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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Michigan-Ohio State most-watched college game of season

Ohio State running back Mike Weber, center, celebrates his touchdown against Michigan with teammates Jamarco Jones, left, and Luke Farrell during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State beat Michigan 30-27 in double overtime. (Jay LaPrete / Associated Press)

BRISTOL, Conn. – ESPN says the Michigan-Ohio State double-overtime thriller drew more than 16.6 million viewers, making it the most-watched college football game this season.

The game was also the most-watched college football game on ABC since the 2006 Michigan-Ohio State game drew more than 21 million viewers, and the most-watched noon ET kickoff for any game on an ESPN network. The 2006 game, which was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

No. 2 Ohio State beat No. 3 Michigan 30-27 in Saturday’s game.

The second most-watched game this season was Notre Dame-Texas on Labor Day night, which drew almost 11 million viewers.

The viewership peaked for Michigan-Ohio State at more than 20 million viewers between 3:45 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET when the game went to overtime.

ESPN says the game was also streamed online more than any regular-season game it has ever carried, with more than one million unique viewers.