College Football TV Ratings: Top 10 most-watched games of Week 12

College football continued its TV ratings success in Week 12 as the final stretch of the season heats up. More key games highlighted the slate, and On3 is breaking down the Top 10 most-watched games of the week.

Through the first 11 weeks of the year, college football viewership was up 2% year-over-year, according to Nielsen. Week 12 also saw the return of ABC and ESPN networks for YouTube TV subscribers following a two-week blackout due to a carriage dispute. For ABC, it was a monster week, including two of the Top 10 most-watched games of the 2025 season so far.

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On3 obtained Nielsen Big Data + Panel ratings data for the Top 10 most-watched games of Week 12. Here is the full breakdown of the week’s college football TV ratings.

Note: SEC Network, ACC Network and CBS Sports Network do not pay for Nielsen to measure viewership.

Oklahoma at Alabama

Date/Time: Nov. 15, 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 10.5 million

In a huge game for the College Football Playoff, Oklahoma capitalized on Alabama turnovers to get a win at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The matchup also became the most-watched college football game of Week 12 with 10.5 million people tuning to ABC.

Texas at Georgia

Date/Time: Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 10.4 million

Although Texas had an opportunity to improve its resume, Georgia had other plans. The Bulldogs took down the Longhorns 35-10 between the hedges, extending their win streak to six games. The matchup averaged 10.4 million viewers for ABC’s primetime game.

South Carolina at Texas A&M

Date/Time: Nov. 15, Noon ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 4.3 million

What looked like a surprising blowout turned into a historic comeback as Texas A&M rallied to beat South Carolina at Kyle Field. The game helped highlight the Noon ET window on ESPN and drew an average of 4.3 million viewers in the process.

Notre Dame at Pitt

Date/Time: Nov. 15, Noon ET
Channel: ABC
Viewers: 4.0 million

A key showdown in the early window saw Notre Dame head to Pitt in a big game for both sides. The Fighting Irish flexed their muscle early and didn’t back down, getting the victory to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Michigan at Northwestern

Date/Time: Nov. 15, Noon ET
Channel: FOX
Viewers: 3.8 million

The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field returned to its football roots as Michigan visited Northwestern in Week 12. It became a close one between the Big Ten foes, but the Wolverines used a late field goal to fight off the Wildcats and stay alive in the College Football Playoff race.

UCLA at Ohio State

Date/Time: Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC
Viewers: 3.4 million

Ohio State got a rare home primetime game and made the most of it, cruising past UCLA at The Horseshoe. The Buckeyes are still the top team in the country entering the final two games, starting with Rutgers on Saturday.

Clemson at Louisville

Date/Time: Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 2.6 million

ESPN’s Friday night success continued as a high-stakes ACC game drew Top-10 viewership in Week 12. Clemson successfully played spoiler, defeating Louisville to make the conference race even more interesting heading into the final stretch.

Florida at Ole Miss

Date/Time: Nov. 15, 7 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Viewers: 2.50 million

The Week 12 game between Florida and Ole Miss had plenty of storylines, to say the least, as the Rebels came away with a victory at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. But of course, all eyes are on Lane Kiffin’s future – and the Gators are squarely in the middle of that conversation.

Penn State at Michigan State

Date/Time: Nov. 15, 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Viewers: 2.48 million

Despite a matchup between two sub-.500 teams, CBS’ Big Ten game still became one of the Top 10 most-watched games of Week 12. Penn State got its first win under interim head coach Terry Smith, taking down Michigan State in East Lansing.

Minnesota at Oregon

Date/Time: Nov. 14, 9 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
Viewers: 2.3 million

Friday night college football had huge success in Week 12 as Minnesota and Oregon also drew big numbers. An average of 2.3 million people tuned in to FOX as the Ducks got a resounding victory over the Golden Gophers.

College Football TV Ratings: More top Week 12 games

• TCU at BYU (Nov. 15, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 1.6 million
• Iowa at USC (Nov. 15, 3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) – 1.44 million
• UCF at Texas Tech (Nov. 15, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) – 1.40 million
• NC State at Miami (Nov. 15, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) – 1.38 million
• Wisconsin at Indiana (Nov. 15, Noon ET, BTN) – 1.1 million

With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, it’s been a strong year of TV ratings for college football. Week 12 marked the first time two games hit 10 million viewers since Week 1, setting the stage for a strong finish.