Even if you hate the Longhorns, you have to admit that Texas football is must-see TV

We can admit, begrudgingly, that not everyone likes the Texas Longhorns, despite their history of winning, iconic mascot, and slew of beloved athletes, but that doesn't mean that not everyone is tuning in to see the Horns in action.

That much was only further confirmed when Texas played the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 4 of the 2026 college football season, and a whopping 12.9 million tuned in to see the Horns in action.

According to ESPN, the game averaged 9.7 million viewers through all four quarters, peaking at 12.9 million, making it the most-watched game of Week 4 and the highest-viewed noon game on the network since the 2016 season.

And nobody can sit there and say that it was only because it was a top-ranked matchup, the Horns being No. 1 and the Vols being No. 14 when they played. There were a half dozen ranked games on Saturday of Week 4, and it blew them all away.

Not to mention that just two weeks ago, the Horns had the most national viewers once again as they took on the then-No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, with 14 million people watching the showdown between the top teams.

Cementing that point, even ESPN's College GameDay has also broken records when it was at the Longhorns' games, initially setting the Week 2 record at Ohio State-Texas, and then setting the Week 4 record ahead of Texas-Tennessee.

This isn't the first time the Horns have been labeled as "must-see TV," with other sports also breaking records and topping viewership charts over the last year.

Texas still has five ranked matchups (Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, LSU) and three rivalry games (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M) on the horizon. So, the Longhorns will most likely continue to shatter records over the rest of the season, and don't even get me started on the numbers we will see if the Horns are in the SEC Championship game or the College Football Playoff.

The Texas Longhorns' brand translates perfectly to television

During the Horns' run to their second consecutive Women's College World Series title, the softball team broke one viewership record after another, increasing the audience by nearly 50% in the year-over-year numbers.

Now, a lot of this comes from Texas having one of the biggest fan bases in the entire country. Just a few years ago, Yahoo Sports estimated Longhorn Nation to be somewhere in the ballpark of 7.82 million fans, only trailing the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

However, when you boast the top teams in the biggest sports, more people than just your most loyal fans tune in to see your games.

Texas is dominating college sports, and it's a massive credit to what Athletic Director Chris Del Conte has rebuilt the program into. So, grab a snack, a drink, and a seat, and get ready to see even more burnt orange on your TV screen.

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