The return of the Big Ten delivered two of college football’s top five ratings this season.
Nebraska-Ohio State averaged a 3.4 rating and 6.18 million viewers on FOX Big Noon Saturday over the weekend, trailing only the primetime Georgia-Alabama game on CBS a week earlier (5.3, 9.61M) as the highest rated and most-watched game of the season. Ratings jumped 100% and viewership 144% from last year’s comparable week eight window on FOX (West Virginia-Oklahoma: 1.7, 2.54M).
Later in the day, Michigan-Minnesota averaged a 2.7 and 5.12 million on ABC’s Saturday Night Football, ranking fourth for the season in ratings and viewership. Ratings actually fell a third and viewership 23% from last year’s comparable Michigan-Penn State game (4.0, 6.66M).
The games were just the third and fourth of the season to average at least five million viewers, compared to 15 at the same point last season.
In other Big Ten action, Indiana’s upset of Penn State averaged a 1.0 and 2.07 million on FS1, easily the network’s most-watched game of the season. The previous highs were a mere 0.33 and 557,000 for Texas Tech-Kansas State earlier this month.
The Illinois-Wisconsin season-opener averaged 1.01 million on Big Ten Network, according to Sports Business Daily — actually down 38% from Ohio State-Northwestern in week eight last year (1.64M). Per SBD, BTN also averaged 795,000 for Iowa-Purdue (+41%), 608,000 for Rutgers-Michigan State (-45%) and just 186,000 for Maryland-Northwestern.
In other action, Alabama-Tennessee ranked third for the weekend with a 2.5 (+4%) and 4.36 million (+13%) on CBS. Aided by its Big Ten lead-in, Iowa State-Oklahoma State ranked fourth with a 1.6 (+14%) and 2.81 million (+26%) on FOX.
ABC’s Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game rounded out the top five with a 1.4 (-39%) and 2.49 million (-31%). ABC also posted declines for the Oklahoma-TCU earlier in the day (1.2, -29%; 2.03M, -22%).
ESPN topped out at a 1.3 (-19%) and 2.43 million (-17%) for South Carolina-LSU, with none of its other games cracking even a 1.0 rating. Keep in mind ESPN got none of the weekend’s Big Ten games. ESPN2 topped out at a 0.38 and 685,000 for West Virginia-Texas Tech — a 257% viewership jump over last year’s Tulane-Memphis game (192K) — with its top 25 matchup of Cincinnati-SMU at a 0.27 (-23%) and 485,000 (-15%).
The full list of 2020 college football ratings is available here.
