ESPN reports big ratings for Week 0 college football action
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Week 0 of the college football season is in the books, and ESPN’s slate of games pulled in some nice numbers for the network ahead of what’s set to be another busy season.
North Carolina beat TCU 15-10 in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin. ESPN announced on Tuesday that the game received an average of 4.9 million viewers, with a high of 5.8 million. That makes it Week 0’s second-highest-watched game since the 2019 season.
Later, in a rare season-opening conference game, Virginia, led by transfer quarterback Beau Pribula, came away with a 34-8 win over NC State to move to 1-0 both overall and in ACC play. That one picked up 3.2 million viewers, with a peak of 4.0 million.
In Atlanta, Howard beat Alabama A&M 31-24 in the latest edition of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-off. The game, shown on ABC, saw 1.2 million tune in, peaking at 1.7 million. Saturday’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge was the second-most watched in the history of the event.
‘With Week 0 in the rear-view mirror, ESPN’s schedule features several key matchups. That includes Lane Kiffin‘s LSU debut as it faces Clemson in Baton Rouge on ABC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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.
