Skip to main content
South Carolina

South Carolina-Alabama was the most-watched game on television

Screenshotby: Kevin Miller7 hours agokevinmillerGC
Untitled design - 2025-10-25T183142.363
Oct 25, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Lanorris Sellers (16) throws under pressure from Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Lt Overton (22) in the first quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

On Saturday, South Carolina nearly pulled the upset over No. 4 Alabama. The Gamecocks led by eight points with less than three minutes to play but couldn’t hold on for the huge home victory.

As one of the best and most competitive games of the weekend, it is no surprise that the SEC showdown performed well with television viewers. However, according to the Nielsen Media Research ratings team, the matchup was the most-viewed game of the weekend.

The game drew an average of 7.8 million viewers. It also peaked at over 10 million. The dramatic SEC showdown was also one of the 12 most-watched games of the season. If NBC’s Peacock streams are not included, Gamecocks-Tide would move ahead of Penn State-Oregon, as well.

The 7.8 million average was more than double the highest non-SEC showdown, as the rivalry game between Michigan and Michigan State on NBC drew just 3.6 million sets of eyes. South Carolina vs. Alabama outperformed several NFL broadcasts from this week, as well.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!

Those numbers came despite Carolina-Bama competing with pregame coverage for Game Two of the World Series and happening in the same broadcast window as Vanderbilt-Missouri (where College GameDay was over the weekend) and Texas-Mississippi State.

Perhaps adding to the impressiveness of that viewership number is that it came in October. Historically, the highest ratings of the season come at the beginning of the year (the last weekend of August and September) and the end of the season (rivalry weekend in November and postseason play in December and January). South Carolina-Alabama is one of just four October games in the top 12. Six of the top 12 came in the opening two weekends of the year.

The final game of October will come against another top team in Ole Miss. The Gamecocks and Rebels will kick off at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. ESPN will handle the broadcast, while the ESPN app makes the game available via streaming.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!