It was not the most-watched game of the season — Ohio State-Michigan still holds that distinction — but the SEC Championship delivered the highest rating.
Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia SEC Championship Game averaged an 8.2 rating and 15.28 million viewers on CBS, the largest audience for any college football conference championship game since the same matchup in the 2018 SEC title game (10.1, 17.50M) and the fourth-largest audience for any conference title game in the past two decades.
The Crimson Tide’s win, which peaked with 17.88 million, ranks as the highest rated game of the college football season and trails only Ohio State-Michigan the previous week (15.89M) as the most-watched.
Ratings increased 67% and viewership 71% from Alabama-Florida in primetime last year (4.9, 8.92M). Compared to LSU-Georgia in 2019, which aired in the usual midday timeslot, ratings and viewership increased 3% and 11% respectively from a 7.9 and 13.70 million.
Birmingham led all markets for the game with a 53.6 rating and whopping 75 share, meaning that 3 in 4 homes with televisions in use were tuned to the game in the average minute.
CBS finished the college football season averaging 5.22 million viewers per game, more than any other network. While the FOX “Big Noon Saturday” window was the most-watched individual window all season (5.76M), the network’s full slate of games averaged 3.90 million.
In other conference championship action, the Michigan-Iowa Big Ten Championship averaged a 6.2 and 11.66 million on FOX — up 34% in ratings and 45% in viewership from last year’s Noon ET edition (Ohio State-Northwestern: 4.65, 8.03M) but down 18% and 14% respectively from 2019 (Ohio State-Wisconsin: 7.6, 13.55M).
The Wolverines’ blowout win ranks fourth out of the 11 total editions of the Big Ten title game.
The Baylor-Oklahoma State Big 12 Championship ranked third for the weekend with a 4.8 and 8.02 million on ABC, up more-than-doubling last year’s game, which aired opposite the Big Ten Championship (Oklahoma-Iowa State: 1.8, 2.99M) but down 12% and 8% respectively from 2019 (Oklahoma-Baylor: 5.5, 8.70M).
The Bears’ upset win, which peaked with 10.8 million, ranks third among Big 12 intra-conference games since 2010.
The Pac-12 Championship took fourth place with a 2.5 and 4.25 million for Utah’s rout of Oregon on ABC Friday night — up 9% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year on FOX (Oregon-USC: 2.25, 3.85M) but down 30% from the same matchup on ABC in 2019 (Oregon-Utah: 3.5, 5.86M).
In a rarity, a “Group of Five” title game outperformed one of the “Power Five” championships. Despite facing the SEC Championship head-to-head, the Cincinnati-Houston American Athletic Championship averaged a 2.0 and 3.42 million — the largest audience ever for the game and up 77% and 81% respectively from Cincinnati-Tulsa last year (1.15, 1.88M).
Cincinnati’s win edged the previous record for the AAC title game, 3.39 million for UCF-Memphis in 2017.
Airing immediately after, the Pittsburgh-Wake Forest ACC Championship pulled a mere 1.5 and 2.66 million — down a whopping 72% in ratings and 73% in viewership from last year’s matchup of playoff teams between Clemson and Notre Dame (5.5, 9.92M) and down 36% and 33% respectively from 2019 (Clemson-Virginia: 2.4, 3.97M).
The Panthers’ easy win delivered the smallest audience for the ACC title game since it last aired on ESPN in 2012 (FSU-Georgia Tech: 1.97M).
In other action, the Kent State-Northern Illinois MAC Championship averaged a 0.56 (+14%) and 867,000 (-1%) on ESPN, the Mountain West Championship had a 0.52 (-49%) and 816,000 (-43%) on FOX, and the Sun Belt Championship drew a 0.26 (-46% from 2019) and 440,000 (-39%) on ESPN.
Rounding out the weekend action, a USC-Cal makeup game drew a 0.23 and 390,000 on FS1, down 12% and 9% respectively from UCLA-Arizona State on the comparable date last year (0.26, 428K).
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 12.7, network PR]
