Playoff implications and light competition helped the Mountain West Championship to a record audience.
Friday’s Boise State-UNLV Mountain West Championship Game averaged a 1.6 rating and 3.01 million viewers, marking the largest audience ever for the game, with the caveat that it previously aired in Saturday windows opposite “power” conference games. The previous high was 1.94 million for the 2022 title game between Fresno State and Boise State.
In addition, the game had never before carried any playoff implications. Under the new 12-team format that guarantees at least one “group of five” team acceptance into the field, Boise State was in position to clinch a playoff appearance.
Ratings increased 142% and viewership 139% from the same matchup last year, which aired directly opposite the SEC Championship (0.7, 1.26M).
The Mountain West title game easily outdrew the competing Army-Tulane American Athletic championship on ABC, which drew a 1.2 and 2.00 million — marking just the eighth time in 40 head-to-head windows this season that FOX outdrew ABC.
The AAC title game increased 11% and 7% respectively from last year, when it aired opposite the SEC title game (1.0, 1.88M)
Combined, the Mountain West and AAC title games still fell short of last year’s Washington-Oregon Pac-12 Championship, which aired on ABC in the same Friday night window and averaged 9.25 million.
