Airing Michigan and Notre Dame back-to-back had the impact one would expect on ESPN’s college football ratings.
Last Saturday’s Penn State-Michigan college football game earned a 2.5 rating and 4.25 million viewers on ESPN, up 9% in ratings and 3% in viewership from Ohio State-Iowa last year (2.3, 4.11M) and up 67% and 83% respectively from 2016 (Maryland-Michigan: 1.5, 2.2M).
The Wolverines’ blowout win was the highest rated and most-watched college football game on cable since week two (Clemson-Texas A&M: 2.6, 4.49M). Overall, it ranks third behind the week two game and Virginia Tech-Florida State on Labor Day (3.4, 5.58M).
Despite the strong numbers, the game ranked just third in its timeslot. West Virginia-Texas had a 2.7 and 4.43 million on FOX, and Georgia-Kentucky a 2.6 and 4.39 million on CBS.
Penn State-Michigan led into Notre Dame-Northwestern, which had a 1.9 and 3.29 million — up 73% in ratings and 74% in viewership from last year (Texas-TCU: 1.1, 1.90M) and up 111% and 123% respectively from 2016 (Oregon-USC: 0.9, 1.48M).
As expected, Notre Dame’s win was no match for the competing Alabama-LSU game on CBS (6.6, 11.54M). It did edge Oklahoma-Texas Tech on ABC (1.9, 3.14M).
Bookending the ESPN quadrupleheader, Texas A&M-Auburn had a 1.6 (flat) and 2.62 million (-0.3%), and Cal-Washington State brought up the rear with a 0.9 (-18%) and 1.50 million (-23%).
College Gameday started the day off with a season-high 1.92 million viewers (+11%). That figure rises to 2.02 million with ESPNU’s simulcast included.
As for the other ESPN networks, ESPN2 topped out at a 0.9 and 1.36 million for Pittsburgh-Virginia last Friday night. It delivered the network’s third-largest audience this season, behind Arkansas-Alabama in September (1.66M) and Auburn-Mississippi State in October (1.53M). Viewership increased 99% from last year (Memphis-Tulsa: 683K) and 160% from 2016 (Temple-UConn: 523K).
ESPNU figures were not available.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 11.6]
