Belichick’s second season opens with ratings surge as North Carolina beats TCU in Dublin
The Week 0 fixture in Ireland averaged 4.9 million viewers on ESPN, marking the second most-watched pre-season game since 2019 and highlighting a continued upward trend in college football television audiences.
North Carolina’s 15-10 victory over TCU in Dublin, Ireland, has emerged as the most-watched game of the opening week of the 2026 college football season. According to data released by ESPN, the match averaged 4.9 million viewers, with a peak audience of 5.8 million. This performance makes it the second most-watched Week 0 game since 2019, signalling strong early engagement for the new season.
The result was significant for Bill Belichick, who is in his second year as head coach of the Tar Heels. The game began with a 10-10 tie after the first quarter on a rainy day in Ireland before North Carolina secured the lead. Billy Edwards Jr. completed 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards, while Jelani Thurman recorded four catches for 94 yards to lead the offensive effort.
Viewership figures for the event must be contextualised against recent changes in measurement methodology. Last year’s Dublin game averaged 3.2 million viewers, but that figure was recorded just before Nielsen implemented its Big Data + Panel metric to measure viewership. Consequently, direct year-on-year comparisons are complicated by the shift in how audience data is calculated.
The broader Week 0 slate also demonstrated robust audience numbers. Virginia’s 34-8 win over NC State led the afternoon slot with an average of 3.2 million viewers, peaking at the same figure. Additionally, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff between Howard and Alabama A&M attracted an average audience of 1.2 million, with a peak of 1.7 million. The Howard victory became the second most-watched game in the history of that specific kickoff series.
These figures follow a 2025 season that saw a 4 per cent increase in overall college football TV ratings. ABC was noted as a primary beneficiary of that growth, holding seven of the 10 most-watched games of the regular season. As the season progresses, attention will turn to Week 1, which features LSU welcoming Clemson in a primetime matchup.
