An all-time college football classic earned the strongest numbers of the 2013 season.
Saturday’s Alabama/Auburn college football game drew an 8.2 final rating and 13.8 million viewers on CBS, up 242% in ratings and 255% in viewership from the same match-up on Thanksgiving weekend last year (2.4, 3.9M), and up 82% and 84%, respectively, from the teams’ 2011 meeting (4.5, 7.5M).
Alabama/Auburn ranks as the most-viewed game of the 2013 college football season, topping Alabama/Texas A&M in September (13.6M). The 8.2 rating is the second-highest of the season, trailing Alabama/Texas A&M (8.5).
Including LSU/Alabama in week eleven (6.9, 11.9M), the season’s top three games have involved Alabama. Overall, an SEC team has been involved in the highest rated game in ten out of fourteen weeks this season, including the last four straight.
Excluding conference championship and bowl games, this year’s “Iron Bowl” ranks as the most-viewed afternoon college football telecast since Michigan/Ohio State in 2006.
Despite the strong numbers, Saturday’s game still could not match last year’s top games — Notre Dame/USC in week thirteen (9.4, 16.1M) and the Alabama/Georgia SEC title game (9.8, 16.2M).
(Sat. numbers from CBS Sports via The Futon Critic)
