Almost 10 million people watched the Oklahoma-Michigan game on Saturday night. The game, which resulted in a 24-13 win in favor of the Sooners, was the first meeting between two of college football’s most historic programs since the 1976 Orange Bowl.
America got to see what Oklahoma fans had been raving about in quarterback John Mateer and Brent Venables’ defense, which made it clear that it has an argument to be considered the best defense in the country.
Oklahoma vs. Michigan was the most-watched game of Week 2 and beat out the SEC matchup of Ole Miss vs. Kentucky, which drew 4.8 million viewers, while earning the primetime slot on ABC. It was also the most-watched Week 2 game on ABC since 2006.
Oklahoma vs. Michigan most-watched game on ABC in Week 2 since 2006
Most-watched College Football games of Week 2📺
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) September 10, 2025
1. Michigan at Oklahoma - 9.7M
2. Ole Miss at Kentucky - 4.8M
3. Iowa at Iowa State - 4.3M
4. San Jose State at Texas - 3.7M
Top 10: https://t.co/jo5mGmgpHg pic.twitter.com/nhLScobqE0
ESPN College GameDay aired Saturday morning from the South Oval of Oklahoma’s campus and was the second-most watched regular-season episode ever. Not too shabby for a game that saw some fans complain that the renewal of the “Border War” between Kansas and Missouri should’ve been the chosen site for the popular show.
About 2.6 million viewers tuned in to see Pat McAfee rile up the Crimson and Cream faithful with a “Boomer Sooner” cheer, and for him to shoot off the Rufneks gun. The episode also included his notable field goal kick competition, which featured Oklahoma freshman student Jack Daugard winning $200,000 for splitting the uprights. All of this occurred in the first episode of the post-Lee Corso era, and producers of the show have to be breathing a sigh of relief after the numbers came in.
It’s safe to say that this year’s College GameDay trip to Norman ended in a more satisfying way for Oklahoma fans, as well, especially after the forgettable 25-15 loss to Tennessee in which the GameDay crew came down for the return of Josh Heupel. And GameDay could also return to Oklahoma this year.
Expect Oklahoma to continue to appear in spotlight games, as every SEC team on the Sooners' schedule is ranked in the newest AP Top 25.
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