Texas Longhorns Among College Football's Most-Watched Teams in 2024

The Texas Longhorns gained an average of 6.4 million views per game this year and joined some of their SEC competitors on the list for most-watched teams.
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) makes a touchdown catch against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) makes a touchdown catch against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
In this story:

Transferring into the Southeastern Conference this season, the Texas Longhorns have had the eyes of the college football fandom upon them since the preseason. Aside from the 100,000 attendees per game the team curated, the Longhorns gathered nationwide attention through TV viewership that reached new heights.

TV viewership analytics company Neilson shared its overall team rankings and conference champions on Wednesday, where Texas was revealed as one of the top teams in college football based on average viewership. The Longhorns placed fourth on the list, racking in 6.4 million viewers per game this year. The three most watched teams were Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama, while the remaining programs on the list were Tennessee, Michigan, Texas A&M, LSU, Kentucky and Florida.

The two games that stole the show across the entirety of the sport both featured Texas and also happened to be against Georgia in the Longhorns' only two losses of the season. Their initial matchup on Oct. 19 drew 13.19 million viewers, the most-watched game of the regular season, and their latest in the SEC Championship soared over that number, gaining 16.6 million viewers, according to ESPN.

Texas' game against the Texas A&M Aggies was also one of the more popular games watched throughout the country, hauling in an estimated 9.5 million viewers during Thanksgiving weekend when the Longhorns secured their spot in the SEC Championship. It was the most-watched Lone Star Showdown in the history of the rivalry, peaking at 10.6 million viewers, and helped ESPN to its most-watched Rivalry Week since 2016.

SEC programs dominated the list with eight teams making the cut, while the other two, historic rivals Michigan and Ohio State, came from the Big 10 Conference. Texas played five out of those top eight SEC teams.

With just over a week from the start of the College Football Playoff, Texas will surely remain as a team to watch, either from the perspective of a fan or bitter rival who didn't make it in, as it makes its second consecutive appearance in the bracket.

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @LonghornsCountryOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @LonghornsSI

Other Texas Longhorns News:

MORE: Texas Longhorns Hosting Utah Punter for Transfer Portal Visit, Per Report

MORE: Texas Longhorns' Colin Simmons Named to Freshman All-SEC Team

MORE: Texas Longhorns Must Deal With Uniquely Difficult Schedule Challenge in 2025

MORE: Texas Longhorns LT Kelvin Banks Jr Wins Lombardi Award


Published
Emma Hutchinson
EMMA HUTCHINSON

Emma Hutchinson is a senior journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin, covering the Texas Longhorns for SI/Fan Nation since June of 2024. Her previous sports journalism experience includes writing and editing for The Daily Texan, where she covered Texas athletic programs such as softball, women’s basketball, football, and baseball. Originally from Washington, D.C., Emma now resides in the Dallas metroplex. She enjoys rooting for the Mavericks, Rangers, and Stars, as well as supporting the Nationals and Commanders.