This week on the channel +30M views this week

BYU's playoff possibilities give ESPN College Football plenty to discuss

Greg McElroy examines Bear Bachmeier's versatility, while College GameDay's podcast wrestles with ranking an expanded playoff field.

Channel:

ESPN College Football Story of October 20, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

What is BYU’s ceiling now? | Always College Football

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:53Notre Dame gained more yards and held possession longer, yet finished without a passing touchdown.
1:34McElroy credits Jay Hill's disguised coverages with disrupting CJ Carr's downfield passing.
2:30Bachmeier's passing, rushing and receiving contributions prompt McElroy's comparison to Tim Tebow.
3:20Bachmeier's decisive late drive ends with a touchdown pass to Walker Lyons.
7:05BYU's unbeaten start strengthens McElroy's case for placing the Cougars among the country's top teams.
8:44McElroy argues Notre Dame has little remaining room for error, highlighting games against SMU and Miami.

ESPN College Football gave BYU's win over Notre Dame more than a postgame rewind. In "What is BYU's ceiling now? | Always College Football," Greg McElroy uses the result to ask how seriously the Cougars belong in the national-title conversation.

His answer starts with Bear Bachmeier. McElroy compares the quarterback's versatile style to Tim Tebow, then breaks down the late touchdown drive finished by a pass to Walker Lyons. There is defensive substance here, too: Notre Dame gained more yards and held the ball longer, but McElroy explains how Jay Hill's disguised coverages complicated CJ Carr's downfield passing.

That was the most-watched of the channel's fifteen uploads this week and its busiest video by current daily views. The comments keep returning to the disputed final clock sequence, though some viewers also pick up McElroy's Tebow comparison. Another remembers the referee's quick move out of the way during Bachmeier's touchdown pass.

The broader playoff question runs through the rest of the schedule. Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel consider how to rank and seed a hypothetical expanded field on the College GameDay Podcast, before turning to Texas and the pressure on Arch Manning. Another Always College Football upload asks whether undefeated BYU, Utah and Texas Tech could all reach the playoff.

Across the channel, the week brought roughly 30 million views and 10,000 additional subscribers. Daily viewing is running at more than twice its usual level. Nearby sports channels CBS Sports and SPORTSNET are also above their usual daily viewing, but ESPN College Football's week has a particularly clear talking point: how far BYU's unbeaten start can take it.

Published on Trari

Where next?

Also in American sports leagues and mediaVideo taking off 10x its usual first dayStephen A. Smith tests Schottenheimer's definition of a "great coach"First Take turns a Cowboys press-conference declaration into a debate about results, with school grades and speed limits supplying the punchlines.Channel: NFL on ESPN · Story of October 24, 2026

A different discovery todayVideo people are talking about 11x its usual commentsZelenskyy tells Steven Bartlett why he needed "ammunition, not a ride"In a nearly two-hour conversation, Ukraine's president moves from sleepless nights and grieving parents to Bucha, Paddington Bear and the morning the invasion …Channel: The Diary Of A CEO · Story of October 24, 2026

What viewers say

Hats off to BYU. Go Irish.
@AsJonnySeeSee it on YouTube
You’re welcome in Provo anytime! What a game.
@JT_TrysSee it on YouTube
I give kudos to the ref that duct out of the way on the Bear's touchdown pass. Pretty quick reaction
@chadimlay9500See it on YouTube

1 more comment

Appreciate the comparison to Tebow – incredible we're mentioning those two in the same sentence, but Bachmeier is a much better thrower than Tebow.
@LincolnHolt-c6pSee it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube