College Football TV Ratings: Top 10 most-watched games of Week 3

Georgia nearly lost at Kentucky in Week 3 of the college football season.

The Bulldogs entered the fourth quarter trailing. Kentucky faced 4th-and-8 from the Georgia 48 yard-line with roughly three minutes to play. But the Wildcats opted to punt, as Georgia escaped with a 13-12 win.

The close call delivered in ratings, with 6.6 million tuning into the ABC primetime game. On3 compiled data from network press releases, Programming Insider, Sports Business Journal and Sports Media Watch to piece together the top 10 most-watched games of Week 3 of the college football season. Data from SEC Network, ACC Network and Longhorn Network are not included because the networks do not pay for Nielsen to measure viewership. All Nielsen figures include streaming viewership and includes out-of-home viewing.

Here is the full breakdown of Week 3’s college football TV ratings:

1. Georgia at Kentucky
Channel: ABC
Date/Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 6.6 million

Georgia nearly lost on the road at Kentucky, entering the fourth quarter trailing 9-6. Branson Robinson rushed for a 3-yard, go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter to deliver a win for the Bulldogs. Kentucky was held without a touchdown for the second consecutive game. Georgia dropped to No. 2 and is on the bye this week before visiting Alabama on Sept. 28 in a rematch of last year’s SEC title game.

2. Alabama at Wisconsin
Channel: FOX
Date/Time: Noon ET
Viewers: 5.03 million

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe threw for 196 yards and rushed for a team-high 75 yards as he scored five total touchdowns in a 42-10 blowout win at Wisconsin. The Crimson Tide forced two turnovers. It was another ratings win for Big Noon Kickoff, which will visit Columbus, Ohio, this week for Marshall at Ohio State.

3. LSU at South Carolina
Channel: ABC
Date/Time: Noon ET
Viewers: 4.94 million

LSU went down 17-0 to start the game but rallied to pull out the 36-33 win at South Carolina. True freshman LSU running back Caden Durham rushed for 98 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns to spark the comeback.

4. Texas A&M at Florida
Channel: ABC
Date/Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 4.80 million

Texas A&M freshman quarterback Marcel Reed was 11 of 17 for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant 33-20 win over Florida. Billy Napier is clearly on the hot seat and is now 12-16 overall and 6-11 in the SEC during his tenure in Gainesville.

5. Colorado at Colorado State
Channel: CBS
Date/Time: 8 p.m. ET
Viewers: 3.25 million

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter had one of his best career games at Colorado State. He tallied 13 catches for 100 yards with two touchdowns along with five tackles and an interception. The former Five-Star Plus+ recruit has landed in early 2025 NFL mock drafts as a possible top-five pick. Shedeur Sanders was 36 of 49 in the win, throwing for 310 yards and four touchdowns.

6. Oregon at Oregon State
Channel: FOX
Date/Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 2.82 million

Oregon flashed signs of the team many expected to see this season in a 49-14 win over its archrival. The Ducks finished with 546 total yards as quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 20 of 24 for 291 yards and two touchdowns. He added another on the ground. The Ducks are on their bye this week before opening Big Ten play at UCLA on Sept. 28.

7. Arizona at Kansas State
Channel: FOX
Date/Time: 8 p.m. ET (Friday night)
Viewers: 2.58 million

Avery Johnson threw for two touchdowns as Kansas State shut out Arizona in the second half of a 31-7 win in Week 3. A nonconference game despite being new Big 12 rivals, the loss ended a nine-game winning streak for Arizona.

8. Notre Dame at Purdue
Channel: CBS
Date/Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 2.28 million

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard became the first FBS college football player with 100 or more pass yards, 100 or more rush yards and three or more rushing touchdowns in a first half since Lamar Jackson in the Fighting Irish’s blowout win. Notre Dame defeated Purdue 66-7 for the most lopsided loss in the Boilermakers’ 137-year history.

9. Memphis at Florida State
Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: Noon ET
Viewers: 1.59 million

On Saturday in Tallahassee, Memphis pulled out a 20-12 win, dropping Florida State to 0-3. The Seminoles will now pay Memphis $1.3 million for the loss, according to the previously agreed contract. The deal was struck six months before Florida State hired Mike Norvell in December 2019. It’s only the third time since 1976 that Florida State has dropped its first three games of the regular season.

10. UTSA at Texas
Channel: ESPN
Date/Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Viewers: 1.48 million

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers exited with an abdominal injury in the second quarter on Saturday. Arch Manning entered, finishing 9 of 12 for 223 passing yards and four touchdowns. He also added a 67-yard rushing touchdown. The Longhorns pulled out a 56-7 win. Ewers is now week-to-week. Texas is now the No. 1 team in college football.

Here are rankings No. 11 to No. 15:
+ Tulane at Oklahoma – ESPN – 1.39 million
+ UNLV at Kansas – ESPN – 1.32 million
+ Indiana at UCLA – NBC – 1.29 million
+ West Virginia at Pitt – ESPN2 – 1.15 million
+ UCF at TCU – FOX – 1.03 million