College Football TV Ratings: Most-watched teams of the 2025 regular season

Heading into the final stretch of the season, college football’s TV ratings continue to rise. Week 14 provided a strong finish with three of the most-watched games of the year, and the SEC still remained the big winner.

Nielsen has also released the most-watched college football teams of the season. The SEC led the charge, fueled by massive ratings success from ABC out of the gate. The network has nine of the 10 most-watched games of the season so far.

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College football TV ratings as a whole increased 2% heading into conference championship weekend. Here are the Top 10 most-watched teams of the 2025 regular season, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel data. Figures listed are average viewers per game.

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

1. Alabama – 8.49 million viewers

Year 2 of the Kalen DeBoer era got off to a rough start as Alabama fell to Florida State in Week 1 – one of the most-watched games to date. But the Crimson Tide finished the regular season 10-2 to make the SEC Championship while also becoming the most-watched team in college football with 8.49 million viewers on average.

After a non-conference break in Week 13, Alabama closed out the year with a victory in the Iron Bowl against Auburn. That game became the fifth-most watched game of the season with 11.3 million viewers on ABC.

2. Texas – 7.55 million viewers

Texas started out the year on the biggest stage as the Longhorns went to Columbus to take on Ohio State. It became the most-watched Noon ET game on record with 16.6 million people tuning in to FOX for the Buckeyes’ grind-it-out victory, and that made Texas one of the 10 most-watched teams so far with 6.48 million viewers on average.

Arch Manning has had an up-and-down go through his first year as the Longhorns’ starter, but he remains one of the biggest names in the sport. Texas played in two of the three most-watched games of the year, including the Lone Star Showdown against Texas A&M in Week 14.

3. Georgia – 7.48 million viewers

Georgia came in as the third-most watched team in college football this year, becoming a huge TV ratings draw. UGA averaged 7.48 million viewers on Nielsen networks, including the No. 4-ranked game of the season.

UGA’s most-watched game of the year came in Week 3 when the Bulldogs came away with an overtime victory over Tennessee on Rocky Top in front of a staggering 12.6 million viewers. Georgia and Florida also led the charge in Week 11 with the most-watched game on the slate, averaging 7.8 million viewers on ABC.

4. Ohio State – 6.57 million viewers

The winner in 2025’s two most-watched games so far, Ohio State came in at No. 4 on the most-watched teams list. The Buckeyes’ victory over Michigan topped the regular season, averaging a whopping 18.4 million viewers on FOX in Week 14.

Ohio State held the top two spots in the most-watched games list, including the Week 1 win over Texas, which drew 16.6 million viewers on FOX. That helped the Buckeyes jump up to No. 4 by season’s end.

5. Oklahoma – 6.47 million viewers

Twice this year, Oklahoma played in a game that drew plenty of attention. The Sooners’ win over Michigan led the charge in Week 2 with 9.7 million – a top-10 game so far this season – and they checked in at No. 5 on the most-watched teams list.

OU’s rivalry game against Texas was also a big draw for ABC as John Mateer returned from injury. The Sooners’ loss to Ole Miss also came in as one of the most-watched games of Week 9, one of the many top-rated games in which they played.

6. LSU – 6.42 million viewers

Through Week 8, LSU has played in three games with more than 6 million viewers and played a fourth before 5.9 million last time out. As a result, the Tigers are one of the most-watched teams of the year so far with 6.42 million viewers on average.

LSU underwent a major shakeup after a loss to Texas A&M in primetime. Still, the Tigers were a big TV draw, and the season finale against Oklahoma cracked the Top 10 most-watched games of Week 14.

7. Tennessee – 6.21 million viewers

Through Week 13, Tennessee has played in two of the top games of the season. The biggest was in Week 3 against Georgia, which had the fourth-highest viewership of the year, and those numbers propelled the Vols into the Top 10 most-watched teams with 6.21 million viewers on average. It’s important to note Tennessee has played six games on SEC Network, which does not pay for Nielsen ratings data.

Tennessee finished the year 8-4 with a Week 14 loss to Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium. That was among the Top 10 games on the slate to close out the regular season.

8. Auburn – 5.255 million

Jumping into the Top 10 most-watched teams of the regular season, the Iron Bowl helped Auburn move to No. 8. More than 11 million people tuned in as the Tigers dropped a close one to Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn underwent a midseason coaching change as Hugh Freeze was let go. The Tigers then finished 5-7 before hiring Alex Golesh from USF to take over.

9. Michigan – 5.08 million

The ninth-most watched team of the regular season, Michigan and Ohio State played in the most-watched game of the season in Week 14. More than 18.8 million people watched the Wolverines fall to the Buckeyes, taking them out of the College Football Playoff race.

It marks the second time Michigan played in a top game in a week. The Wolverines’ loss to Oklahoma earlier this season was also a big draw.

10. Texas A&M – 4.99 million

Rounding out the Top 10 most-watched teams of the 2025 college football season, Texas A&M went 11-1 during the regular season. It ended with a loss to Texas, which became the most-watched Lone Star Showdown on record.

The Aggies are still in prime position to host a College Football Playoff game despite missing out on the SEC Championship. At 4.99 million, they also drew the 10th-highest viewership on Nielsen-rated networks.

More most-watched college football teams

11. Florida – 4.68 million
12. Ole Miss – 4.48 million
13. South Carolina – 4.15 million
14. Florida State – 4.07 million
15. Notre Dame – 3.93 million
16. Vanderbilt – 3.59 million
17. Missouri – 3.51 million
18. Penn State – 3.433 million
19. Miami – 3.425 million
20. Oregon – 3.29 million

College football, and particularly the SEC, got off to quite a start this year with huge TV ratings and continued throughout the final week. Now, it’s on to conference championships and the College Football Playoff.