter Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium as slight favorites against the No. 6 Nittany Lions (13-2).
If you’re looking to watch the semifinal game online, read on. We put together a quick guide on how to livestream the Orange Bowl, including ways to watch Notre Dame vs. Penn State for free.
The 2025 Orange Bowl is airing on ESPN (not on ESPN+). If you don’t have cable, you’ll want to get a live TV streaming service that carries the channel to watch the Notre Dame vs. Penn State game. Here are some of our favorites, including a few with free trials:
DirecTV Stream carries every channel you’ll need to watch the CFP (and the NFL playoffs), including ESPN for the Orange Bowl. Plans start at $86.99 a month, but you get a five-day free trial to start.
Fubo also carries ESPN for a livestream of tonight’s Notre Dame vs. Penn State game. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial to start. After that, packages start at $79.99 a month.
Another one of our favorite cable streaming services is Hulu + Live TV, which carries ESPN and more than 95 other live channels. Plans start at $81.99 a month, and you get a three-day free trial to start.
Sling is a more affordable live TV streaming service. This one starts at $45.99 a month — plus you get 50% off your first month right now. You’ll find ESPN in Sling’s Orange package, which carries a total of 35 channels.
The Notre Dame vs. Penn State Orange Bowl is happening tonight, Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be played at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, which has hosted the Orange Bowl since 1996.
The Fighting Irish have the edge against the Nittany Lions tonight with a 1.5-point spread. Both are very strong teams, and the winner has a good chance against either Texas or Ohio State in this year’s championship game.