So far this college football season, the afternoon has been primetime for college football.
Regional college football action on ABC earned a 4.0 overnight rating Saturday afternoon, up 111% from regional coverage last year (1.9) and up 11% from Ohio State/Michigan State in 2012 (3.6). The 4.0 was the top college football overnight of week five, finishing well ahead of the second-place 2.8 for Saturday Night Football and the SEC on CBS.
ABC no longer releases percentages for its regional coverage, but Saturday’s window featured Florida State’s near-upset at the hands of N.C. State.
In four of five weeks this season, the 3:30 PM ET Saturday window has tied or earned the top college football overnight rating of the week. The lone exception was week three, when a 5 PM ET Georgia/South Carolina game topped the charts. Even then, that game was originally slated for a 3:30 PM start before a rain delay.
As mentioned earlier, the Notre Dame/Syracuse Saturday Night Football game drew a 2.8 overnight — down 32% from Wisconsin/Ohio State last year (4.1) but up 8% from Wisconsin/Nebraska in 2012 (2.6).
(Sat. overnights from Sports Business Daily)
