Ohio State vs. Iowa most-watched game of Week 5 | Buckeyes Wire

The Ohio State vs. Iowa game this weekend was a matchup of two top-15 teams, and it was a game for a while. In fact, the Hawkeyes were well into their game plan early on and seemed to be squeezing the life out of their opponent via special teams, defense, and ball control.

But that lasted only so long. The Buckeyes scored a touchdown just before the end of the first half to gain some separation and never really looked back. Despite the eventual blowout win, according to Nielsen ratings and a release from CBS Sports, the game was the most-watched of the weekend.

The Buckeyes vs. Hawkeyes garnered an average of almost 6 million viewers (5.966) with a peak of 7 million viewers. It was a 14% increase over last year’s comparable game, and also beat the second most-watched game, Alabama vs. Mississippi State, which had an average of 5.1 million viewers.

CBS Sports delivers most-watched game of the week on any Network with presentation of Ohio State-Iowa on Saturday: pic.twitter.com/6UkHIMdBrb

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— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) October 6, 2026

As we always say, Ohio State turns on television sets and streaming devices, and including a football-crazed state like Iowa and its fanbase in the mix had a lot to do with the eyeballs tuning in. We’re sure, too, that there were some fans rooting for an upset that added to the viewership.

It’s doubtful that Ohio State vs. Maryland will be anywhere near that this weekend, but at least it’s homecoming for the Buckeyes.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs. Iowa most-watched game of Week 5 | Buckeyes Wire