The SEC on CBS led the week seven college football ratings charts, at least in the metered markets.
Georgia-LSU scored a 3.7 overnight rating on the SEC on CBS Saturday, up 68% from last year (Auburn-LSU: 2.2), but down 12% from 2016 (Alabama-Tennessee: 4.2).
The Tigers’ upset win delivered the highest college football overnight of week seven, marking the second time this season that CBS has topped the charts. Head-to-head, it edged the competing Dodgers-Brewers National League Championship Series game on FOX (3.5).
Ranking a close second for the weekend, Wisconsin-Michigan scored a 3.6 overnight on ABC’s Saturday Night Football — up 57% from last year (Utah-USC: 2.3) but down 36% from 2016 (Ohio State-Wisconsin: 5.6).
No other game Saturday exceeded a 2.2 overnight. ABC scored a 2.2 for regional action featuring either Washington-Oregon or UCF-Memphis (-12%), and ESPN also scored a 2.2 for Missouri-Alabama (+5%).
Rounding out the top five, Pittsburgh-Notre Dame scored a 2.1 on NBC (+13%).
In other action, Florida-Vanderbilt on ESPN and Minnesota-Ohio State on FS1 both had a 1.8 overnight. The former increased a tick from last year (South Carolina-Tennessee: 1.7). The latter posted the highest college football overnight on FS1 since 2016, and the network’s third-highest regular season overnight ever.
ABC scored a 1.7 for Nebraska-Northwestern, down 41% from last year (Michigan-Indiana: 1.7) and down 48% from 2016 (NC State-Clemson: 3.3).
[Numbers from CBS Sports PR 10.14; Fox Sports PR 10.14; Sports Business Daily 10.15; NBC Sports PR/Twitter 10.15]
