Business of Sports · College Sports · RATINGS
Ohio State–Iowa leads college football Week 5 with 5.97 million viewers
CBS topped the reported Week 5 audiences, followed by three ABC games. The complete available list includes 32 broadcasts.
Ohio State–Iowa averaged 5.97 million viewers on CBS on Oct. 3, leading the reported college football Week 5 audiences and giving the network its largest college football audience of the season.
CBS' late-afternoon broadcast finished ahead of Alabama–Mississippi State on ABC, which averaged 5.08 million. ABC also took the next two places with Miami–Clemson at 4.63 million and Florida–Missouri at 4.44 million in On3's Nielsen Big Data + Panel list.
Michigan–Minnesota drew 4.06 million on FOX, while the network's Friday Penn State–Northwestern game averaged 3.45 million. ESPN's Auburn–Tennessee broadcast followed with 3.02 million, ahead of Notre Dame–North Carolina at 2.98 million.
Sports Media Watch reported that Ohio State–Iowa was CBS' first win on a competitive regular-season college football weekend since USC–Michigan in 2024. Its 6.96 million peak was higher than its full-game average.
The table covers all 32 broadcasts in On3's Week 5 tracker. SEC Network, ACC Network and CBS Sports Network games are outside that Nielsen list; their absence does not represent a zero audience.
College football Week 5
Oct. 1–3, 2026 · 32 reported broadcasts
| Rank | Event / program | Avg. viewers | Aired / period | Network / platform | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State–Iowa | 5.97M | Oct. 3 | CBS | On3 |
| 2 | Alabama–Mississippi State | 5.08M | Oct. 3 | ABC | On3 |
| 3 | Miami–Clemson | 4.63M | Oct. 3 | ABC | On3 |
| 4 | Florida–Missouri
Audience scopePublished rounded average. SMW reports 4.45M for Florida–Missouri; this table consistently uses On3 4.44M. |
4.44M | Oct. 3 | ABC | On3 |
| 5 | Michigan–Minnesota | 4.06M | Oct. 3 | FOX | On3 |
| 6 | Penn State–Northwestern | 3.45M | Oct. 2 | FOX | On3 |
| 7 | Auburn–Tennessee | 3.02M | Oct. 3 | ESPN | On3 |
| 8 | Notre Dame–North Carolina | 2.98M | Oct. 3 | ESPN | On3 |
| 9 | Washington–USC | 2.56M | Oct. 3 | NBC | On3 |
| 10 | Texas Tech–Colorado | 2.51M | Oct. 3 | FOX | On3 |
| 11 | Pitt–Virginia Tech | 2.43M | Oct. 2 | ESPN | On3 tracker |
| 12 | BYU–TCU | 1.57M | Oct. 3 | ESPN | On3 tracker |
| 13 | Cincinnati–Arizona | 1.21M | Oct. 3 | FOX | On3 tracker |
| 14 | Arkansas–Texas A&M | 1.16M | Oct. 3 | ESPN2 | On3 tracker |
| 15 | Navy–Air Force | 1.08M | Oct. 3 | CBS | On3 tracker |
| 16 | Maryland–Nebraska | 850,000 | Oct. 3 | FS1 | On3 tracker |
| 17 | Baylor–Arizona State | 680,000 | Oct. 3 | ESPN | On3 tracker |
| 18 | Virginia–Florida State | 670,000 | Oct. 3 | ESPN2 | On3 tracker |
| 19 | West Virginia–Iowa State | 640,000 | Oct. 3 | TNT | On3 tracker |
| 20 | Michigan State–Wisconsin | 520,000 | Oct. 3 | BTN | On3 tracker |
| 21 | Indiana–Rutgers | 480,000 | Oct. 3 | BTN | On3 tracker |
| 22 | North Texas–Tulsa | 440,000 | Oct. 1 | ESPN | On3 tracker |
| 23 | UCF–Houston | 380,000 | Oct. 3 | ESPN2 | On3 tracker |
| 24 | Wyoming–North Dakota State | 360,000 | Oct. 3 | The CW | On3 tracker |
| 25 | Oregon State–Colorado State | 350,000 | Oct. 3 | USA | On3 tracker |
| 26 | Boston College–SMU | 340,000 | Oct. 3 | The CW | On3 tracker |
| 26 | Purdue–Illinois | 340,000 | Oct. 3 | BTN | On3 tracker |
| 28 | Texas State–San Diego State | 260,000 | Oct. 3 | The CW | On3 tracker |
| 29 | Fresno State–Washington State | 200,000 | Oct. 3 | USA | On3 tracker |
| 30 | Middle Tennessee State–Kansas | 110,000 | Oct. 3 | ESPNU | On3 tracker |
| 31 | Marshall–James Madison | 90,000 | Oct. 3 | ESPNU | On3 tracker |
| 32 | Temple–USF | 80,000 | Oct. 3 | ESPNU | On3 tracker |
