In a diminished college football bowl season, the games that have been played have hit historic lows — and historic highs — in the ratings.
Tuesday’s Oklahoma State-Miami Orlando (“Cheez-It”)* Bowl averaged a Nielsen-estimated 3.20 million viewers on ESPN, the most-watched game of the bowl season thus far, but the least-watched edition of the game since at least 2005. Viewership declined 23% from last year’s edition, which aired on ABC (Notre Dame-Iowa State: 4.17M) and 34% from 2018 on ESPN (West Virginia-Syracuse: 4.83M).
Later in the night, the Colorado-Texas Alamo Bowl averaged 2.98 million — ranking second for the bowl season, but the least-watched edition of that game since at least 2005. Viewership fell 47% from last year (Utah-Texas: 5.61M) and 46% from 2018 (Washington State-Iowa State: 5.55M).
Other bowl games have had far better results relative to past years. Saturday’s Liberty-Coastal Carolina Cure Bowl averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.62 million viewers on ESPN, marking the highest rated and most-watched bowl game involving “Group of Five” teams since the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl (Army-SDSU: 3.49M). The Cure Bowl had not previously aired on Nielsen-rated television.
Earlier in the day, the First Responder Bowl (UTSA-Louisiana) was the most-watched since 2017 with a 1.2 (+33%) and 2.08 million (+61%) on ABC. The Christmas Day Camellia Bowl (Marshall-Buffalo) was the highest rated since 2015 and most-watched ever with a 1.1 (+156%) and 2.11 million (+205%), while the Christmas Eve New Mexico Bowl (Hawaii-Houston) scored its best numbers since 2014 with a 1.1 (+24%) and 1.90 million (+137%).
Of the nine bowls thus far that can be compared to last year — not including Wednesday’s games — six have declined. That list also includes Saturday’s Mobile Bowl (Western Kentucky-Georgia State: 0.6, 923K), which posted its smallest audience since at least 2006. The game aired on ESPN directly opposite ABC’s First Responder Bowl.
* Previously known as the Camping World Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl and Champs Sports Bowl just in the last decade alone.
