ESPN announces massive ratings for Week 5 College GameDay episode
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Iowa’s first appearance on College GameDay in 20 years didn’t see Week 5 end with a Hawkeyes victory over visiting Ohio State. But it did result in the highest ratings the show has received five weeks into the 2026 season.
According to ESPN, Saturday’s episode averaged 2.9 million viewers. In the third and final hour, an average of 3.7 million tuned in to the show. It was College GameDay’s third-highest-rated regular-season episode.
Week 6 should serve as another barnburner for College GameDay. That is, of course, if the weather doesn’t get in the way. The show is scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, as Alabama is set to host Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It’s the city’s 21st time hosting the show.
There is the possibility that the game could be moved, however. A tropical depression is forming in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to make landfall on the Gulf Coast on Friday as Hurricane Isaias. One potential storm track has the system passing through the state of Alabama before or during the game.
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday night, Alabama said that it had no plans to “alter the contest.” Things could change, though, as they always tend to do with weather systems of this nature.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
