BYU’s win over Notre Dame delivered a historic TV audience
Oct 20, 2026, 9:40 PM
PROVO — The television audience that watched BYU football pull off the upset over Notre Dame adds to the historic nature of the Cougars’ win.
ESPN PR announced on Tuesday that BYU’s 28-24 win over Notre Dame had 9.2 million viewers.
It peaked at 13.2 million viewers, likely during the last-second finish that saw BYU get a defensive stand to secure the win.
BYU’s win over Notre Dame delivered a TV audience of 9.2 million viewers on ABC.
Big time stage for BYU to get a signature win. pic.twitter.com/ehcPUwU2nx
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 20, 2026
ESPN PR notes that it was the highest-rated “Big 12 Controlled Game” since 2022. That means it’s the highest-rated game since Texas and Oklahoma left the conference.
It was one of the few times that ESPN has highlighted a Big 12 team in the “Saturday Night Football” slot on ABC. That TV window is typically reserved for SEC teams. So, it was a spotlight opportunity for not only BYU, but the Big 12 at large, and Kalani Sitake’s squad delivered.
BYU-Notre Dame was the second-highest-rated game on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The only higher-rated game was Ohio State-Indiana, where the Buckeyes handed the reigning National Champions their first loss since 2024.
Ohio State-Indiana drew 10.4 million viewers and aired on FOX in the 10 a.m. (MT)/Noon (Eastern Time) window.
ESPN also highlighted how many viewers College GameDay, which originated from BYU last Saturday, delivered.
Three million viewers tuned in to watch College GameDay’s first visit to Provo since 2009. It was the highest-rated episode this season, and the third most-watched episode of College GameDay ever.
What a weekend in Provo, Utah ‼️@CollegeGameDay reached 3M viewers from @BYU, making it the most-watched episode this season & the 3rd most-watched regular season episode EVER 📈 pic.twitter.com/An4tLXEN8d
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 20, 2026
BYU has been part of some big television audience games since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
In 2024, BYU defeated the Colorado Buffaloes at the Alamo Bowl, which had 8 million viewers.
Last season, BYU’s appearance in the Big 12 Championship against Texas Tech drew 8.9 million viewers as the Red Raiders cruised to a dominant victory.
No. 2 BYU now turns its attention to the UCF Knights this Saturday in Orlando at 1:30 p.m. on FOX and KSL NewsRadio. The game will be BYU’s fourth appearance on network television this season.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
