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Saturday, May 3, 2025

The Most Watched College Football Games in U.S. TV History

  • The top five most-watched college football games all attracted over 30 million viewers.
  • The Orange Bowl featured three games that averaged 29.47 million viewers.
Jan 4, 2006; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Southern California Trojans running back Reggie Bush (5) in action against the Texas Longhorns during the 2006 Rose Bowl at the Rose Bowl. The Longhorns defeated the Trojans 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Network
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Network

College football thrives on tradition, but the introduction of NIL and the far-reaching impacts of conference realignment are shaking the sport at its foundation.

Power conference head coaches are fleeing for assistant jobs, partly because of the new recruiting landscape dominated by name, image, and likeness deals.

One constant in college football is the presence of suspenseful, classic games that bring fans to the edge of their seats. When schools with massive fan bases collide, the result is usually record ratings. 

The 2006 Rose Bowl is the most-watched college football game in U.S. television history, with 35.6 million viewers. Texas defeated top-ranked USC 41-38 in a thrilling showdown that awarded them the national championship.

Texas, a seven-point underdog, was led by quarterback Vince Young on a game-winning touchdown drive with nineteen seconds left. The game was tight throughout and recorded a 21.7 Nielsen rating. 

The 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship drew 34.1 million American viewers, which is the second-highest number in college football history. Ohio State and Oregon matched up in the inaugural national title game under a new playoff format. 

Third is the 2010 Rose Bowl matchup between Alabama and Texas, which attracted 30.78 million American viewers. It was the ninth all-time meeting between the two powerhouse programs.

In that Rose Bowl, the Tide rolled over the Longhorns 37-21, with Mark Ingram winning offensive MVP and Marcell Dareus winning defensive MVP. Alabama won its 13th national championship in school history, and Nick Saban picked up his second title as a coach.

The 1998 Rose Bowl between Michigan and Washington State was the only non-title game to make the list. That game drew 29 million viewers as Michigan narrowly defeated Washington State 19-16.

The Orange Bowl featured three games among the most-watched college football games, the most of any bowl game.

The three games averaged 29.47 million viewers, and all took place in the 90s.

Ranking The Most-Watched College Football Games

Here is the list of the top 10 most-watched college football games based on reported viewership in the United States. The list was compiled using historical data from SportsMediaWatch and Nielsen.

  • Updated: April 15th, 2025
RankingYearResultsMatchupReported U.S. Viewership
12006Texas (41) vs USC (38)Rose Bowl – BCS National Championship game35.6 million
22015Ohio St (42) vs Oregon (20)College Football Playoff National Championship34.1 million
32010Alabama (37) vs Texas (21)BCS National Championship game30.8 million
41993Alabama (34) vs Miami (13)Sugar Bowl – BCS National Championship game30.1 million
51995Nebraska (24) vs Miami (17)Orange Bowl – National Championship game30 million
61991Colorado (10) vs Notre Dame (9)Orange Bowl – National Championship game29.6 million
72003Ohio St (31) vs Miami (24)Fiesta Bowl – BCS National Championship game29.1 million
81998Michigan (21) vs Washington St (16)Rose Bowl29 million
91994Florida St (18) vs Nebraska (16)Orange Bowl – National Championship game28.8 million
102007Florida (41) vs Ohio St (14)BCS National Championship game28.8 million

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