It was not as big a draw as usual thanks to the World Series, but Clemson/Florida State was still the weekend’s top college football game.
Clemson/FSU earned a 3.2 final rating and 5.4 million viewers on ABC’s Saturday Night Football last weekend, down 11% in ratings and 10% in viewership from Notre Dame/Temple last year (3.6, 6.0M) but up 24% and 15%, respectively, from Ohio State/Penn State in 2014 (2.9, 4.7M). All three games faced the World Series.
Ratings and viewership were the lowest for the Clemson/FSU rivalry since 2012 (2.8, 4.8M). Last year’s matchup had a 4.7 and 7.6 million, while the 2014 game had a 4.5 and 7.3 million.
This year’s game aired opposite unusually tough World Series competition. Game 4 of the Indians/Cubs series had a 9.3 rating and 16.7 million viewers on FOX, marking the highest rated Saturday night World Series game since 2009 and the most-watched since 2004.
Shifting to the afternoon, Baylor/Texas had a 2.2 and 3.5 million — down a tick in ratings but virtually flat in viewership compared to last year (2.3, 3.5M) and down 8% in both measures from Michigan/Michigan State in 2014 (2.4, 3.8M).
ABC opened its tripleheader with a 1.9 and 2.9 million for regional action, up a tick in ratings and 13% in viewership from Syracuse/FSU last year (1.8, 2.6M). There was no comparable window in ’14.
Neither afternoon game won its timeslot, with Baylor/Texas trailing Florida/Georiga on CBS (2.6, 4.5M) and the regional window trailing Michigan/Michigan State on ESPN (2.9, 4.6M).
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily 11/4)
