CFP first-round viewership surges with brand-name matchups, dips sharply for Group of 5 games

Matchups involving major brands helped the College Football Playoff deliver its two highest-rated first-round games on record last weekend. However, games involving Group of 5 teams became the two lowest-rated contests in the 12-team CFP’s two-year history.

The CFP opener on Friday night between Alabama and Oklahoma notched 14.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN, which bettered the first round’s previous high (14.68 million) set by Ohio State-Tennessee in primetime last year. The early Saturday game featuring Miami and Texas A&M registered 14.8 million viewers on ABC/ESPN, which now ranks second among CFP first-round games.

The ’25-’26 #CFBPlayoff First Round delivered 9.9M avg. viewers via ABC/ESPN & @TNTSportsUS

🏈 @AlabamaFTBL–@OU_Football | 14.9M viewers🏈 @CanesFootball–@AggieFootball | 14.8M🏈 @GreenWaveFB–@OleMissFB | 6.2M🏈 @JMUFootball–@oregonfootball | 4.4M pic.twitter.com/S7y1Ng1kE7

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) December 23, 2025

Last year’s kickoff game between Notre Dame and Indiana on Friday night (also on ABC/ESPN) posted 13.39 million viewers.

There was a significant ratings drop-off for the remaining two CFP games, both of which appeared on TNT/HBO Max. Ole Miss-Tulane had 6.2 million viewers, while Oregon-James Madison dropped to 4.4 million. The two TNT/HBO Max contests also went head-to-head with a pair of NFL games on Fox, which garnered 15.46 million viewers (Washington-Philadelphia) and 21.34 million (Chicago-Green Bay), respectively.

Last year, the NFL chose to air noon and midday games against the CFP, resulting in 6.6 million viewers for the Penn State-SMU matchup and 8.9 million viewers for Texas-Clemson. This year, the NFL aired games involving four of its highest-profile teams at midday and in primetime.

Among college football’s highest-rated games this season, the Alabama-Oklahoma game ranks fifth, with Miami-Texas A&M at sixth.