American college football is a favorite sport among college teams across the United States, and the Alabama Crimson Tide stands as one of the best teams in the nation. It does not hurt that Alabama’s football games are perennially must-watch television due to its current national championship coach Nick Saban and the fact that the Crimson Tide ranks on average in the top five teams in the nation for the last ten years. This guide provides Dish Network subscribers information on what channel to turn to watch Alabama games throughout the season if the television provider of choice is Dish Network.
For most Alabama games, the channel to tune in to is SEC Network.
Since the Crimson Tide is a part of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), almost all their football games in the regular season will air on the SEC Network. This channel provides wall-to-wall coverage of the SEC as events unfold, throughout the day and night, including weekends. They usually come with the Dish Network basic packages and are not optional add-ons with an additional price. If you have a Dish package like America’s Top 120+ or above, then watching the SEC Network should not be a problem.
The easiest method of searching for the channel is through the use of the guide button in the Dish remote control and then selecting channel 611 in standard picture quality or 96 for high picture quality. You can also navigate to the channel using Dish’s on-screen Guide to scroll through the programs to locate the SEC Network. Here is the kind of information that is passed on to the client when an Alabama game is set to be aired on the SEC Network; “Get to channel 611 or 96 at kickoff time to catch the action.
CBS and ESPN games at night
Most of the usual games that Alabama competes in are broadcast on the SEC Network, but some games involving standout teams get the CBS or ESPN treatment. Other channels include CBS (Channel 7) and ESPN (Channel 206) which are included in all Dish packages, so you are good in that area.
CBS has a national game every week in the afternoon, usually featuring a big SEC contest. ESPN also picks out some of the Alabama games for their evening primetime lineup, whether it is on the main ESPN channel or ESPNU. You can go through the weekly Football schedule of CBS or ESPN to know whether Alabama is scheduled with the national CBS or ESPN game of the week.
Additional ESPN Network Channels
In addition to main ESPN channels, Dish Network offers a variety of alternate ESPN channels that may also carry Alabama games occasionally:
- ESPN2 - Channel 209
- ESPNU - Channel 208
This is the SEC Network alternate channel, and it is on channel 610.
If you do not get to see the Alabama game on the designated SEC Network channel, then be sure to check these other channels airing the week’s telecast.
Streaming Options
A common recent trend thus enables the networks to offer streaming rights to live material via apps and websites that authenticate a cable/satellite subscription. The two companies that provide SEC Network+ or ESPN3 streaming service to customers are the SEC Network and ESPN, so long as they are in a package providing those channels.
Thus, if you cannot get to a TV with Dish access, you may be able to stream the Alabama game through a smartphone, tablet, or computer if you log in with your Dish credentials. That way, they simply have to download the SEC Network or ESPN app or go to their website on game day for streaming access. This makes it easier to accommodate different viewing styles.
Know Your Options
So, as you can see, it is almost impossible to miss out on any game if you are a Dish Network fan of Alabama football. But as for most of the games, SEC Network will be there now and then, if you’re lost on where to find the Crimson Tide on that Saturday afternoon, those other Dish channels will come in handy. Streaming also gives options for backups Streaming has other backup options. Feel free to turn to this guide whenever you are in doubt about where to locate Alabama games, so you do not miss a play!
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