North Carolina: College Football TV Ratings: Most-watched games of Week 0.
North Carolina · TCUA handful of games served as an appetizer for Week 1, and fans were tuned in for the matchups throughout the day. North Carolina’s win over TCU got the day started in a standalone spot in Ireland and led the charge for the first full Saturday of the year.
Now, it’s on to Week 1, which will get underway on Thursday night before going through the Labor Day holiday. Editor’s Note: ACC Network and CBS Sports Network do not pay for Nielsen to measure viewership.
The Tar Heels rallied to take down TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Ireland as part of the most-watched game of the week. 9 million viewers tuned in for the matchup, ESPN announced, which is up from the 3.
2 million who watched last year’s Dublin game. For the first time since January, college football games took place on Saturday for Week 0.
KEY POINTS
- Following a rocky debut season, North Carolina picked up a signature win under Bill Belichick in Week 0.
- College football made its return in Week 0, and On3 is breaking down the most-watched games, via Nielsen TV ratings data.
- During the 2025 season, college football saw its TV ratings surge, and Week 0 provided a strong start to 2026.
- Here are the most-watched college football games from Week 0, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel TV ratings data.