It was no match for last year, but the first college football game at a NASCAR racetrack topped the charts in week two of the season.
Virginia Tech/Tennessee scored a 3.8 overnight rating on ABC’s Saturday Night Football over the weekend, down 24% from Oregon/Michigan State last year (5.0). There was no comparable window in 2014.
The Volunteers’ blowout win, which took place at the Bristol Motor Speedway racetrack, was the highest rated game of the weekend in the metered markets. Head-to-head, it more-than-doubled NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Richmond on NBCSN (1.5).
Earlier in the day, Tulsa/Ohio State delivered a 2.8 overnight — down 28% from Notre Dame/Virginia last year (3.9) and down 39% from USC/Stanford in 2014 (4.6). Keep in mind the game experienced a lengthy weather delay; it was not clear whether that was factored into the rating.
In the opening game of ABC’s tripleheader, Michigan’s blowout of UCF had a 2.2 overnight. There was no comparable window last year.
According to the ESPN PR Twitter account, ABC’s three games were the highest rated of the day in the metered markets. Overnights for the SEC on CBS, Notre Dame on NBC, and BYU/Utah on FOX were not available.
(Wknd. numbers from ESPN, ESPN PR/Twitter)
