The Clemson/Alabama sequel may have been better than the original, but could not measure up in the box office.
The Clemson/Alabama College Football Playoff National Championship had a 15.3 overnight rating on the ESPN family of networks Monday night, down 4% from the same matchup last year (16.0) and down 19% from Ohio State/Oregon in 2014 (18.9). The 15.3 is the lowest for college football’s national championship in five years, since Alabama/LSU scored a 13.8.
Going back further, the 15.3 is the second-lowest for the title game since 2005 and the fifth-lowest since the formation of the Bowl Championship Series in the 1998-99 season.
Birmingham was the top market with a 53.6 rating, down 9% from last year (59.2) and easily the market’s lowest rating for a national championship involving Alabama or Auburn since the formation of the BCS. Greenville, SC ranked second with a 35.1, down 10% from last year (39.0). Atlanta was the top neutral market at a 28.2 (-6%), with Nashvhille (26.6, -9%) and Knoxville, TN (25.8, -9%) rounding out the top five.
(Mon. numbers from ESPN)
