With five straight days of games, Week 1 officially got the college football season off and running. There were plenty of big-time matchups, and the Top 10 most-watched games reflect that.
All eyes turned toward Columbus on Saturday morning as Texas took on Ohio State in a Top-5 showdown, which saw the Buckeyes come away with the victory. It also became a historic day for FOX, which brought in the biggest Week 1 audience ever on any network. Other notable matchups included Bill Belichick’s debut at North Carolina, Miami’s grind-it-out victory over Notre Dame and Florida State’s upset win over Alabama.
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On3 compiled data from press releases and Programming Insider to break down the week’s college football TV ratings. Additionally, these numbers mark a change for Nielsen. It introduced the Big Data + Panel, which are expected to provide a boost for sports ratings. Here are the Top 10 most-watched games of Week 1.
Note: Data from CBS was not available at the time of publication. SEC Network and ACC Network do not pay for Nielsen to measure viewership.
Channel: FOX
Date/Time: Aug. 30, Noon ET
Viewers: 16.6 million
A College Football Playoff rematch also meant quarterbacks Arch Manning and Julian Sayin took center stage as Texas took on Ohio State. The Buckeyes ultimately came away with the 14-7 victory in what turned out to be a historic day for FOX, which drew the largest Week 1 audience ever with 16.6 million viewers on average.
Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 10.8 million
One of four games to top 10 million viewers in Week 1, Notre Dame and Miami had the primetime window to themselves on Sunday night – and the game delivered in a big way. The Hurricanes were able to fight off a late Fighting Irish surge to get a huge signature victory to open the year thanks to a huge night from the defense.
Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Aug. 30, 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 10.7 million
After an offseason of back-and-forth, Alabama and Florida State finally squared off on the field – and it became one of the early upsets of the season. Led by Tommy Castellanos and a staunch rushing attack, the Seminoles took control early and never looked back en route to the 31-17 statement victory.
Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Aug. 30, 8 p.m. ET
Viewers: 10.4 million
The headliner of Saturday’s primetime slate, LSU and Clemson squared off in a game filled with College Football Playoff implications. Ultimately, Brian Kelly got his first win in a season opener as LSU head coach as his Tigers held on to take down Dabo Swinney’s group on the road.
Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: Sept. 1, 8 p.m. ET
Viewers: 6.1 million
At long last, Bill Belichick made his long-awaited debut at North Carolina following a Hall of Fame-caliber career in the NFL. It didn’t go as planned, though, as TCU dominated the Tar Heels and came away with the resounding 48-14 victory in Chapel Hill. For ESPN, it still earned a spot in the Top 10 most-watched games of Week 1 and came away with a TV ratings victory to start the college football season – though the number was likely lower than many expected.
Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: Aug. 31, 3 p.m. ET
Viewers: 5.4 million
The Beamer Bowl, appropriately, came down to special teams play as South Carolina capitalized on a punt return to get a victory against Virginia Tech. It was quite the moment for Shane Beamer as the Gamecocks took down his alma mater in one of two games to take place on Sunday of the holiday weekend.
Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: Aug. 30, 9 p.m. ET
Viewers: 3.7 million
Colorado enters this season as one of the most intriguing teams in the country now that Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are in the NFL, and the Buffs began a new era with a Friday night matchup against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets had some self-inflicted wounds early but were able to right the ship and come away with a victory over CU in Boulder.
Another intriguing matchup awaited Aug. 30 as Auburn and Baylor faced off in Waco. It saw the emergence of Jackson Arnold as he led the charge in the 38-24 victory to start the season on a high note. For FOX, the matchup – despite going against Colorado-Georgia Tech – still secured a spot in the Top 10 most-watched games of Week 1.
Week 1 of the 2025 college football season turned into a historic one as TV ratings soared. Now, it’s off to Week 2, where plenty more intriguing matchups await.
