Representing the Atlantic Coast Conference and looking to cap a resurgent season, the Virginia Tech Hokies (8-4) make a short trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, to go head-to-head against Southeastern Conference delegate Kentucky Wildcats (7-5) at Bank of America Stadium in the Belk Bowl.
Virginia Tech, as always, rests its collective hat on defense, ranked 41st in FBS at 359.9 total yards allowed per game. It allows 123.3 yards rushing and 3.68 yards per carry. In what will be defensive coordinator Bud Foster’s last stand, the game will test these last two statistics for sturdiness because Kentucky loves to run the football. And I mean, loves to run the ball.
The Wildcats are fourth in the country in rushing (274.4 yards per game), behind only the military academies (Air Force, Army West Point, and Navy). It’s a mind-bending change that head coach Mark Stoops brought to what used to be a pass-happy program in its most recent heyday, with Hal Mumme at the helm.
Leading the charge is junior All-American Lynn Bowden Jr. He started the season as a receiver and still paces Kentucky in receptions (30) and receiving yards (348). Bowden, however, made the change to quarterback after an injury to Sawyer Smith and wound up rushing for 1,235 yards and 11 touchdowns (with 330 passing yards and two additional scores tacked on).
Bowden will be the best player on the field in what could be his national coming-out party as an intriguing NFL prospect.
Here’s how to watch Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky in the Belk Bowl.
| HOW TO STREAM THE BELK BOWL | |
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| HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
🏈: @HokiesFB vs. @UKFootball
— Duke's Mayo Bowl (@DukesMayoBowl) December 8, 2019
🎟: https://t.co/luDi58Fmxk
📍: @BoAStadium
🗓: 12/31/2019#BelkBowl #BestBowl pic.twitter.com/RfUOnOfeTF
Belk Bowl
- Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: Dec. 31, 12pm ET
- Streaming: ESPN
How to stream Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky live: Watch the Belk Bowl
The following services offer a one-week trial.
1) Sling TV
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- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV,Roku,Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, Microsoft Edge, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $30 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NFL Network, NBCSN, and local channels.
Sling Blue customers in select markets get NBC; see if yours has it here. Sling Blue also brings Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and Headline News as part of its regular slate of channels, with Fox Business Channel available for those who get the Sling Blue News Extra add-on. Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month) also includes NFL RedZone.
If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $45 per month.
How to use AirTV with Sling
AirTV solves one of Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “It’s practically magic.”
The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you.
But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels. While select NFL and college football games (on Fox, FS1, and FS2) are no longer on Sling, you can still catch Fox games with AirTV.
2) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
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Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings, including ESPN and FS1, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
3) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for college football: Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, FS1, FS2, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, and ESPNU are all here and offer a nearly 360 programming platter of action. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
Belk Bowl: Notes
If you’re wondering where the idea for Lynn Bowden Jr. to play quarterback for Kentucky came from, below is a video from when he was as an all-state dual-threat quarterback at Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio.
Your typical botched punt https://t.co/fxOuJOs3FL
— Footballism (@FootbaIIism) December 21, 2019
New to cord-cutting? Here are our picks for the best movie streaming sites of 2018 and free live TV apps and channels. If you’re looking for a specific channel, here’s how to watch HBO, Showtime, Starz, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, AMC, FX, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FS1, TBS, TNT, Golf Channel, Syfy, HGTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Bravo, Lifetime, Discovery, PBS, the CW, BBC, CSPAN, NBA TV, MTV, Comedy Central, Food Network, TLC, the Weather Channel, and NFL RedZone without cable, as well as free movies on YouTube. If you’re on the move, here’s how to watch Fox Sports Go and live stream NBC Sports.
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