It trailed last year’s primetime SEC game on CBS, but Notre Dame-Georgia still delivered in the overnight ratings.
Notre Dame-Georgia averaged a 6.2 overnight rating on the SEC on CBS Saturday night, marking the highest college football overnight of the young season. The previous high was a 5.8 for the season’s previous top ten matchup, LSU-Texas on ABC in week two.
The Bulldogs’ win, which peaked at a 6.9 from 10:30-11 PM ET and from 11:30 to the conclusion, delivered the highest September college football overnight on CBS since 2013 (Alabama-Texas A&M: 9.0).
Compared to last year’s primetime SEC game on CBS, Alabama-LSU in week ten, overnights fell 7% from a 6.7. The 6.2 ranks sixth out of the past nine primetime SEC games on CBS (dating back to 2011). Each of the other eight pit LSU against Alabama.
Versus previous top ten matchups involving Notre Dame, overnights increased 138% from Stanford-Notre Dame on NBC last year (2.6) and 38% from Notre Dame-Miami on ABC in 2017 (4.5). Overnights also increased 107% from Georgia-Notre Dame on NBC two years ago (3.0).
In other action, FOX averaged a 3.5 for Michigan-Wisconsin on “Big Noon Saturday” — the network’s highest college football overnight of the season. There was no comparable Noon ET game on the network last year.
Overnights fell a tick from the same matchup last year, which aired on ABC’s Saturday Night Football (3.6), but pulled even with the 2017 game — which aired in the same Noon window on FOX.
Figures for games on ESPN/ABC were not available.
[Nielsen estimates from CBS Sports, Fox Sports]
