College Football

Michigan-Ohio State on FOX was most-watched CFB regular-season game since 2011

Updated Nov. 29, 2023 3:01 p.m. ET

Michigan's 30-24 victory Saturday over Ohio State on FOX was the most-watched college football regular-season game on any network since 2011, FOX Sports announced Wednesday.

The hotly anticipated 2023 edition of "The Game," college football's fiercest rivalry, averaged 19,065,000 viewers with a peak of 22,900,000 viewers. It's an 11% increase over the viewership in last year's matchup — and the most-watched college football game in the history of FOX Sports.

As noted by Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the broadcast, "The Game" was for perhaps the final time ever a de facto College Football Playoff game, with a path to the final four-team edition of the CFP through the Big Ten Championship Game (8 p.m. ET Saturday on FOX and the FOX Sports App). The CFP will expand to 12 teams next season, and given how highly ranked both Michigan and Ohio State usually are, the loser of future editions of the game might still get into the expanded field. (Ohio State was also the fourth team in the CFP last year despite losing to Michigan.)

Additionally, this year's rivalry took place in Ann Arbor amid the backdrop of the in-person sign-stealing scandal that has engulfed Michigan's program and forced head coach Jim Harbaugh away from the team as he served the last of a three-game suspension. Harbaugh will return to Michigan's sideline for the Big Ten Championship.

"The Game" itself featured several thrilling moments as Michigan prevailed in a thriller for its third consecuitive rivalry win. That included a touching scene in which the crowd rallied around the team after offensive lineman Zak Zinter suffered a broken leg and had to be removed via a stretcher.

The scene in Ann Arbor as Zinter embraced his teammates while leaving the game and running back Blake Corum scored a touchdown on the very next snap is one that Klatt later said on his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show," was among the most special he has ever witnessed in college football.

Additionally, a special three-hour edition of FOX's "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show recorded the highest ratings in its existence, averaging 2.34 million viewers on FOX — making it the most-watched college football pregame show on any network. That viewership increased to 4.36 million viewers over the final hour of the broadcast.

"Big Noon Kickoff" featured its usual crew of Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, Mark Ingram and Urban Meyer, as well as contributors Charles Woodson, Chris "The Bear" Fallica and Tom Rinaldi along with special guests, including former Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions and baseball legend, "MLB on FOX" analyst and Michigan native Derek Jeter, a die-hard Wolverines fan.