The bandwagon was lighter after their blowout loss to Oregon, but Colorado delivered another big audience for a much-closer defeat at the hands of USC.
USC-Colorado averaged a 4.0 rating and 7.24 million viewers on the latest edition of FOX “Big Noon Saturday,” marking the least-watched Buffaloes game of the season, but the eighth-largest audience overall. Colorado has now played in more than half (five) of the top eight games. (For the full list of college football ratings this season, see this page.)
The Trojans’ win, which peaked with 10.34 million from 3:30-3:45 PM ET, increased 64% in ratings and 72% in viewership from Michigan-Iowa in the same window last year (2.4, 4.20M).
As goes without saying, Colorado is the most-watched team in college football with an average of a 4.5 rating and 8.50 million viewers for its first five games. By comparison, the team’s most-watched game last season averaged 1.25 million.
The Buffaloes opened the season with a larger-than-usual audience as 7.26 million viewers for an upset win over TCU. Viewership then grew to 8.73 million for their rout of Nebraska the following week, climbed to 9.30 million for a double-overtime win over Colorado State that aired at 10 PM ET on cable, and crested at 10.03 million for their blowout loss to Oregon last week.
Three of the Buffaloes’ five games have aired on FOX “Big Noon Saturday,” helping that window to a season average of 5.77 million viewers — the most-watched window on any network this season. “Big Noon” finished last season averaging 6.23 million, a figure that includes the Michigan-Ohio State game.
USC-Colorado was the highest rated and most-watched game of the weekend, finishing comfortably ahead of the second-place finisher — Georgia’s closer than expected win over Auburn on the SEC on CBS, which at a 3.4 and 6.40 million was the network’s most-watched week five game since 2015. It also cruised past Notre Dame’s thrilling comeback win over Duke, which drew a 2.3 and 5.32 million on ABC in primetime.
