Considering the lopsided nature of the game, it should be no surprise that Michigan/Notre Dame hit a multi-year low last weekend.
Last Saturday’s Michigan/Notre Dame college football game drew a 2.7 final rating and 4.6 million viewers on NBC, down 16% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Michigan State/Notre Dame in week four of last season (3.2, 4.8M) and down 33% and 28%, respectively, from Michigan/Notre Dame in week four of the 2012 season (4.0, 6.4M).
Compared to last year’s Notre Dame/Michigan game on ESPN, ratings declined by 49% (5.3 to 2.7) and viewership by 47% (8.7M to 4.6M).
Notre Dame’s 31-0 win ranks as the lowest rated meeting between the rivals since 2007 (2.5) and the second-lowest since the series resumed in 2002. This year marked just the third time since 2002 resumption that any Michigan/Notre Dame game has failed to draw at least a 4.0 rating.
Keep in mind the game did face hefty competition from Michigan State/Oregon on FOX (3.5, 6.0M) and Virginia Tech/Ohio State on ESPN (2.6, 4.3M).
(Sat. numbers from Sports Business Daily)
