Alabama, Texas A&M Dominates Week 6 Viewership
Not only was Alabama versus Texas A&M the most desired home ticket of the year, it was one of the most viewed college football games of the year.
Saturday's matchup between the Tide and the Aggies was the second most watched college football game of the year, sitting behind Alabama's matchup with Texas on September 10, which did 10.6 million viewers on FOX.
There were several longtime rivalry games this past weekend that Alabama and Texas A&M outperformed them all. The Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma did less than half the numbers, primarily due to the Longhorns shutting the Sooners out.
The Greatest Rivalry of the South was also aired on CBS, at 2:30 p.m., and that game was also very one-sided. Georgia routed Auburn 42-10 in Athens to continue the Bulldogs' undefeated season.
Texas A&M put on one of their best performances of the year, keeping the game close for all four quarters. Both Texas teams overperformed, as they were both 20-point underdogs that came seconds away from pulling off big upsets.
After upsetting Alabama in College Station last year, the Aggies came close to winning in walk-off fashion in consecutive years. Texas A&M gave Alabama their only loss of the 2021 regular season after kicker Seth Small made a game-winning 28-yard kick.
Offseason tension between head coaches Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher turned this game into a must see rivalry game. Saban accused Fisher and Texas A&M of paying for their top-ranked 2022 recruiting class.
On Saturday, the Aggies had the ball on the two-yard line with two seconds remaining in the game. Texas A&M quarterback Hanes King misfired to receiver Evan Stewart, coming up seconds short of silencing Bryant-Denny Stadium.
All eyes will once again Alabama this weekend, as undefeated No. 6 Tennessee looks to defeat Alabama for the first time under Nick Saban. With Tennessee playing their best football in a long time and Bryce Young questionable, Alabama is once again on upset watch.