For the eight time in nine weeks, an SEC team played in ESPN’s top game of the week.
Last Saturday’s Auburn/Georgia college football game drew a 2.6 final rating and 4.6 million viewers on ESPN, down a tick in ratings but up 3% in viewership compared to Alabama/Mississippi State last year (2.7, 4.5M) and up 24% and 39%, respectively, from Kansas State/Baylor in 2012 (2.1, 3.3M).
The Bulldogs’ win was the top college football telecast of the week on ESPN, the seventh time in eight weeks than an SEC conference game has topped the charts. Including the non-conference Auburn/Kansas State game in week four, an SEC team has played in ESPN’s top telecast in eight of the past nine weeks.
Head-to-head, Auburn/Georgia trailed FSU/Miami on corporate sibling ABC (5.3, 8.7M) but topped every other game in an albeit uncompetitive timeslot. The Arizona State/Oregon State nightcap drew a 1.2 and 1.9 million.
In other action last week, ESPN drew a 1.3 and 1.8 million for the Noon ET Clemson/Georgia Tech game — down 38% in ratings and 37% in viewership from Ohio State/Illinois last year (2.1, 2.9M) and down 28% and 30%, respectively, from Iowa/Michigan in 2012 (1.8, 2.6M). Oklahoma/Texas Tech drew a 0.9 and 1.4 million later in the afternoon.
ESPN2’s top game was LSU/Arkansas in primetime, which drew a 1.0 and 1.8 million — down 15% in ratings and 20% in viewership from Florida/South Carolina in an earlier timeslot last year (1.3, 2.3M) but up 43% and 68%, respectively, from Tennessee/Vanderbilt in 2012 (0.7, 1.1M). ESPNU topped out at a 0.5 and 633,000 for Virginia Tech/Duke, up 150% and 134%, respectively, from last year’s Troy/Mississippi game (0.2, 271K).
(Sat. numbers from Awful Announcing)
