The prelude to college football’s rivalry weekend was a ho-hum affair.
Alabama-Arkansas topped last weekend’s college football slate with a 3.2 rating and 5.46 million viewers on CBS, marking the most-watched pairing of the teams since 2010. Ratings increased fivefold and viewership sixfold from last year’s comparable San Diego State-UNLV game, a late addition to the CBS schedule after an SEC postponement. Versus Georgia-Auburn in 2019, ratings fell 21% (from 4.0) and viewership 19% (from 6.77M).
The game, which peaked with 7.42 million, helped CBS top the college football ratings charts for the first time in more than a month. CBS has topped the charts in five of 12 weeks this season, more than any other network.* An SEC intra-conference game has topped the charts in six weeks, and an SEC team has played in the top game seven times.
Ranking second last weekend was the much-hyped, top ten matchup of Michigan State-Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ easy win drew a 3.05 and 5.29 million on ABC, more-than-doubling last year’s game, a last-minute addition to the schedule (Florida-Vanderbilt: 1.2, 2.02M), and up 61% and 80% respectively from 2019 (Indiana-Penn State: 1.9, 2.93M).
ABC also took third and fourth-place. Oregon-Utah drew a 2.6 and 4.82 million on Saturday Night Football, the largest audience for a regular season Pac-12 intra-conference game since 2014. The Utes’ upset increased 14% in ratings and 17% in viewership from “Bedlam” last year (Oklahoma State-Oklahoma: 2.3, 4.10M) but down a third and 29% respectively from 2019 (Oklahoma-Baylor: 3.9, 6.79M).
Ranking fourth, Nebraska-Wisconsin drew a 2.05 (-13%) and 3.53 million (-17%).
Rounding out the top five, Iowa State-Oklahoma drew a 1.9 and 3.10 million on FOX “Big Noon Saturday” — down 49% in ratings and 51% in viewership from last year (Indiana-Ohio State: 3.7, 6.36M) and down 25% and 21% respectively from 2019 (Michigan State-Michigan: 2.5, 3.94M). UCLA-USC followed immediately after with a 1.0 (-11%) and 1.84 million (-7%), with the Oklahoma State-Texas Tech nightcap at a 1.1 (+63%) and 1.91 million (+67%).
In other action on broadcast, NBC drew a mere 0.8 and 1.46 million for Georgia Tech-Notre Dame — the lowest rated Notre Dame game ever on the NBC broadcast network. The previous low was a 1.0 for multiple games.
Shifting to cable, ESPN topped out at a 1.1 (-2%) and 2.03 million (-1%) for Auburn-South Carolina. Wake Forest-Clemson ranked second among cable games with a 0.9 (+74%) and 1.55 million (+83%), the large increases attributable to last year’s lower-profile matchup of Appalachian State-Coastal Carolina (0.5, 848K).
ESPN also drew a 0.7 (-16%) and 1.11 million (-16%) for Arizona-Oregon State and a 0.52 (-42%) and 938,000 (-40%) for SMU against CFP-contender Cincinnati.
Finally, Big Ten Network scored its top audience of the season — 1.24 million — for regional coverage of Michigan-Maryland and Minnesota-Indiana.
The full list of this season’s college football ratings is available here.
* FOX has also topped the charts in five weeks this season if one includes “week zero.”
