The 2025 college football season? Wild. There have been thrilling games, record-shattering viewership numbers, and rivalries that just won’t quit. Fans have been glued to their screens week after week, and honestly, who could blame them?
The battle for the most-watched team has been almost as intense as the games themselves. Let’s dig into the numbers and see which teams and matchups actually held our attention this year.
Ohio State: The Crowd Magnet
Ohio State just keeps proving it’s a juggernaut—on the field and on TV. The Buckeyes showed up in three of the four most-watched games this season:
- 18.4 million tuned in for their big win over Michigan.
- 18.3 million watched the high-stakes No. 1 vs. No. 2 Big Ten Championship against Indiana.
- 16.6 million caught the season opener against then-No. 1 Texas. That’s the most-watched opening weekend game ever, by the way.
Those are some wild numbers. The Buckeyes seem to draw viewers no matter who they’re playing or what’s on the line.
Alabama: Consistent Viewer Magnet
Sure, Ohio State might’ve had the flashiest single-game numbers, but Alabama? They’re the steady draw. The Crimson Tide landed in the top 50 most-watched games 10 times.
Even their 10th-most-watched game had a bigger audience than Ohio State’s fifth-best. That’s some serious consistency.
Top Alabama Games
- Georgia-Alabama, SEC Championship – 16.9 million viewers
- Alabama-Auburn – 11.31 million viewers
- Alabama-Florida State – 10.66 million viewers
- Oklahoma-Alabama – 10.48 million viewers
Altogether, Alabama’s games pulled in a total of 96.56 million viewers. That’s a lot of eyeballs.
Other Top Performers
It wasn’t just Ohio State and Alabama hogging the spotlight. Georgia, LSU, and Oklahoma each showed up in the top 50 seven times. Texas managed five appearances, too.
Georgia’s Impact
- Georgia-Tennessee – 12.58 million viewers
- Georgia-Georgia Tech – 8.72 million viewers
- Georgia-Florida – 7.79 million viewers
Georgia keeps reminding everyone that the SEC is still king when it comes to football viewership. It’s hard to argue with those numbers.
Conference Breakdown
SEC and Big Ten basically ran the show, viewership-wise. The SEC had 62 top-50 appearances, while the Big Ten had 24.
SEC Dominance
Every SEC team except Kentucky made at least one top-50 appearance. Seven teams finished within a game of first place. That’s some serious depth.
The competition kept fans coming back. It’s not hard to see why the SEC keeps topping the charts.
Big Ten Strength
Big Ten didn’t have the same depth, but their top teams really delivered. Ohio State and Indiana both finished the regular season undefeated, which definitely helped drive big viewership.
ACC and Big 12 Viewership
The ACC and Big 12 just couldn’t keep up with the SEC and Big Ten this year. The ACC only made it into the top 50 nine times, and the struggles of Clemson and Florida State didn’t help.
ACC Highlights
- Miami-Florida State – 6.03 million viewers
- Virginia Tech-South Carolina – 5.43 million viewers
The ACC title game between Virginia and Duke? Only 3.9 million viewers. Ouch.
Big 12 Performance
The Big 12 barely cracked the list, with just three games in the top 50. Their most-watched regular season game was Texas Tech at Utah with 4.04 million viewers.
But hey, the BYU-Texas Tech Big 12 Championship did see a 30 percent bump from last year. Maybe things are looking up?
Network Breakdown
ABC was the clear winner for broadcasting the biggest games, snagging 35 out of the top 50. Fox had six, CBS got five, and ESPN and NBC each had two.
Top Networks
- ABC – 35 games
- Fox – 6 games
- CBS – 5 games
- ESPN and NBC – 2 games each
ABC’s got a real grip on college football right now. They just keep pulling the biggest audiences, year after year.
Most-Watched Games
The top 10 most-watched games of 2025? Packed with rivalries and high-stakes drama:
- Ohio State-Michigan – 18.4 million viewers
- Indiana-Ohio State, Big Ten Championship – 18.3 million viewers
- Georgia-Alabama, SEC Championship – 16.9 million viewers
- Texas-Ohio State – 16.6 million viewers
- Texas A&M-Texas – 13.04 million viewers
- Georgia-Tennessee – 12.58 million viewers
- Alabama-Auburn – 11.31 million viewers
- Notre Dame-Miami – 10.8 million viewers
- Alabama-Florida State – 10.66 million viewers
- Oklahoma-Alabama – 10.48 million viewers
These games didn’t just have big teams—they delivered the kind of drama that keeps fans talking all week. Can next season top this? Guess we’ll see.
Ohio State and Alabama really pulled in the crowds this season. Their games racked up millions of viewers—no surprise there, honestly.
The SEC and Big Ten? Still dominating. Meanwhile, the ACC and Big 12 struggled a bit to grab the national spotlight.
Curious which games topped the charts or just want to dig deeper? Check out the full breakdown at Football Scoop.
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