SEC Games Help ABC Dominate College Football Ratings at Midseason

Halfway through the 2025 college football regular season, ABC has 8 of the 10 most-watched games, despite Fox having the top single-game audience.

Through 7 of 14 weeks of regular-season games, here are the top 10 most-watched college football broadcasts:

• Texas–Ohio State: 16.62 million (Fox)
• Georgia-Tennessee: 12.58 million (ABC)
• Notre Dame–Miami: 10.8 million (ABC)
• Alabama–Florida State: 10.66 million (ABC)
• LSU-Clemson: 10.45 million (ABC)
• Alabama-Georgia: 10.42 million (ABC)
• Michigan-Oklahoma: 9.67 million (ABC)
• Oklahoma-Texas: 8.73 million (ABC)
• Oregon–Penn State: 8.5 million (NBC)
• Florida-LSU: 7.64 million (ABC)

Six of those games on ABC are due to Disney/ESPN’s all-encompassing SEC media-rights deal, which took over the conference’s top game of the week from CBS last year. Two ABC games come from Disney/ESPN’s ACC deal. There are no Big 12 teams in the 10 most-watched games so far.

Fox’s telecast of Texas–Ohio State is the most-watched Week 1 game of all time on any network.

Second-Half Preview

This weekend, ABC has another strong trio of SEC matchups, as is becoming standard for the network: No. 10 LSU at No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia, and No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama. NBC/Peacock has No. 20 USC at No. 13 Notre Dame in prime time.

ABC will likely be the benefactor of more top-25 matchups the rest of the season, too, with 10 of the SEC’s 16 teams currently ranked. 

As it does every year, though, Fox will broadcast Ohio State–Michigan Nov. 29, which could have the potential to draw the top audience of the year; the undefeated Buckeyes are ranked No. 1, and none of Michigan’s (4–2) opponents are ranked before the rivalry game. The Buckeyes have also dropped four straight games to their Big Ten rivals. 

Last year’s matchup drew 12.3 million viewers, and in 2023 it drew a record 19 million viewers, when both teams were undefeated and ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, entering the game.