A stirring comeback helped the Big 12 to one of its largest audiences in recent years.
Oklahoma-Baylor averaged a 3.9 rating and 6.79 million viewers on ABC’s Saturday Night Football last weekend, marking the third-largest audience in six years for a Big 12 conference game.* Oklahoma-Texas averaged 7.32 million last month and 10.16 million in last year’s Big 12 Championship.
The Sooners’ comeback win, which peaked with 8.5 million viewers from 11-11:15 PM ET, was most-watched college football game of week twelve and the second-highest rated, behind Georgia-Auburn on CBS earlier in the day (4.0).
Ratings increased 105% and viewership 119% from week twelve last year (Cincinnati-UCF: 1.9, 3.10M) and 56% and 68% respectively from 2017 (UCLA-USC: 2.5, 4.05M).
Earlier in the day, ABC averaged a 1.9 and 2.93 million for Indiana-Penn State — down 46% in ratings and 47% in viewership from Ohio State’s near-miss against Maryland last year (3.5, 5.59M) and down 10% and 12% respectively from 2017 (Virginia-Miami: 2.1, 3.34M).
Wake Forest-Clemson brought up the rear with a 1.2 (-50%) and 1.91 million (-51%).
After two straight weeks of across-the-board declines, ESPN posted increases for all five of its week twelve windows. Alabama-Mississippi State led the way with an increase of 114% in ratings (to 1.5) and 140% in viewership (2.49M).
LSU-Mississippi was up a more modest 7% in both measures, but still ranked as ESPN’s most-watched game the weekend with a 1.5 and 2.63 million.
Rounding out the network’s slate, Arizona-Oregon averaged a 1.0 (flat) and 1.61 million (+3%), West Virginia-Kansas State a 0.6 (+36%) and 980,000 (+34%) and last Thursday’s North Carolina-Pittsburgh game a 0.5 and 789,000 (+109%).
Over on ESPN2, TCU-Texas Tech topped the week twelve charts with a 0.4 and 562,000 (+107%). Keep in mind last year’s comparable window was Yale-Harvard (272K). The network’s six other windows declined.
Figures were not available for any of the games on ESPNU or ESPNEWS.
* Excludes regional windows. A 2015 regional window featuring Texas Tech-Baylor and Ohio State-Indiana averaged 7.30 million.
