College Football Television Ratings See Significant Drop From 2025 Season

College football television ratings in the first month of the 2026 season plummeted from their total in the first month of the 2025 season.

Sep 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; View of an ESPN college football logo on a camera before the game between the Houston Cougars and the Oregon State Beavers at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For a sport that continuously grows in popularity, college football is not without issues.

Uncapped NIL payments have star players begging for millions of dollars from schools each offseason. If a player's demand isn't matched, he can hop into the NCAA transfer portal to find greater compensation.

Eligibility lawsuits were rampant this offseason, and friendly local judges appear to be all a player needs to receive another season of eligibility. The NCAA approved a five-year eligibility clock to mitigate future lawsuits, which incited lawsuits from athletes with recently expired eligibility.

In addition to off-field matters, new evidence insinuates the possibility of a deteriorating on-field product.

Front Office Sports reported that college football viewership in September was down 11% from where it finished in September of 2025. However, Andy Staples of On3 reported that viewership of SEC football is up 41% year-over-year in minutes watched.

The Week 1 abomination

LSU wide receiver Winston Watkins breaks free from the Clemson defense during their gam at Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Week 1 slate did a horrible job of reeling hungry college football fans back into the action.

The biggest matchups in Week 1 were spread out to different times across five days. While the move theoretically maximizes viewership per game, it can backfire if a game devolves into a blowout.

Clemson at LSU was a perfect example: fans were itching to see Lane Kiffin's debut at LSU, and a lengthy rain delay heightened that anticipation. LSU began beating down on Clemson in the second quarter, and because of the late start, many of the previously interested viewers went to bed.

The worst aspect of the Week 1 slate was the absence of meaningful matchups in the early window.

After tuning into either ESPN's "College GameDay" or Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff," college football fans search for a compelling game to start the afternoon. The best either network could provide was East Carolina at Alabama and North Texas at Indiana, games fans lose interest in after a half.

The SEC requires members to play a Power Four non-conference game

When the league's nine-game conference schedule went into effect, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey mandated each member school play one of their three non-conference games against an opponent from another Power Four conference or Notre Dame.

The effects of this decision were pronounced in Week 2. Seven SEC teams played a Power Four opponent from another conference, and fans received a small taste of conference play with the matchup between Alabama and Kentucky at Kroger Field.

These requirements are not universal throughout the Power Four conferences. Five Big Ten teams and four Big 12 teams will not play a Power Four opponent out of conference, partially due to agreements to play Washington State or Oregon State before the weakening of the Pac-12.

Competition gaps within the SEC are less evident

Oct 18, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) rushes during the fourth quarter as Texas A&M Aggies cornerback Jordan Shaw (8) defends at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The SEC is in a three-year national championship drought, but the week-to-week competition is still the strongest nationally. While this makes for a grind in conference play, it gives viewers a more entertaining product throughout the season.

The Big Ten and ACC are two leagues where the opposite is true. The best teams are so much better than the average teams in these leagues, so compelling matchups involving the best teams are not a week-to-week guarantee.

Each team in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship falls into this discussion. Indiana only meets two teams ranked in the current AP top 25 all season, and the first of those games isn't until Oct. 17. As for Miami, its only ranked matchup all season is at Notre Dame on Nov. 7.