LSU coach Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss draws nearly 11 million viewers

Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss attracted nearly 11 million viewers for his first game with the team. However, this figure did not surpass the viewership of Texas' Week 2 win over Ohio State. According to ESPN, Ole Miss' 32-24 victory against LSU generated an average audience of 10.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the day and the second in the 2026 season to exceed 10 million viewers.

Alabama's triumph over Florida State earlier in the day drew a significantly smaller audience of 7 million viewers. It was evident that Ole Miss' game would be the most-watched of the weekend, considering that Kiffin's departure from Ole Miss to Texas was highly controversial and both teams were potential playoff contenders. The event indeed lived up to expectations, with LSU turning the tide in the fourth quarter and sealing the victory with an interception in the end zone.

Nevertheless, the game drew 3 million fewer viewers than Texas' 24-23 triumph over Ohio State, which held the record as the most-watched regular-season game on ESPN since the 2016 matchup between Ohio State and Michigan. It appears that the star power of a coach remains one of the primary factors influencing college football viewership.

While Kiffin's presence was undoubtedly a major talking point throughout the offseason, the broad appeal and larger population of schools like Ohio State and Texas ultimately eclipsed the allure of Kiffin's comeback.