LSU-Alabama ratings highest since 2011

JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 27: A end zone pylon with the CBS and SEC logos during the game between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs on October 27, 2018 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)

It was not as big a draw as their titanic 2011 meeting, but LSU-Alabama outrated every regular season college football game since.

LSU-Alabama averaged a 9.7 rating and 16.64 million viewers on the SEC on CBS Saturday afternoon, per Nielsen fast-nationals — marking the highest rated and second-most watched regular season college football game since the teams’ #1 vs. #2 meeting in 2011 (11.5, 20.0M).

The Tigers’ high-scoring win, which peaked with 20.61 million viewers from 7-7:15 PM ET, trails only the 2016 Michigan-Ohio State game in the latter measure (16.84M).

Keep in mind the ‘regular season’ qualifier excludes conference championships, including last year’s Alabama-Georgia SEC Championship Game (10.1, 17.5M). Including conference championships, it ranks third in ratings and viewership since 2011.

Compared to previous LSU-Alabama games, ratings increased 47% and viewership 44% from last year (6.6, 11.54M) and 149% and 147% respectively from 2017 (3.9, 6.73M). Those games aired in primetime, as did every LSU-Alabama meeting dating back to 2011.

Versus the same week eleven window last year, ratings jumped 194% and viewership 207% from Mississippi State-Alabama (3.3, 5.42M).

CBS is now averaging 7.09 million viewers for college football coverage this season (+39%), its highest average at this point of the year since 1990. The network has aired the two most-watched games this season and four of the top six.

As in 2011, LSU-Alabama was a matchup of the nation’s top two teams in the AP Poll. Unlike eight years ago, however, the teams ranked second and third in the College Football Playoff rankings, which take precedence.

The afternoon timeslot was also a change from 2011, when CBS engineered a trade with ESPN to move the game into primetime. The rivals’ previous afternoon meeting — 2010 — averaged a 4.4 and 7.21 million. CBS used its primetime selection on Notre Dame-Georgia this season, which averaged a 5.4 and 9.35 million in September.

To put Saturday’s numbers in perspective, the game averaged a higher rating and more viewers than six of this year’s seven World Series games, including Game 6 (9.6, 16.55M).

[Nielsen estimates from CBS]

Ratings predictions: LSU-Bama and more

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

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Comments 10

tom says:

7 years ago

i think cbs got the best of the sec in the 15-year broadcasing agreement . it still goes to 2024. i cant imagine what this package will bring then.
- Paulsen says:
  
  7 years ago
  
  Should be fierce bidding for SEC when the rights comes up again.
Matt says:

7 years ago

Will be interesting to see what the other networks got in the mid afternoon slot. There was good games going on as well.
- NaBUru38 says:
  
  7 years ago
  
  * USC vs Arizona State on ABC
  * Iowa vs Wisconin on Fox
  * Kansas State vs Texas on ESPN
  * Illinois vs Michigan State on FS1
Ronan says:

7 years ago

Thanks for replys guys
Has the makings of a great finish to the college year
Enjoy the imfo
Great site
Well done to all
Ronan says:

7 years ago

Also will rating increase with New Orleans and Birmingham markets not included in overnight ratings now??
- Paulsen says:
  
  7 years ago
  
  No, these numbers are the fast-nationals, not the overnights. So they already include New Orleans and Birmingham.
Ronan says:

7 years ago

Just commenting on a few of Nate’s points
Isn’t there a trend away from prime time slots esp early in the year
With the success of Fox’s big noon Saturday and CBS with their now traditional 3.30 Est sec game often carrying the biggest game of the weekend I think networks aren’t afraid anymore of any time slot
Look at how MNF is now not as popular as it once was and how the Sunday afternoon slot often beats Sunday nite football
On the point of the 2011 game being more do or die which means better ratings I would think the TV industry are more than happy with the 4 team format which makes so many more games revelant
An example will be the Pac12 championship on the Friday nite 6th Dec
A 4 team model makes that game totally revelant and will be watched across the country where it would be just a regional match up under the old system
I would think it would be important not to go to an 8 team model thou as it would dilute the regular season too much
As someone from Ireland who has experience of all sports this side of the Atlantic I couldn’t stress enough how more doesn’t always mean better
Ronan
- Hello Larry says:
  
  7 years ago
  
  It’s interesting you bring this up because I’ve noticed the trend too that afternoon games are outrating the primetime games and networks aren’t afraid to put football games on during the day now. It seems like fewer people watch these games in primetime these days as you mentioned the Sunday afternoon games consistently beat Sunday Night Football every week. Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football are rating below 15 million viewers most weeks.
  
  Although having these games in primetime might generate more revenue and work towards their network averages during the television season I think that advertisers are learning more as well that afternoon games are a better performance on their money.
  
  You can look at the Super Bowl as well it starts in the late afternoon/early evening slot and doesn’t end late in the night so that helps the Super Bowl continue to rate well. The NFL has kept at least one playoff game exclusive airing in the afternoon while the other game airs in the primetime but it starts much sooner than the 8:20pm start times that we see during the regular season for night games. The primetime Conference Championship games start at 6:30pm which means they’ll end right around 10pm so east coast viewers don’t have to stay up and viewers.
  
  The Big Noon Kickoff was a great example you bought up of FOX putting a bigger emphasis on those games than later kick times especially primetime where FOX has gotten murdered by Saturday Night Football on ABC. Only the Big Ten Championship Game does the best for FOX in primetime. CBS only airs one or two primetime games a season and they air the SEC games for the most part in the late afternoon Saturday window including the championship game so this slot has worked for CBS for a very long-time. NBC also limits the number of primetime games for Notre Dame most of them air Saturday afternoons and even when they do air in primetime they rate really low.
  
  I think football has a huge advantage over the other sports because they air games primarily over the weekend where most viewers are home unlike the weekdays where primetime is your best option. College Football shouldn’t really worry about what slot a game airs in.
  
  I’m in favor also in the NFL moving their start times to the way they are on conference championship weekend with the first game at 3pm and the second game at 6:30pm instead of 4:30pm and 8pm.
Nate Johnson says:

7 years ago

Paulsen, in your prediction article, one thing you failed to mentioned that was different in 2011 vs. today of LSU/Bama is how they lean more towards their offense than defense. I won’t use this platform to mention how a 9-6 game did greater than a 46-41 result because 1.) there are tons more factors than the final score of those games indicate why the ratings were what they were and 2.) in my honest opinion this goes back to what I said weeks about the CFP diluting a game like this that the BCS figured wouldn’t back in 2011. Bama can still make the playoffs as a one-loss non-Conference Title team. LSU controls their own destiny to the CFP. Could there be another LSU/Bama National Championship? A game where non-Bama or non-LSU fans was frustrated about 8 years advocating to create a playoff effective immediately? That is why I believe this game didn’t live up to 2011. It was either Bama lose, but somehow may still be alive in the CFP race after game or LSU simply can’t beat Bama. Those were the predicted narration coming into the game. That was not the case in the BCS-Era or at least it didn’t feel like it.

As far as CBS goes, there investment in ND/UGA match-up to be place in their lone Primetime slot didn’t profit from sacrificing LSU/Bama. Granted, they made this decision in the Summer and at that time there were questions about LSU overcoming Bama in 2019 season. On the opposite side, there was Notre Dame coming off a CFP season with thoughts they would be in contention for it once again. Then there’s Georgia, a relevant College Football program both in recruiting and on-field competition, with pre-season expectations to be in the CFP talks late in the year. CBS was not wrong in selecting that game. There’s only so many times they can use Notre Dame in their package vs. a top SEC school. LSU/Bama has been an annual match-up on their station every year Nick Saban has been at Alabama (2007). So even though CBS didn’t profit, they made a decision that was understood and ought to have no regrets.

On top of that, having LSU/Alabama Primetime this year would’ve been a HUGE bonus for CBS (ally in 2011). But going back to paragraph #1, would it had still competed vs. 2011 ratings? Assuming the game was the same, but in Primetime I wonder how many people would’ve given up on Bama at Halftime and went on with their Saturday Evening away from football. The reason that’s important is because an earlier start means more patience. Perhaps that’s why NFL has their best rating in the 4:25 eastern slot and the NBA use to have very good ratings back when it was on NBC when they had those triple-headers or double-headers starting at 2:30 eastern. There can only be wonders on if CBS benefited from those decisions, but objectively from me I believe they did, but at the same time they did not make a profit off the sacrifice.