The Ohio State Buckeyes played in front of a record crowd at Beaver Stadium Saturday in their win over then-No. 3 Penn State. Over six figures worth of people filled the crowded stadium.
Many more than that tuned in on the television. In another FOX Big Noon Kickoff, the Buckeyes put on a show, and they did so in front of 9.94 million viewers, the network has announced.
FOX’s BIG NOON SATURDAY matchup featuring Ohio State’s 20-13 win over Penn State scored 9.94 million viewers 🏈
🏆 Most-watched college football game this season on FOX
🏆 Most-watched Big Ten game of the season on any network pic.twitter.com/KFBPGJyoGF— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) November 6, 2024
There are only so many games in a season that feature two top-five teams. Alabama-Georgia, Ohio State-Oregon and Penn State-Ohio State are just the few that come to mind, and there haven’t been many, if any, others.
As the playoffs get closer, conference championship games should provide some dramatic finishes between top teams, but Ohio State vs. Penn State was among the most promoted games of the season.
The Buckeyes put on a show, winning 20-13, and they did so in far more dominant fashion than the scoreboard showed. Ohio State allowed just 150 passing yards, and the Nittany Lions didn’t have a single rusher total more than 50 yards on the ground.
The defensive effort from Ohio State was impeccable, and it certainly seemed like a main factor in the Buckeyes landing No. 2 in the College Football Playoffs ranking Tuesday.
That said, Ohio State is a big name, and big names get high viewership numbers, as FOX saw on Saturday. Expect Ohio State vs. Michigan to potentially shatter even that number later in the season.