Colorado was far and away the biggest ratings draw, but the SEC more than held its own in week three of the college football season.
South Carolina-Georgia averaged a 2.8 rating and 5.42 million viewers in the final season premiere of the SEC on CBS, up 24% in ratings and 34% in viewership from Penn State-Auburn last year (2.3, 4.05M) and the most-watched college football game on CBS this season. CBS aired six games in the first two weeks, each from the Big Ten or Mountain West.
The Bulldogs’ closer-than-expected win delivered the second-largest college football audience of the weekend, trailing the more than nine million viewers who watched Colorado defeat Colorado State.
Three of the week’s four most-watched games involved an SEC team. Tennessee-Florida placed third with a 2.7 and 5.31 million on ESPN Saturday night, up 63% in ratings and 74% in viewership from Mississippi State-LSU last year (1.6, 3.06M).
Airing opposite South Carolina-Georgia, Alabama’s near-disaster South Florida took fourth place with a 2.7 and 4.84 million on ABC — more-than-triple Mississippi-Georgia Tech in the same window last year (0.8, 1.39M). Figures exclude a lengthy weather delay.
Rounding out the top five, Florida State’s narrow win over Boston College drew a 1.9 and 3.48 million on ABC — up 65% and 72% respectively from UConn-Michigan a year ago (1.2, 2.03M). ABC edged FOX “Big Noon Saturday,” which drew a 1.8 (-3%) and 3.22 million (-6%) for Penn State-Illinois.
In other action, FOX drew a 1.5 and 2.82 million for Western Kentucky-Ohio State, a modest increase over BYU-Oregon last year (1.4, 2.58M). TCU-Houston drew a 0.7 and 1.20 million afterward, down more than 50 percent year-over-year (Toledo-Ohio State: 1.6, 3.05M).
ABC drew a mere 1.3 and 2.41 million for Pittsburgh-West Virginia on Saturday Night Football, down double-digits from Michigan State-Washington last year (1.6, 2.79M). All three Saturday night games on ABC this season have declined double-digits.
NBC’s competing Syracuse-Purdue game had a 0.8 and 1.25 million, an marked improvement over Charlotte-Maryland the previous week (0.43, 665K). NBC — the Big Ten’s new primetime broadcast partner — was outdrawn head-to-head by Bowling Green-Michigan on BTN, which averaged 1.32 million.
For the full list of week three college football ratings, see the following page. For more sports ratings, see the weekly chart.
