SEC dominates college football TV ratings through first seven weeks of 2026 season
According to Nielsen data cited by Sportico, the SEC holds seven of the top 10 most-watched college football teams through the first seven weeks of the season, with Texas leading the pack at an average of 8.40 million viewers per game. The Texas-Ohio State interconference game in Week 2 drew the largest audience of the season so far, with ABC averaging 13.99 million viewers. ABC accounts for eight of the season's ten most-watched games, including four Saturday Night Football windows, while Fox claimed two top-10 spots via its Big Noon Saturday platform. ESPN's Saturday Night Football window is averaging just under 9 million viewers per week, ranking it third among all primetime linear TV programs.
Through Oct. 17, SNF is the third most-popular primetime program on linear TV, averaging just shy of 9 million viewers per week.
Why it matters
For brands: Advertisers and sponsors targeting college football audiences should note that SEC games on ABC, particularly the Saturday Night Football window, are delivering the largest and most coveted demographics in the sport.
For media: Rights holders and broadcasters can see which conference, network, and time slots are generating the strongest ratings, with ABC and the SEC clearly leading the market through the first half of the season.
For collectives: The SEC's outsized TV draw reinforces the conference's leverage in revenue distribution conversations and postseason expansion debates.
Read the full story at Sportico
Sources
- Sportico · Anthony Crupi: Duopoly of One: SEC Blows Past Big Ten, Dominates TV Ratings