Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Game Breaks TV Ratings Records

The Oregon Ducks beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 32-31 on Saturday, and NBC reported that a record-breaking 13.4 million viewers were watching the final minutes as the Ducks outlasted the Buckeyes in the exciting Big Ten matchup.

Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson, right, celebrates first down against Ohio State during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in one of the most highly anticipated games of the college football season on Saturday. The game was broadcast on NBC during prime time, and the network just announced that the matchup between the Ducks and Buckeyes peaked at 13.4 million viewers.

NBC reported that an average of 10.2 million viewers watched the Ducks defeat the Buckeyes across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Digital. The broadcast's ratings reached it's highest point of 13.4 million viewers during the final minutes of the game, from 7:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT.

While the Autzen Stadium crowd broke the attendance record with 60,129 fans at the game, the fans watching on TV from the comfort of their homes also broke a record.

Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson, right, celebrates first down against Ohio State during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to NBC, the game between Oregon and Ohio State received the highest ratings of a Big Ten regular season matchup held during prime time since 2008.

On Oct. 25, 2008, the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes, and the top-10 matchup peaked at 10.4 million views, 3 million short of Oregon's matchup with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are known to have one of the largest fanbases in college football, explaining their participation in NBC's two highest games of the Big Ten regular season.

The top-five matchup between Oregon and Ohio State on Saturday not only featured two of the best teams in the country but also two of the biggest brands.

The Oregon Ducks surfs the crowd after the football team defeated Ohio State at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Before Oregon and Washington were invited to join former Pac-12 programs USC and UCLA in the Big Ten Conference, many believed that the Ducks would not be left behind during conference realignment because of the strength of the Oregon brand. Despite receiving a half-share from the Big Ten conference for the next six years, the Ducks have already proven that they are a valuable program when it comes to marketability.

The game between the Ducks and Buckeyes was highly anticipated by fans across the country, let alone by both teams themselves. After the win, Oregon coach Dan Lanning could not contain his energy.

“I mean, you can sleep when you die, right? You get an opportunity to do this, like the day that we got to have today. Like, how awesome is Oregon? How awesome is getting to coach at this place? Our fans, our players, those guys work so dang hard to get moments like this. And again, you might not believe me, but regardless of result, I was going to be so proud of our guys and how they competed tonight, because I know how hard they work, right? And I asked them before the game to leave it all in the field. Give me everything you got, and they did that tonight," said Lanning.

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