Ole Miss’s 32-24 win over LSU didn’t just deliver a big moment in Oxford - it delivered a monster audience for ABC.
ESPN said Tuesday that the broadcast averaged 10.9 million viewers, the biggest number of the week across the network’s Saturday slate. The game climbed as high as 13.7 million viewers at its peak, and ESPN noted that it ranks as the eighth-highest-rated regular-season broadcast of the decade across its family of networks.
The matchup had all the ingredients for a national draw, and it played out that way as Ole Miss built a sizable lead before fending off LSU in Lane Kiffin’s long-awaited return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Elsewhere on ESPN’s Saturday lineup, Alabama’s 50-36 win over Florida State drew 7 million viewers and peaked at 8 million. That broadcast started later than scheduled and was delayed again just before halftime because of weather in the Tuscaloosa area before eventually shifting to ESPN2 because of the Ole Miss-LSU game.
Kentucky’s upset of Texas A&M at Kyle Field averaged 5.4 million viewers and reached a peak of 8.1 million. Georgia’s win at Arkansas on ABC pulled in 4 million viewers, with a peak of 4.8 million. Clemson’s victory over North Carolina on ESPN, another game impacted by weather, averaged 3.6 million viewers and peaked at 4.7 million.
Week 4 brings another full slate, including Texas at Tennessee at noon, Ole Miss at Florida Louisville at noon, Oklahoma at Georgia at 3:30, and South Carolina at Alabama at 7:00.
In Other News...
Georgia Gets An O-Line Boost Just In Time For Oklahoma
Georgias offensive line is getting a welcome bit of good news at just the right time, with Drew Bobo expected to be back on the field without the protective club on his left hand for the first time since the injury he sustained in fall camp. Kirby Smart has already pointed to Bobos toughness and stamina, and the update matters for a front that has needed bodies and reliability as the Bulldogs prepare for Oklahoma.
Bobo has talked about his own growth as a player and the standard he tries to bring every week, even while dealing with injuries. For Georgia, his return to something closer to full strength adds another layer of stability up front, and it comes at a moment when the Bulldogs can use every available piece as the schedule tightens and the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias First SEC Clash With Oklahoma Carries One Intriguing Twist
No. 2 Georgia gets a fresh SEC test this weekend when Oklahoma comes to Athens for the first regular-season meeting between the programs, and the matchup arrives with the Bulldogs still unbeaten while the Sooners have slipped out of the AP Top 25. Kirby Smart and Brent Venables both spent the lead-up talking through where their teams have been strong and where they still need work, a familiar tone for a game that carries plenty of curiosity even before kickoff.
One wrinkle could shape the way Oklahoma approaches the trip. Defensive tackle David Stone was hurt in practice with a knee injury, and his status remains uncertain, which adds another layer to a defense that will already be dealing with Georgias physical style at home. For the Bulldogs, it is another chance to stack a quality win against a new SEC opponent, but the Sooners are coming in with enough front-line talent and coaching familiarity to make this one more interesting than a simple rankings check. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Just Lost A Georgia Series Fans Really Wanted
A future Georgia-Clemson series that had been circled for years is no longer on the calendar, as the two programs mutually agreed to cancel the home-and-home set for 2029, 2030, 2032 and 2033. For Bulldogs fans, it is another reminder of how much the sports scheduling landscape has shifted, with heavyweight non-conference games becoming harder to lock in and even harder to keep intact as college football continues to reshape itself.
Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney both sounded resigned to the decision, pointing to the way scheduling demands and playoff changes have altered the math for programs at the top of the sport. The matchup had carried obvious appeal because of the recent history between the schools, and Georgias future non-conference slate now looks different without it, even if the Bulldogs still have plenty of big-game opportunities ahead. [Read more 🡒]