Ohio State · Big TenCollege football loses marquee games as viewership falls
Only two ranked nonconference matchups were played through Oct. 3, compared with a CFP-era average of 8.5 per season.
OCT 8, 2026
Nonconference games between ranked teams
CFP-era average per season
Year-over-year viewership decline through four weeks
01 · The NewsThe Marquee-Game Drought
Through games played Saturday, Oct. 3, college football had produced only two nonconference games between ranked teams, compared with a College Football Playoff-era average of 8.5 per season as average viewership through the first four weeks fell 11% year over year, according to Front Office Sports.
The two games were Louisville-Ole Miss and Ohio State-Texas. Since the playoff began in 2014, excluding the 2020 season, college football has averaged 8.5 ranked nonconference games per season. The 2025 schedule had nine.
Ohio State-Texas showed the ceiling for one of those events. Preseason No. 1 Texas beat preseason No. 5 Ohio State 24-23 on Saturday, Sept. 12, and drew 14 million viewers, the largest Week 2 audience on record. Texas reached 4-0, while Ohio State won its next three games to move to 4-1.
The report counted only Ohio State-Texas and the conference game between LSU and Ole Miss above 10 million viewers. A year earlier, four games cleared that mark in the opening week: Texas-Ohio State, Notre Dame-Miami, Alabama-Florida State and LSU-Clemson.
The next round of games, Saturday, Oct. 10, sends Texas to Oklahoma and puts Maryland at Ohio State. For ranked teams, conference play now has to carry more of the argument for a playoff spot because the early schedule offered so few chances to beat another highly regarded opponent.
02 · The StakesWhy It Matters
That leaves fewer national showcases and fewer chances for ranked teams to add a résumé-building win before conference play carries more of the playoff case. It also asks a small number of blockbuster games to draw the audience that used to see several major matchups early in the season.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The hidden comparison is that the supply of marquee nonconference games shrank much faster than the audience: the count fell from nine in 2025 to two through Oct. 3 in 2026, a 78% drop, while average viewership through four weeks declined 11%. The shortage also concentrated the upside: Ohio State-Texas represented half of the ranked nonconference inventory and one of only two audiences above 10 million. The Sept. 12 game therefore carried an outsized share of both television value and résumé value. Texas owns the 24-23 win; Ohio State’s only loss came in the same showcase.
04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
What games and broadcasts make up the 11% viewership decline?
The report did not provide the complete game list behind the year-over-year average or the measurement method for the 14 million figure. Those details would show whether the 11% comparison used matching broadcast windows and platforms and how much schedule mix shaped the decline. A schedule-level ratings table and audience-measurement notes would supply the answer.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can the next conference games carry the playoff case?
For ranked teams, conference play now has to carry more of the argument for a playoff spot because the early schedule offered so few chances to beat another highly regarded opponent.
Are the remaining blockbusters drawing the audience?
Ohio State-Texas drew 14 million viewers, while only Ohio State-Texas and LSU-Ole Miss topped 10 million viewers at the time of the report.