Ratings for college football’s national championship game dating back to the 1985-86 season, with viewership dating back to the 1998-99 season.
Since the inception of the Bowl Championship Series in the 1998-99 college football season, the highest rated, most-viewed National Championship Game came in 2006, when Texas defeated USC (21.7, 35.630 mil). Texas/USC remains the only national championship game to top a 20.0 rating since the late 1980s.
Of note, this list includes all bowl games that involved the eventual national champions dating back to 1985-86. Several years have two national championship games listed, because there were co-champions. For example, in addition to the 2004 Sugar Bowl (the official BCS National Championship Game for that year), ratings are also included for the 2004 Rose Bowl, which included co-national champion USC.
Additionally, at least one game with national championship implications was excluded because it did not feature that year’s national champion: the 1990 Notre Dame/Colorado Orange Bowl, which drew an 18.3 rating — more than double the 7.4 rating for that year’s Sugar Bowl, which involved national champion Miami.
National Championship Game Ratings Dating Back to 1986 (Viewership Since 1999)
National championship game, or game that involved eventual national champion.
| Season | Date | Bowl | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2009-10
|
Thu., 1/7/10 |
BCS
|
ALA 37, TEX 21 | ABC |
17.2
|
30,776
|
|
2008-09
|
Thu., 1/8/09 |
BCS
|
UF 24, OK 14 | FOX |
15.8
|
26,767
|
|
2007-08
|
Tue., 1/7/08 |
BCS
|
LSU 38, OSU 24 | FOX |
14.4
|
23,069
|
|
2006-07
|
Mon., 1/8/07 |
BCS
|
UF 41, OSU 14 | FOX |
17.4
|
28,795
|
|
2005-06
|
Wed., 1/4/06 |
Rose
|
TEX 41, USC 38 | ABC |
21.7
|
35,630
|
|
2004-05
|
Tue., 1/4/05 |
Orange
|
USC 55, OK 19 | ABC |
13.7
|
21,419
|
|
2003-04
|
Sun., 1/4/04 |
Sugar
|
LSU 21, OK 14 | ABC |
14.8
|
23,937
|
| Thu., 1/1/04 |
Rose
|
USC 28, MICH 14 | ABC |
14.3
|
23,871
|
|
|
2002-03
|
Fri., 1/3/03 |
Fiesta
|
OSU 31, MIA 24 | ABC |
17.2
|
29,104
|
|
2001-02
|
Thu., 1/3/02 |
Rose
|
MIA 37, NEB 14 | ABC |
13.8
|
21,559
|
|
2000-01
|
Wed., 1/3/01 |
Orange
|
OK 13, FSU 2 | ABC |
17.8
|
27,240
|
|
1999-00
|
Tue., 1/4/00 |
Sugar
|
FSU 46, VT 29 | ABC |
17.5
|
26,962
|
|
1998-99
|
Mon., 1/4/99 |
Fiesta
|
TEN 23, FSU 16 | ABC |
17.2
|
26,112
|
|
1997-98
|
Fri., 1/2/98 |
Orange
|
NEB 42, TEN 17 | CBS |
13.3
|
n/a
|
| Thu., 1/1/98 |
Rose
|
MICH 21, WSU 16 | ABC |
17.6
|
n/a
|
|
|
1996-97
|
Thu., 1/2/97 |
Sugar
|
UF 52, FSU 20 | ABC |
17.9
|
n/a
|
|
1995-96
|
Tue., 1/2/96 |
Fiesta
|
NEB 62, UF 24 | CBS |
18.8
|
n/a
|
|
1994-95
|
Sun., 1/1/95 |
Orange
|
NEB 24, MIA 17 | NBC |
11.4
|
n/a
|
|
1993-94
|
Sat., 1/1/94 |
Orange
|
FSU 18, NEB 16 | NBC |
17.8
|
n/a
|
|
1992-93
|
Fri., 1/1/93 |
Sugar
|
ALA 34, MIA 13 | ABC |
18.2
|
n/a
|
|
1991-92
|
Wed., 1/1/92 |
Rose
|
WSH 34, MICH 14 | ABC |
15.4
|
n/a
|
|
Orange
|
MIA 22, NEB 0 | NBC |
11.0
|
n/a
|
||
|
1990-91
|
Tue., 1/1/91 |
Orange
|
COL 10, ND 9 | NBC |
18.3
|
n/a
|
|
Citrus
|
GT 45, NEB 21 | ABC |
9.7
|
n/a
|
||
|
1989-90
|
Mon., 1/1/90 |
Sugar
|
MIA 33, ALA 25 | ABC |
7.4
|
n/a
|
|
1988-89
|
Mon., 1/2/89 |
Fiesta
|
ND 34, WVU 21 | NBC |
17.0
|
n/a
|
|
1987-88
|
Fri., 1/1/88 |
Orange
|
MIA 20, OK 14 | NBC |
20.8
|
n/a
|
|
1986-87
|
Mon., 1/2/87 |
Fiesta
|
PSU 14, MIA 10 | NBC |
24.9
|
n/a
|
|
1985-86
|
Wed., 1/1/86 |
Orange
|
OK 25, PSU 10 | NBC |
21.3
|
n/a
|
(Pre-1996 ratings from “Unraveling yields inefficient matchings: evidence from post-season college football bowls,” RAND Journal of Economics; 1991 Citrus Bowl rating from Syracuse Post-Standard, 12/15/91)
