ABC’s coverage of 1 Ohio State’s victory over 2 Michigan on Saturday afternoon scored a 13.4 rating with nearly 22 million viewers, according to Nielsen data cited by the Associated Press. The 13.4 rating is significantly higher than the 8.2 generated by OSU-Texas, the previous 1 versus 2 matchup in this college football season.
OSU/Michigan:
- scored higher ratings than any game of the NBA Finals or World Series in the last two years
- scored the highest regular season college football ratings since 1993 (FSU/Notre Dame)
- scored higher ratings than all but two of NBC’s Sunday Night Football games
- had more viewers than any of ESPN’s Monday Night Football games
OSU will next appear on FOX on January 8 (the National Championship Game). FOX will be hard pressed to surpass the ratings generated by this year’s Rose Bowl; that game, between USC and Texas, had a rating of over 20.
