Ohio State’s 14-7 win over Texas delivered a historic audience, setting a new standard for Week 1 college football viewership.
FOX averaged 16.6 million viewers for the top-five showdown, according to Nielsen ratings. It was the most-watched Week 1 game on record. The broadcast peaked at 18.57 million viewers just after 3 p.m. ET. There was tons of national appeal for the defending champion Buckeyes hosting the then-No. 1 Longhorns.
The numbers mark its third-largest regular-season college football audience ever. The final rating nearly matched last season’s Georgia-Texas SEC Championship game, while surpassing every 2024 regular-season telecast. In fact, the only games to draw larger audiences in the past year were College Football Playoff contests. Not to mention, those weren't carrying a Noon eastern time kickoff.
Several factors amplified Saturday’s spotlight. Ohio State-Texas was a rare early-season matchup between iconic programs with national title implications. It's the reason why both FOX's Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN's College GameDay were on campus.
The game also unfolded amid heightened attention for FOX with Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy making his network debut. The avid Michigan fan put a few wrinkles in the rivalry with OSU in the process. Portnoy’s ban from Ohio Stadium became part of the weekend’s media narrative, likely adding curiosity to the broadcast.
ESPN also benefitted from the Columbus stage. College GameDay featured the final on-air appearance for Lee Corso and drew a record 3.5 million viewers.
FOX Sports executive Michael Mulvihill projected that the total audience across networks will push Week 1 viewing beyond 20 billion minutes, well clear of the 14.5 billion-minute record set in 2023.
Needless to say, the college football season started out with a bang. We'll see if that momentum carries on toward the second attempt with the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
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