Ratings: Auburn-UF, “Big Noon,” Notre Dame

Auburn-Florida averaged a 3.9 rating and 6.43 million viewers on the latest edition of the SEC on CBS, up 34% in ratings and 37% in viewership from last year (2.9, 4.70M) and up 56% in both measures from 2017 (2.5, 4.13M), both of which were LSU-Florida games.

The Gators’ win ranks second among afternoon games this season, narrowly trailing Texas A&M-Clemson on ABC last month (4.0, 6.46M).

Regardless of timeslot, it delivered the sixth-largest audience of the season and tied the fifth-highest rating.

FOX averaged a 3.2 rating and 5.02 million viewers for Iowa-Michigan on Big Noon Saturday last weekend, marking the highest rated and most-watched Noon ET game this season. Michigan’s three appearances on Big Noon this season account for the top three spots.

The Wolverines’ win fell 9% in ratings and 10% in viewership from the same window last year, Texas-Oklahoma in the Red River rivalry (3.5, 5.61M), but jumped 100% and 107% respectively from 2017 (Iowa State-Oklahoma: 1.6, 2.43M).

Later in the day, FOX averaged a 1.4 (-43%) and 2.21 million (-45%) for Northwestern-Nebraska and a 1.2 (-8%) and 2.00 million (-1%) for Cal-Oregon. Last year’s comparable windows were Indiana-Ohio State (2.5, 3.99M) and Washington-UCLA (1.3, 2.03M).

Over on FS1, Oklahoma State-Texas Tech had a 0.21 (-48%) and 456,000 (-26%).

NBC averaged its lowest Notre Dame football rating ever last weekend, a 0.8 for the team’s matchup against Bowling Green. The previous low was a 1.0 for multiple games, including New Mexico-Notre Dame earlier this season. The game averaged 1.28 million viewers.

Ratings and viewership were the lowest for any Notre Dame game since a 2017 matchup against Miami (Ohio) on NBCSN (0.5, 798K).