Fox's 2025 college football kickoff was by no means the game of the year. Yet with No. 3 Ohio State hosting No. 1 Texas in Arch Manning's starting debut, it still drew a massive audience.
Fox's Big Noon Saturday scored 16,623,000 viewers for the Buckeyes' 14-7 win over the Longhorns, according to Fox Sports PR on X. It was the most-watched Week 1 CFB game on any net in history, and the third most-watched regular season CFB game ever on Fox.
The insane audience numbers indicate the impact of this non-conference game and 2025 College Football Playoff rematch. Afterwards, the Buckeyes jumped to No. 1 in the country, while Texas fell to six spots to No. 7.
Despite a low-scoring affair, Texas had a prime opportunity to get back in the game late in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns trimmed Ohio State's lead to seven with 3:28 to play. After the Texas defense forced a three-and-out, the offense had one final chance to tie or take the lead.
It's likely that at this point in the game, Fox reached its peak viewership of 18,569,000 viewers. With only 21 points on the board, Manning had a chance to march his team down the field to tie or take the lead.
After one first down, Texas' drive eventually stalled at midfield. Not only did the defending champions protect home field, but they also won despite being out-gained 336-203 in total yards.
It was a near-perfect start for Fox's viewership this season, with Big Noon Kickoff also scoring record numbers. The weekly pregame show scored 3.8 million viewers beginning at 11 AM ET, according to Fox Sports PR. It was the third most-watched Big Noon Kickoff in the show's history.
Ohio State and Texas will prepare for easier non-conference home games in Week 2. Meanwhile, Big Noon Kickoff heads to Ames, Iowa, for an in-state rivalry game between Iowa and Iowa State.
