A top-ten matchup of SEC rivals delivered for ESPN.
Florida-LSU averaged a 3.6 rating and 6.45 million viewers on ESPN last Saturday night, marking cable’s highest rated and most-watched regular season college football game in two years. Alabama-Mississippi State had a 3.9 and 7.03 million in November 2017.
The Tigers’ win, which peaked with 7.43 million viewers from 10:45-11 PM ET, increased 80% in ratings and 72% in viewership from the comparable window last year (Missouri-Alabama: 2.0, 3.76M) and 64% and 67% respectively from 2017 (Arkansas-Alabama: 2.2, 3.87M).
Ratings and viewership were the highest for the Florida-LSU rivalry since 2015, the last time it aired on ESPN (3.9, 6.78M). Versus last year’s matchup, which aired on CBS, ratings increased 24% (from 2.9) and viewership 37% (from 4.70M).
The game posted the second-largest college football audience of last weekend. Texas-Oklahoma had 7.25 million on FOX. It ranked third in ratings behind Texas-Oklahoma (4.5) and Alabama-Texas A&M on CBS (3.7).
New Orleans led all markets with a 30.6 rating,* followed by Birmingham (27.6), Jacksonville (17.4), Knoxville (12.5) and Greenville, N.C. (11.0).
In other action, ESPN also drew a 2.0 (+33%) and 3.25 million (+30%) for South Carolina’s upset of Georgia. The double-overtime game, which peaked with 5.8 million viewers, scored the top Noon ET audience on cable since Georgia-Missouri in week three last year (2.0, 3.33M).
Another strong performer was Virginia-Miami last Friday (1.1, 1.73M), up 57% in ratings and 48% in viewership over last year (USF-Tulsa: 0.7, 1.17M). It was no match for the same window two years ago, Syracuse’s upset of Clemson (1.7, 1.85M).
Rounding out ESPN’s week seven slate, Iowa State-West Virginia drew a 1.0 (flat) and 1.57 million (-12%) Saturday and Syracuse-NC State a 0.44 (-45%) and 714,000 (-42%) last Thursday.
Elsewhere on the ESPN networks, ESPN2 and ABC had a clean sweep of double-digit declines last Saturday. ABC averaged a 2.2 (-37%) and 3.70 million (-39%) for Penn State-Iowa, a 1.6 (-16%) and 2.54 million (-15%) for Florida State-Clemson, and a 1.4 (-18%) and 2.13 million (-12%) for Michigan-Illinois.
ESPN2 topped out at a 0.34 (-11%) and 555,000 (-14%) for Hawaii-Boise State.
* While New Orleans is no longer included in Nielsen overnight ratings, its numbers are still available on a delayed basis.
[Nielsen estimates from ESPN PR 10.15, ShowBuzz Daily 10.15]
