On a weekend packed with big games, the SEC on CBS notched a rare win in the college football ratings.
Georgia-Auburn scored a 4.7 overnight rating on the SEC on CBS Saturday afternoon, up 62% from the same matchup last year (2.9), up 34% from Alabama-Mississippi State in 2015 (3.5) and the highest college football overnight on CBS this season.
The previous high was a 3.7 for LSU-Alabama in primetime the previous week.
The Tigers’ upset win, which peaked at a 5.3 from 5:30-6 PM ET, ranks fifth for the season regardless of network. Three of the top five games have involved at least one SEC team.
It was the top game of the weekend, edging the much-hyped Notre Dame-Miami game on ABC. The Hurricanes’ rout delivered a 4.5 overnight, up 13% from Michigan-Iowa last year (4.0) and up 7% from Oklahoma-Baylor in 2015 (4.2).
The last time Notre Dame played in a top-ten matchup, the team’s 2014 loss to FSU had an 8.5 overnight on ABC.
The lopsided score no doubt affected the numbers, as did the competition. The concurrent Alabama-Mississippi State game had a 3.8 overnight on ESPN, up 192% from LSU-Arkansas last year and the highest of the season on cable.
The Bulldogs’ near upset, which peaked at a 6.1 from 10:15-10:30 PM ET, ranks ninth for the season regardless of network. Overall, Saturday generated three of the season’s top nine college football ratings.
Lost in the shuffle Saturday night, TCU-Oklahoma scored a 2.1 overnight on FOX — down 32% from USC-Washington last year (3.1) but up a tick from Oregon-Stanford in 2015 (2.0).
Overnights for the weekend’s other games were not immediately available.
[Sat. numbers from CBS Sports, ESPN]
