SEC powerhouse named the most-watched college football team of 2025 regular season

While the SEC has long claimed that the league "just means more", the 2025 season brought a demonstrable fact: there's more people watching. Eight of the ten most watched college football programs from the 2025 college football season are from the SEC. And it's not just about winning-- two of those SEC schools fired their coaches after a lackluster 2025 season.

Outside of the SEC, it's a pair of Big Ten behemoths that hold up the rest of the largest viewing audiences. Notre Dame isn't just missing from the College Football Playoff, they didn't have a spot in the top ten most-watched teams. Here's the rundown on the ten teams to watch, with an average number of weekly viewers per Nielsen data and On3.

10. Texas A&M (4.99 million)

The Aggies had a brilliant 11-1 season, earned a spot in the CFP, and drew plenty of viewing eyes.

9. Michigan (5.08 million)

Boosted by the regular-season finale against Ohio State, Michigan made it to ninth in a 9-3 season that will see a bowl showdown with Texas-- another top ten most-watched team that also missed the CFP.

8. Auburn (5.25 million)

That's a little more than a million viewers per win for the 5-7 Tigers. In Auburn's defense, it endured a miserable season of luck and poor officiating.

7. Tennessee (6.21 million)

It's a big jump between Auburn and Tennessee, with the Vols closer to 4th place than 8th. Tennessee was 8-4, with one-score losses to Georgia and Oklahoma probably keeping the Vols out of the CFP.

6. LSU (6.42 million)

A 7-5 record didn't get it done for Brian Kelly and the Tigers, but their struggling season was fairly fascinating. LSU played six games that ended in one-score margins-- unusual for a team with such high pre-season expectations.

5. Oklahoma (6.47 million)

A 10-2 season for the Sooners made them one of the feel-good stories of 2025. OU has leaped into the CFP and nearly reached fourth on the most-watched team list.

4. Ohio State (6.57 million)

The Buckeyes were No. 1 virtually all season, but hung a bit back from that level in viewership ratings. Ohio might have been boosted if they had regular-season matchups with Indiana or Oregon, but they're sitll one of the nation's best and most popular teams to watch.

3. Georgia (7.48 million)

The Bulldogs ran very close to the second-ranked team, but the 12-1 Bulldogs will have to content themselves with a CFP spot (unlike that No. 2 most-watched team).

2. Texas (7.55 million)

Texas, likely on the basis of a regular-season classic with Texas A&M, managed to outlast Georgia for the second spot. But a 9-3 season will leave the Horns playing Michigan in a bowl game instead of a CFP appearance.

1. Alabama (8.49 million)

A slightly controversial CFP entrant, the 10-3 Tide are the lone CFP team with three losses. They're also the most-watched team in the nation. With five one-score games and a tough schedule, Alabama bested second-place Texas by almost a million viewers per week.