The season-opening clash between Ohio State and Texas attracted 16.62 million viewers, the most ever to watch a Week 1 college football game, Fox Sports reported.

Ohio State, then ranked No. 3, defeated then-top-ranked Texas 14-7 in the debut of Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning as the team's full-time starter.

Fox said the game peaked at 18.6 million viewers from 3-3:15 p.m. ET, adding it was the third most-watched college game ever in the regular season on Fox.

Even the pregame shows were a hit among viewers.

Fox reported that its "Big Noon Kickoff" drew 3.8 million people beginning at 11 a.m. ET, making it the most-watched edition of the show when Ohio State and Michigan weren't following it.

ESPN said earlier this week that its "College GameDay" show, which featured the final app

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