A near-upset of Ohio State topped the week twelve college football ratings.
Ohio State-Maryland scored a 3.5 rating and 5.59 million viewers on ABC last Saturday, up 67% in ratings and viewership from last year (Virginia-Miami: 2.1, 3.34M) and up 169% and 202% (Wisconsin-Purdue: 1.3, 1.85M).
The Buckeyes’ narrow win, which peaked at a whopping 9.2 million viewers from 4 PM ET through the conclusion, was the highest rated and most-watched college football game of week twelve.
It tied the highest Noon ET rating of the season and delivered the second-largest audience. Texas-Oklahoma on FOX last month had the same rating and slightly more viewers (5.61M).
Later in the day, West Virginia-Oklahoma State had a 2.4 and 3.90 million — up 26% in both measures from last year (Illinois-Ohio State: 1.9, 3.09M) and up 41% and 52% respectively from regional action in 2016 (1.7, 2.57M).
The Sooners’ upset win ranked second for the weekend. Head-to-head, it topped Syracuse-Notre Dame on NBC head-to-head (1.8, 2.87M).
In primetime, Cincinnati-UCF drew a 1.9 and 3.10 million — down 24% in ratings and 23% in viewership from last year (UCLA-USC: 2.5, 4.05M) and down 17% and 19% respectively from 2016 (Oklahoma State-West Virginia: 2.3, 3.83M).
The Knights’ win ranks as the least-watched primetime game on ABC this season, falling below the previous mark of 3.14 million for Oklahoma-Texas Tech two weeks earlier.
Including streaming, Ohio State-Maryland had 5.69 million, West Virginia-Oklahoma State 3.95 million, and Cincinnati-UCF 3.12 million.
The full list of week twelve college football ratings is available here.
[Numbers from ESPN PR, Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 11.20]
