Coming off Week 0’s slate of games last weekend, Thursday night marked the official first week of college football and, for many, the actual start of the 2021 season. There were 15 games on the Thursday schedule before the weekend takeover, but the highlight of those was No. 4 Ohio State’s trip to Minnesota. Not only was it a rare Thursday primetime matchup of two Power 5 programs on FOX, but it was the Big Ten opener for both the Buckeyes and the Gophers.
It stands to reason then that this game would attract a lot of attention. As it turns out, that was in fact the case.
According to FOX Sports PR, Ohio State’s 45-31 road win against Minnesota to begin the new season was the most-watched Week 1 college football game ever on FOX and the most watch Week 1 Thursday college football game on any network. Additionally, the Buckeyes versus the Gophers was the 10th most watched regular season football game ever and the most watched game of the day on any network.
It wasn’t just those tuning in on their televisions that wanted to see the Buckeye win either. The game from Huntington Bank Stadium also ranked as the third most streamed regular season college football game in FOX Sports history. The game peaked with 7,044,000 viewers from 9:15 to 9:30 p.m. ET, which was roughly in the second quarter as Minnesota battled back to take a halftime lead.
The Scarlet and Gray are traditionally one of the most watched college programs with a huge alumni group and fanbase. Other fans also tend to enjoy watching Ohio State struggle, which could have helped the viewership for this game. Despite taking an early 10-0 lead and seeming to be on course for a comfortable win, the Buckeyes struggled in the second quarter, allowing the Gophers to come from behind to lead 14-10 as the two teams went to the locker room.
After a three-touchdown first half, the two teams put on a scoring display in the second 30 minutes, something that always keeps fans interested. After trading touchdowns early in the third quarter, the Scarlet and Gray scored twice and appeared to be running away with the game. But Minnesota kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game before the two teams traded off the final three touchdowns of the game, including a 70- and 61-yard score from Ohio State to seal the victory.
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Don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes are back as the top viewed team next week either. Despite more competition playing on Saturday, the Scarlet and Gray welcome No. 17 Oregon to Ohio Stadium in another game that will certainly attract the interest of fans. That game will once again be on FOX as part of the network’s Big Noon Kickoff.
