The Akron Zips face the Ohio State Buckeyes today for a Week 1 NCAA college football  showdown. Today’s game marks the 10th time in school history the Buckeyes face the Zips, as the Buckeyes begin their campaign to win a national championship.

Keep reading to find out how and when to watch the Akron vs. Ohio State game, even if you don’t have cable.

How and when to watch the Akron vs. Ohio State game

The Akron vs. Ohio State game will be played on Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT). The college football game will air on CBS, and stream on Paramount+ with Showtime and the platforms featured below.

How and when to watch the Akron vs. Ohio State game without cable

While many cable packages include CBS it’s easy to watch the game if CBS isn’t included in your cable TV subscription, or if you don’t have cable at all. Your best options for watching are below. (Streaming options will require an internet provider.)

Paramount+ with Showtime: Watch CBS-aired college football games without cable

If you want to spend your weekend watching football but don’t have a cable subscription, consider a subscription to Paramount+ with Showtime. Paramount+ with Showtime gives viewers access to all CBS original content, movies and more. You can watch college football live on the Paramount+ with Showtime subscription tier, starting at $12.99 per month.

A sports-lovers dream, the platform live streams NFL football games airing on CBS, NCAA college football, PGA Tour golf, professional soccer.

What you can stream with Paramount+: 

• All college football airing on CBS locally and nationally (you’ll need a subscription to Paramount+ with Showtime)
• On-demand CBS programming, including hit shows like “Survivor” and “NCIS”
• Paramount+ original programming like “Lawmen Bass Reaves” and “Tulsa King”
• Professional soccer, including Champions League live (with Paramount+ with Showtime)
• SEC college football games live (with Paramount+ with Showtime)

Add Paramount+ with Showtime to your Amazon Prime Video subscription

You can also add Paramount+ with Showtime to your Prime Video subscription to access CBS-aired college and NFL games, plus Paramount+ originals. Add Paramount+ with Showtime to your Prime Video subscription to get access to CBS-aired college football and more for $11.99 per month after a seven-day free trial. 

Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream college football

If you don’t have cable TV that includes CBS, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream college football this season is through a subscription to Sling TV. We suggest leveling up your coverage to the Orange + Blue with Sports Extra tier to get more NFL and college football games this fall.

The Orange + Blue plan regularly costs $60 per month, but the streamer currently offers a half off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $30. The Orange + Blue with Sports Extra plan is $45 for your first month and $75 per month after. The Sports Extras add-on ($15 per month) features 18 channels, including ESPNU, SEC Network, Big 10 Network and ACC Network, making it ideal for watching college football this fall.

The streamer is also currently offering big savings on four months of the Orange + Blue tier plus the Sports Extra plan when you prepay for the Sling TV Season Pass. The plan costs $219, reduced from $300.

Note: Because Sling TV does not carry CBS, Sling subscribers will want to add Paramount+ to their bundle. The Sling + Paramount+ still offers the most cost-effective way to stream NFL games airing on network TV.

Note: Paramount+ and CBS Essentials are both subsidiaries of Paramount Global.

Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue plan:

• Sling TV is our top choice for streaming major sporting events like NASCAR.
• There are 52 channels to watch in total, including local ESPN, NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available).
• You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
• All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
• You can add Golf Channel, NBA TV, NHL Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and more sports-oriented channels (18 in total) via Sling TV’s Sports Extras add-on.

Watch the Akron vs. Ohio State game free with FuboTV

You can watch every college football game airing on network TV, including today’s game, on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every college football and NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox Sunday NFC games via “NFL on Fox”, NBC (Sunday Night Football), ESPN (Monday Night Football), NFL Network and more, so you’ll be able to watch more than just today’s games, all without a cable subscription.

To watch college football without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to NFL football, FuboTV offers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. 

Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:

• There are no contracts with FuboTV — you can cancel at any time.
• The Pro tier includes over 180 channels, including NFL Network. (You’ll need to upgrade to Ultimate for NFL RedZone.)
• FuboTV includes all the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
• All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
• Stream on your TV, phone, tablet and other devices.

Watch the Akron vs. Ohio State game on Hulu + Live TV

You can watch college football, including CBS and ESPN with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including both Fox and FS1. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch live NFL preseason games, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month after a three-day free trial.

If you’re anxiously waiting for today’s game to begin, now is a great time to check out Amazon’s college football fan shop. The Amazon College Fan Shop is filled to the brim with officially licensed fan gear: You’ll find jerseys, team flags, T-shirts, hoodies and more, including tons of great gear for the football fan in your life. There are plenty of great deals awaiting you at Amazon, too, including some must-see deals on TVs for watching sports.

Tap the button below to head directly to the College Fan Shop page on Amazon and select your favorite team.

Watch today’s game with a digital HDTV antenna

You can also watch sports airing on network TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDTV channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here’s the kicker: There’s no monthly charge.

For anyone living in a partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal — or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch sports without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable.

This ultra-thin, multi-directional Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro digital antenna with a 65-mile range can receive hundreds of HD TV channels and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It delivers a high-quality picture in 1080p HDTV and top-tier sound. It comes with a 12-foot digital coax cable.

What team is favored in today’s Akron vs. Ohio State football game?

According to our sister site CBS Sports, Ohio State is a 48.5-point favorite to win today’s NCAA college football game. The total over/under is 58.

What is the Ohio State Buckeyes current team ranking?

The Ohio State Buckeyes are currently ranked 2 out of 134 teams, according to our sister site CBS Sports.

What is the Akron Zips current team ranking?

The Akron Zips are currently ranked 132 out of 134 teams, according to CBS Sports.

When is the 2024 NCAA college football championship game?

The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.