Baylor-Auburn Ranks Among College Football's Most-Watched Games Early On

Baylor's first game of the year against Auburn certainly didn't disappoint in the drama, as a last second decision ultimately decided the Bears' fate. In a game that saw DJ Lagway's debut as a Bear marked with the asterisk of getting injured and a revitalized Baylor defense recording five quarterback sacks as well as three interceptions, it was a combination of great potential and an equal amount of worry.

The rest of the country apparently also seemed to think so as well, as it is currently the 10th most viewed game this season.

Oct 11, 2014; Waco, TX, USA; The Baylor Bears cheerleaders root for their team during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at McLane Stadium. The Bears defeat Horned Frogs 61-58. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Everything's Bigger in Texas

4.24 million watched Baylor walk into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia and come within feet of defeating the Auburn Tigers. In comparison, as the 7th most viewed game, 4.91 million tuned in during Week 0 to watch fellow Big XII conference member TCU also come up short in their contest with North Carolina, losing 15-10 in Dublin, Ireland.

Currently however, the Texas Longhorns' week two comeback victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes is the most viewed college football game at 13.99 million.

Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh and Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda shake hands after the game as Auburn Tigers take on Baylor Bears in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Baylor Bears 17-16. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Viewership Across College Football is Showing a Positive Trend

Using just the teams listed here may be a small sample size, but considering that TCU vs. UNC was the first game of the year and also taking place in Ireland, Baylor vs. Auburn was the Aflac Kickoff Game, and Ohio State vs. Texas being two top-ten teams playing against each other, the state of Texas has been getting some eyeballs on it recently. As it does though, if Baylor can start adding wins in a row, they'll start gathering more viewership.

Baylor Bears quarterback DJ Lagway (2) is sacked as Auburn Tigers take on Baylor Bears in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Baylor Bears 17-16. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

How the Game Went

Even though the Bears ended up losing by a score of 16-17 to Auburn, it didn't feel as though Baylor was beaten, but rather that Coach Dave Aranda took a chance on a judgment call and fell just a few feet short of being praised for "going for the win."

Instead, the decision to attempt a two-point conversion with 0:09 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter rather than kicking the PAT to play for the tie and overtime with Auburn, was made (for better or worse) with the player's longevity in mind, with Lagway's ankle injury certainly being among them.

The Bears defense was smothering and at times completely dominant through their collective performance and Gavin Freeman emerged as an absolute unit of a wide receiver as he caught 12 passes for 154 yards. And, because of the ill-timed injury, DJ Lagway showed a lot of promise early on but became drastically limited as the game progressed because of the injury.

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