Saturday’s clash between the top two college football teams in the country earned a massive television audience.
#1 LSU’s overtime victory over #2 Alabama earned an 11.5 final rating and 20.011 million viewers on CBS Saturday night, the highest rated and most-viewed college football game on any network (excluding bowl games) since #2 Michigan/#1 Ohio State in 2006 (13.0, 21.037M, ABC).
For CBS, the game was the most-viewed regular season college football telecast since 1989 (ND/MIA: 22.495M).
CBS is contractually limited to one primetime SEC telecast per season and used that selection on Alabama/Florida in October (7.593M). The network was able to move Saturday’s game into primetime after reaching an agreement with ESPN.
LSU/Alabama easily topped other Saturday night sporting events this year, including Game 3 of the World Series (STL/TEX: 6.6, 11.247M) and both NCAA Tournament National Semifinals (BUT/VCU: 8.3, 14.189M; CONN/UK: 9.5, 16.715M).
Overall, the game drew more viewers than three of this year’s five Bowl Championship Series games, five of the six NBA Finals games, five of the seven World Series games, the Daytona 500 (15.597M), the final round of The Masters (15.257M), and the race portion of the Kentucky Derby (14.539M).
Excluding the NFL, LSU/Alabama ranks as the seventh-most viewed sporting event of 2011, behind only the BCS National Championship Game (AUB/ORE: 27.316M, ESPN), Game 7 of the World Series (TEX/STL: 25.403M, FOX), Game 6 of the NBA Finals (DAL/MIA: 23.880M, ABC), Game 6 of the World Series (TEX/STL: 21.065M, FOX), the Rose Bowl (TCU/WISC: 20.558M, ESPN), and the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game (CONN/BUT: 20.055M, CBS).
Last year’s Alabama/LSU game, which also aired in Week 10 of the season, earned a 4.4 and 7.208 million viewers in CBS’ traditional 3:30 PM window.
Ratings/Viewership For Past Five #1 vs. #2 College Football Games
Excluding bowl games
|
Year
|
Date
|
Game
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers (000)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2011
|
Sat., 11/5/11 | #1 LSU 9, #2 ALA 6 | CBS |
11.5
|
20,011
|
|
2009
|
Sat., 12/5/09 | #2 ALA 32, #1 UF 13 | CBS |
11.1
|
17,969
|
|
2008
|
Sat., 12/6/08 | #2 UF 31, #1 ALA 20 | CBS |
9.3
|
15,061
|
|
2006
|
Sat., 11/18/06 | #1 OSU 42, #2 MICH 39 | ABC |
13.0
|
21,037
|
|
2006
|
Sat., 9/9/06 | #1 OSU 24, #2 TEX 7 | ABC |
8.2
|
13,274
|
(Saturday’s numbers from CBS Sports press release via TV By the Numbers)
