Ohio State’s season opener against Texas didn’t just deliver a heavyweight game on the field. It also delivered a monster audience.
According to ESPN PR, 14 million viewers watched the Buckeyes and Longhorns on ABC Saturday night, with the audience peaking at 16.4 million. That made it the most-watched Week 2 college football game on record, and the biggest regular-season primetime game since Notre Dame-USC in 2012.
The numbers fit the matchup. Ohio State and Texas met in a top-five showdown at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, and the game had the kind of back-and-forth finish that keeps people glued to the screen. Ohio State jumped out to a 20-point first-half lead, only for Texas to rip off 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and steal a 24-23 win.
Saturday’s other major games drew solid but much smaller audiences by comparison. Alabama-Kentucky, which aired on ABC at 3:30 p.m.
ET and served as the lead-in to the Buckeyes-Longhorns game, drew 7.3 million viewers and peaked at 9 million. Arizona State-Texas A&M at noon on ABC brought in 2.5 million viewers, with a peak of 3 million.
Oregon-Oklahoma State, delayed to a 1:30 p.m. kickoff because of weather, drew 2.1 million and peaked at 2.9 million. Tennessee’s game at Georgia Tech drew 1.8 million, peaking at 2.6 million.
Ohio State-Texas also stood out historically for ESPN’s family of networks. It was the most-watched regular-season game on that group of networks in a decade, matching the 2016 Ohio State-Michigan game. It was also the most-viewed regular-season primetime game since Notre Dame-USC in 2012.
Even so, the primetime window didn’t top last year’s meeting between the same teams. That game, played at noon ET on FOX in Columbus, drew 16.6 million viewers and peaked at 18.6 million.
The game itself got chaotic early. Texas turned it over on the opening snap, setting up a Buckeye field goal.
On the next Longhorn possession, Arch Manning threw an interception, and Ohio State cashed that in for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. The Buckeyes added a field goal and another touchdown to take a 20-3 halftime cushion.
Ohio State pushed the margin to 23-3 with an early second-half field goal, and at that point it looked like the Buckeyes had the game under control. But Texas answered with two straight three-and-outs from Ohio State, a missed field goal, and then a surge that carried the Longhorns into the end zone on three consecutive fourth-quarter drives. The last one, the game-winning touchdown, came with 25 seconds left.
Kent State visits Ohio Stadium on Saturday, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. ET on FOX.
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Jerquaden Guilford, Brock Boyd and Bey were among the players whose posts drew attention, with language that pointed to a desire for more involvement. For a staff already sorting through a disappointing result, it adds a fresh layer of concern about buy-in and roster harmony, even if there has been no official response yet. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Just Added New Controversy To Texas' Win Over Ohio State
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Ohio State Needs More Than A Win Against Kent State
Ohio State gets a chance to reset at home this week against Kent State, with the Buckeyes coming off the Week 2 loss to Texas and looking for a cleaner showing on both sides of the ball. The matchup will be carried on FOX and streaming platforms, and on paper it gives Ohio State a comfortable spot to get back on track while working through some of the issues that showed up last time out.
The bigger value here may be less about the result and more about what the Buckeyes can take from it, especially on offense. A lopsided win would be welcome, but Ohio State needs a performance that helps settle the unit, builds confidence after the setback and gives the coaches a better feel for where this team is headed as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]