How Ohio State dominated regular season TV viewership

The Buckeyes were featured in three of the four most viewed games this season, and look to expand on those numbers as they enter the playoffs.

Ohio State Buckeyes fans cheer during the Big Ten Conference championship game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 6, 2025. Ohio State lost 13-10. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming off their close Big Ten Championship Game loss against the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday, Ohio State achieved a great off-the-field feat.

After the viewing numbers rolled in for the No. 1 Buckeyes vs. No. 2 Hoosiers, the Big Ten championship game ranked as the No. 2 most-watched game of the 2025 college football season. Even more impressive, this is the Buckeyes’ third time being at the top this year.

Along with Saturday’s game, which amassed an average of 18.3 million viewers, “The Game” raked in the largest audience of any game all season. Barely squeaking ahead of the Big Ten title matchup by about 100,000, Ohio State vs. Michigan garnered 18.4 million viewers.

Below Ohio State vs. Indiana was another conference championship game, the SEC Championship Game. No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 3 Georgia had the third-largest viewership, at 16.9 million average viewers. Although the SEC has ruled viewership rankings over the years with their premier conference matchups, it could not beat out the Big Ten’s two enormous conference games this time around.

Speaking of the SEC, one of its new conference programs were featured in the fourth-highest viewed game of the season, alongside Ohio State once again.

The season opener of then No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Texas rocketed to the top of the viewership rankings. With 16.6 million average viewers, Ohio State had an early lead as one of the two most viewed programs of the year.

The Buckeyes look to continue adding to their nationally recognition in the playoffs, as they entered as the No. 3 seed. Ohio State will only be playing three games due to their first-round bye, as opposed to the four games No. 5-12 play.

In the quarterfinals, the Cotton Bowl for Ohio State, they will face the winner of No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M. The two potential matchups will likely accumulate millions of viewers but will likely not be the top-viewed game of the quarterfinal round, especially with the possibility of No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech and No. 8 Oklahoma or No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana.

Where the Buckeyes could appear in the top five again in viewership will come in the Fiesta Bowl. All signs point to a massive semifinal round of No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Georgia. This game also poses as a rematch of 2022’s semifinal round, which despite the Buckeyes heartbreaking loss, saw them at the top of the rankings for that season.

The 2022 Peach Bowl amassed a staggering 22.5 million viewers, just ahead of the other semifinal Fiesta Bowl game that saw TCU vs. Michigan, which had 21.7 million viewers.

As Ohio State prepares to battle through the 2025 playoffs, expect the Buckeyes to add to their already impressive viewership count.