Lesser competition helped the SEC on CBS overcome an all-out Alabama rout.
Alabama/Tennessee scored a 4.1 overnight rating on the latest edition of the SEC on CBS, up 14% from Alabama/Texas A&M last year (3.6), up 8% from Auburn/Mississippi in 2014 (3.8), and the second-highest overnight for the SEC on CBS this season (six telecasts).
The Tide’s 39-point drubbing trails only Alabama/Mississippi in week three (5.4), edging Tennessee/Texas A&M the previous week (4.0).
The double-digit increase was due in large part to light competition. Last year’s game, another top-ten matchup that Alabama turned into a laugher, aired directly opposite Michigan State/Michigan on ESPN (5.1). This year’s game faced nothing of that magnitude.
For the weekend, it ranked second among all college football telecasts behind only Ohio State/Wisconsin on ABC Saturday night (5.6).
(Sat. numbers from CBS Sports PR/Twitter 10/16)
