College Football TV Ratings: Top 10 most-watched games of 2025-26 season
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With Indiana’s national championship win over Miami, the 2025-26 season came to a close. It was a big year for college football from a TV ratings standpoint, and On3 is breaking down the Top 10 most-watched games of the year.
The College Football Playoff national championship game led the TV ratings charge as Indiana took down Miami. At 30.1 million viewers on average, it’s the second-most watched CFP title game on record behind only Ohio State vs. Oregon in 2015. Additionally, it’s the fourth-most watched national championship game, dating back to the BCS era.
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On3 tracked Nielsen Big Data + Panel data throughout the 2025-26 college football season. Regular-season viewership increased by 4% year-over-year and ESPN said CFP viewership went up 16%. Here are the most-watched games across the regular season and CFP.
1. CFP National Championship: Indiana vs. Miami
Date/Time: Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
Viewers: 30.1 million
Indiana’s first-ever national championship delivered in a big way for ESPN, averaging 30.1 million viewers across the family of networks. The game saw a 36% year-over-year increase from last year’s title matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame, which averaged 22.1 million viewers.
2. Rose Bowl (CFP quarterfinal): Indiana vs. Alabama
Date/Time: Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 23.9 million
The Rose Bowl drew historic viewership as Indiana began its dominant run through the College Football Playoff, flying past Alabama 38-3. At 23.9 million viewers, it became the fourth-most watched Rose Bowl on record and – at the time – the most-watched game of the 12-team CFP era.
3. Cotton Bowl (CFP quarterfinal): Miami vs. Ohio State
Date/Time: Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 19.0 million
The Cotton Bowl helped lead an impressive College Football Playoff quarterfinal round for ESPN. Miami’s victory over Ohio State averaged 19.0 million viewers in a standalone New Year’s Eve game, which was a 37% increase from the game in last year’s time slot.
4. Sugar Bowl (CFP quarterfinal): Ole Miss vs. Georgia
Date/Time: Jan. 1, 7 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 18.7 million
In the Sugar Bowl, Ole Miss fought off Georgia as an average of 18.7 million viewers watched – up 18% year-over-year. The Rebels and Bulldogs combined for 30 points in the fourth quarter as Pete Golding got his second win as a head coach.
5. Week 14: Ohio State vs. Michigan
Date/Time: Nov. 29, Noon ET
Channel: FOX
Viewers: 18.4 million
The Game was once again a big draw in Week 14 and became the most-watched game of the 2025 regular season. Ohio State’s victory over Michigan averaged 18.4 million viewers on FOX to lead the charge as the Buckeyes ended their losing streak against the Wolverines.
6. Big Ten Championship: Indiana vs. Ohio State
Date/Time: Dec. 6, 8 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
Viewers: 18.3 million
An average of 18.3 million people tuned to FOX for the Big Ten Championship as Indiana took down Ohio State at Lucas Oil Stadium. That made it the most-watched game of conference championship weekend, and FOX said it’s also the most-watched Big Ten Championship on record.
7. Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal): Indiana vs. Oregon
Date/Time: Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 18.0 million
The Peach Bowl led the College Football Playoff semifinals despite a slight dip in TV ratings from 2024-25. It also marked Indiana’s fourth appearance in the Top 10 most-watched games as the Hoosiers’ win over Oregon averaged 18.0 million viewers.
8. SEC Championship: Georgia vs. Alabama
Date/Time: Dec. 6, 4 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 16.9 million
In the SEC Championship, Georgia dominated Alabama en route to a 28-7 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. ABC drew 16.9 million viewers on average for the afternoon game on championship Saturday, becoming the third-most watched SEC title game ever.
9. Week 1: Texas vs. Ohio State
Date/Time: Aug. 30, Noon ET
Channel: FOX
Viewers: 16.6 million
One of the most anticipated games of the 2025 season lived up to the billing as Ohio State took down Texas in a nail-biter in Columbus. With 16.6 million people tuning in, it became the most-watched Week 1 game in history and FOX’s third most-watched game on record.
10. Orange Bowl (CFP quarterfinal): Oregon vs. Texas Tech
Date/Time: Jan. 1, Noon ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 15.9 million
As part of ESPN’s dominant College Football Playoff quarterfinal slate, all four games appeared in the Top 10 most-watched games of 2025-26. Oregon’s resounding win over Texas Tech ranked No. 10 with 15.9 million viewers as the Ducks shut out the Red Raiders, 23-0.
College Football TV Ratings: More most-watched games from 2025-26
11. Fiesta Bowl, CFP semifinal: Miami vs. Ole Miss (Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 15.8 million
12. CFP First Round: Alabama at Oklahoma (Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) – 14.9 million
13. CFP First Round: Miami at Texas A&M (Dec. 20, Noon ET, ABC/ESPN) – 14.8 million
14. Week 14: Texas vs. Texas A&M (Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) – 13.0 million
15. Week 3: Georgia vs. Tennessee (Sept. 13, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) – 12.6 million
16. Week 14: Alabama vs. Auburn (Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) – 11.3 million
17. Week 1: Notre Dame vs. Miami (Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) – 10.8 million
18. Week 1: Alabama vs. Florida State (Aug. 30, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) – 10.7 million
19. Week 12: Oklahoma vs. Alabama (Nov. 15, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) – 10.48 million
20. Week 1: LSU vs. Clemson (Aug. 30, 8 p.m. ET, ABC) – 10.45 million
Through the regular season, college football viewership saw a 4% increase year-over-year, and the CFP saw a 16% uptick. The national championship capped things off in grand fashion as college football remains the second-most watched sport behind the NFL, per Nielsen TV ratings data.
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