The Cord Cutters Guide to Iowa Football 2020

I’m not a cord cutter. But I wish I was — now, more than ever.

Every month of the year, Mediacom takes an insane amount of money directly out of my bank account. All so that I can have internet, cable television, and a landline that isn’t hooked up and which I don’t even know the number for. It receives (what I assume are) political calls sometimes, and I know that from my television showing me random calls in the top corner of my screen.

I do this admittedly stupid thing because I care about sports. A lot. And being on Twitter while watching sports. Which meals I am willing to fork up monthly money so I am as up to date on a hail-mars or buzzer beater as possible (and because I blog, and well, people expect us to be timely while live tweeting games).

I wish I did not care this much. Especially in 2020, however many months into the COVID-19 pandemic. From the middle of March through June, I did not watch one moment of “live television.” My viewing was exclusively Schitt’s Creek, Upload, and a bunch of other shows across literally every mainstream streaming platform (because I am dumb and pay for all of those, too). I never realized how easy it would have been to cut the cord and never look back.

And then, sports returned. Lo and behold, I was back watching sports live pretty much every day, and man it felt great. And thus, Mediacom’s hold over my bank account continues in perpetuity.

Many of you are not as dumb as I am (at least when it comes to paying to watch sports and television programming - jury is out on some other areas of intelligence), and you do not pay Mediacom gobs of money every month. Or, you’re like me and you are wanting to quit paying Mediacom that gob of monthly money, and are wondering which option to choose in the somehow still growing realm of streaming services.

Well, you’re in luck — I am here to once again provide you with all the best platforms for viewing Iowa Football’s abbreviated 2020 season. Let’s go on a journey, shall we?

Since the last time I wrote this post, both everything and nothing has simultaneously changed about streaming services. Your behemoths of “live TV” streaming are as follows: Sling, Hulu and YouTube TV. Their overall offerings are all pretty similar, and part of your preference for one over the other nowadays involves what interface you like, and what kind of exclusive channels you want.

In what I would deem the second tier in terms of pure popularity (and my own knowledge of them), you have Fubo TV and AT&T TV Now. Here is a nice chart breakdown, courtesy of CableTV.com:

If those prices look like they vary a lot, it’s because they do, and it’s because all of them offer something slightly different when it comes to their package, especially when sports are involved.

If my brief reading is correct, it seems like you’d be able to get all of the Iowa games televised on any ABC or Fox network with any of the basic packages for these. These days, that includes BTN since Fox took over the network.

So if you’re looking for Iowa games, you really can’t go wrong across the board there, and it again goes into preferences and add ons. If you’re looking for a one stop shop for live television and on-demand entertainment, Hulu is definitely the way to go, and has a strong interface. If you’re looking primarily for channel selection and a fair value, Sling is the way to go — and has the most to offer as far as add-on packages, particularly for sports. And YouTube TV is an up and comer as well, and includes NFL Network, MLB Network and NBA TV to watch your favorite Hawkeyes compete in the pros, for the same cost as Hulu.

There’s obviously nitty-gritty to get into as well regarding DVR storage space and the like, but the nice thing with streaming is that there is no contract for any of these, so it’s easy to hop around until you find a platform you like with the channels you want and actually watch.

Just be careful — it’s still way too easy to find yourself adding on additional stuff until all the sudden you’re paying just as much as you were with any cable network. But if you’re simply looking for the major sports channels to get your Hawkeye fix on, and you don’t need every ESPN, Fox and CBS network to watch every possible game, there’s never been a better time to cut the cord and save some money while still enjoying sports.

Just beware of that delay, too. And as long as I’m at the helm of the BHGP Twitter account on game days, all you streamers will be spoiled.

Happy streaming!