College Football TV Ratings: Top 10 most-watched games of Week 5

It would’ve been tough to top Week 4’s college football slate, but Week 5 was still entertaining with some close games and offenses on full display to close out September. The TV ratings are in, and viewership is still impressive.

As has been the case all season, Colorado was again the big draw as the Buffaloes’ matchup with USC came in as the most-viewed matchup of Week 5, according to Sports Media Watch. It wasn’t quite the numbers from last week’s college football TV ratings, but more than 7 million people tuned in to watch Caleb Williams go mano-a-mano with Shedeur Sanders.

Only four games drew more than 3 million viewers in Week 4 — although the top three games drew record numbers. In Week 5, though, seven of the top 10 games had over 3 million people tuned in to watch as part of an intriguing slate.

1. USC at Colorado

Channel: FOX
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – noon ET
Viewers: 7.24 million

If there was any doubt Williams was the favorite to repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner, he put those to rest with his 403-yard, six-touchdown performance against Colorado. Considering he played in the most-viewed game of the week, it’s not surprising to say his odds took a leap as he out-dueled Sanders in the 48-41 victory.

2. Georgia at Auburn

Channel: CBS
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 6.40 million

Auburn didn’t make things easy on Georgia and put the two-time defending champion on upset alert in front of a big audience. The Bulldogs eventually clamped down on defense and gutted out a 17-10 victory to remain undefeated heading into October.

3. Notre Dame at Duke

Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 5.32 million

For the second straight week, Notre Dame saw a game come down to the final possession in prime time. This time, the Fighting Irish had a different fate, capitalizing on the last drive to fight off Duke to get a much-needed win in front of more than 5 million people.

4. Michigan at Nebraska

Channel: FOX
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 4.48 million

For a blowout, Michigan vs. Nebraska drew an impressive audience as the Wolverines flew to the 45-7 victory and sat J.J. McCarthy for the majority of the second half. That means plenty of eyeballs watched Michigan’s offense dominate, further adding to the hype around the Wolverines.

5. LSU at Ole Miss

Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – 7 p.m. ET
Viewers: 3.72 million

The offenses were on full display as LSU and Ole Miss squared off in an old-fashioned shootout. Ultimately, the Rebels came out on top 55-49, and the ratings were solid considering the jam-packed prime time slate.

6. Alabama at Mississippi State

Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – 9 p.m. ET
Viewers: 3.35 million

It was a later kickoff than Alabama fans are used to, but more than 3 million people still tuned in to watch the Crimson Tide defeat Mississippi State 40-17. They saw a feisty Nick Saban in that matchup, and the ratings for that game could help set the table for a pivotal SEC West matchup on Saturday in the usual 3:30 p.m. ET time slot.

7. Kansas at Texas

Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 3.32 million

An interesting, ranked Big 12 showdown took a hit when Kansas lost quarterback Jalon Daniels to a back injury. That opened the door for Texas’ defense to clamp down on the Jayhawks as Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns’ offense erupted in a 40-14 victory.

8. Florida at Kentucky

Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – noon ET
Viewers: 2.32 million

Billy Napier and Florida were dealing with some questions entering the matchup with Kentucky, and they’re not going away after the Wildcats’ 33-14 victory behind Ray Davis’ big day. He had 280 yards and three touchdowns in the effort with more than 2 million people tuned in for the game.

9. Michigan State at Iowa

Channel: NBC
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 2.17 million

Iowa took a hit when Cade McNamara went down with a likely season-ending injury, but the Hawkeyes did just enough to beat Michigan State 26-16. NBC’s ratings, understandably, weren’t what they were last week for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, but it was still a top-10 draw from Week 5.

10. Clemson at Syracuse

Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Sept. 30 – noon ET
Viewers: 1.98 million

Clemson was looking to not only bounce back from a Week 4 loss to Florida State, but also its first ACC victory. The Tigers did just that, knocking off Syracuse 31-14 to get back to over .500 on the year in front of nearly 2 million people.

While Week 4 had some higher TV ratings — there were six ranked matchups, after all — college football is still in a strong position after Week 5. Big games continue to loom in October with conference play picking up around the country and rivalry matchups await, starting with the Red River Showdown this week between Texas and Oklahoma.