BYU Played in Three of the Most Viewed Games of the 2026 Season

The Cougars played in multiple headline matchups in 2026

BYU safety Matthias Leach runs out for Pop-Tarts Bowl | BYU Photo

BYU wrapped up the 2026 season with a 12-2 record and just shy of its first College Football Playoff appearance. As part of the Cougars' run to the Big 12 title game, BYU played in some of the most viewed games of the 2026 college football season.

Football Scoop recently ranked the 100 most viewed games of the 2026 season. Three of BYU's games made the cut.

1. #26 BYU-Texas Tech (Big 12 Championship) - 9.0M
2. #29 BYU-Georgia Tech (Pop-Tarts Bowl) - 8.72M
3. #91 BYU-Texas Tech - 3.98M

The Most Viewed BYU Games Since 2012

Here at BYU On SI, we have tracked television ratings dating back to the start of the independence era. Three of BYU's four most viewed games since 2012 were played in the back half of the 2025 season. For that reason, it's very likely that the 2025 BYU football team was the most viewed BYU football team of the modern era.

It's also worth noting that all four of BYU's most viewed games since 2012 have been played over the last 13 months. Here are the 10 most viewed BYU football games since 2012:

1. 2025 Big 12 Championship Game (Texas Tech) - 8.99M viewers
2. 2025 Pop-Tarts Bowl - 8.70M viewers
3. 2024 Colorado - 8.00M viewers
4. 2025 Texas Tech - 3.98M viewers
5. 2013 Washington - 3.75M viewers
6. 2012 Notre Dame - 3.70M viewers
7. 2015 Utah - 3.68M viewers
8. 2016 Michigan State - 3.25M viewers
9. 2021 UAB - 3.22M viewers
10. 2019 Washington - 3.15M viewers
11. 2015 Nebraska - 3.13M viewers

Back in the independence era, any game exceeding three million viewers would have ranked in the top 10. Over the last 13 months, BYU has played in three games that averaged 8 million or more viewers throughout.

A record-setting audience watched BYU take down Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. BYU-Georgia Tech averaged 8.7 million viewers, the second most of any BYU game in the modern era behind only the Big 12 championship game. According to ESPN PR, it was most viewers for a non-CFP bowl game since the 2019 Citrus Bowl.

Thru Dec. 27, @ESPNCFB's non-CFP bowl viewership is up 13%, averaging 2.7M viewers with several games reaching multi-year highs
 
🏈 @PopTartsBowl | 8.7M viewers⁰🏈 @PinstripeBowl | 7.6M⁰🏈 @taxslayerbowl | 6.0M⁰🏈 @RateBowl | 4.4M⁰🏈 @LABowlGame | 3.8M⁰🏈 @FRBowl | 3.1M pic.twitter.com/AH0LfKYINz

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 2, 2026

This is the second consecutive year that BYU has played in most viewed non-CFP bowl game. Last year's BYU-Colorado game was the largest tv audience in the 33-year history of the Alamo Bowl, and the most viewed non-CFP bowl since the 2019 Citrus Bowl. BYU broke that record in a different bowl game and against a different opponent just one year later.