A pair of SEC games went in opposite directions on ESPN.
Last Saturday’s Georgia-Missouri college football game earned a 2.0 rating and 3.33 million viewers on ESPN, up 25% in ratings and 27% in viewership from last year (Texas A&M-Arkansas: 1.6, 2.61M), and up 18% and 23% respectively from 2016 (Georgia-Mississippi: 1.7, 2.70M).
The Bulldogs’ win delivered the largest Noon ET college football audience on cable since November 2016 (Ohio State-Michigan State: 3.7. 5.84M).
In other SEC action, Florida-Tennessee scored a 1.2 and 2.11 million on ESPN in primetime — down 23% in ratings and 25% in viewership from last year (Mississippi State-UGA: 1.6, 2.80M) and down 50% and 49% respectively from 2016 (LSU-Auburn: 2.4, 4.10M).
Excluding a 2014 meeting on SEC Network, which is not Nielsen rated, the Gators’ win was the lowest rated game between the rivals in more than a decade. Compared to the teams’ meeting on CBS last year, ratings fell 63% (from 3.2) and viewership 59% (from 5.13M).
Later in the night, Arizona State-Washington had a 1.1 and 1.83 million — up 10% in both measures from last year (UCLA-Stanford: 1.0, 1.67M) but down 52% and 53% respectively from 2016 (Arkansas-Texas A&M: 2.3, 3.87M). ESPN’s late night window this season is up 22 percent.
Rounding out Saturday’s action, Kansas State-West Virginia had a 0.8 (-47%) and 1.24 million (-50%). ESPN’s College Gameday started the day off with 1.72 million (+5%).
On Friday, ESPN drew a 1.1 and 1.64 million for Washington State-USC and a 0.9 (+6%) and 1.30 million (+1%) for Florida Atlantic-UCF.
As for the other ESPN networks, ESPN2 topped out at a 0.7 (+8%) and 1.22 million (+15%) for Mississippi State-Kentucky — the network’s second-largest audience this season. Arkansas State-Alabama in week two holds the top spot (1.66M). On ESPNU, Louisiana Tech-LSU topped the charts with 616,000 (+22%).
The full list of week four college football ratings is available here.
[Numbers from ESPN PR, Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 9.25]
