The 50 most-watched games of the 2023 college football regular season

[Rufus]

When accounting for 2024 Realignment, the SEC and B1G dominate the list of the most watched regular season games this season.

Most appearances in the Top 50:
8: Alabama, Georgia
6: Colorado, Ohio State, Washington
5: Michigan
4: Florida State, Notre Dame, Tennessee
3: Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, USC

Every top team is either a B1G or SEC team with the exception of Notre Dame, Florida State (who is eventually as good as gone to either the SEC or B1G), or Colorado (who had the mystic of Coach Prime which will likely die down next year unless they start winning games).

Appearances by conference, 2024 alignment
37: SEC
35: Big Ten
11: ACC
9: Big 12
2: Pac-2

As we look into the future, those 11 ACC appearances likely go to either the SEC or B1G after the ACC breaks apart. The Big 12 numbers have the Coach Prime Effect that likely dies down next year unless he actually wins something - and if he does win, he's likely off to a more tradition rich school.

https://footballscoop.com/news/the-50-most-watched-games-of-the-2023-college-football-regular-season

 

[Rufus]

Top 10:

1. Ohio State-Michigan -- 19.07 million (Fox)
2. Georgia-Alabama, SEC Championship -- 17.52 million (CBS)
3. Colorado-Oregon -- 10.03 million (ABC)
4. Michigan-Iowa, Big Ten Championship -- 10.02 million (Fox)
5. Ohio State-Notre Dame -- 9.98 million (NBC)
6. Penn State-Ohio State -- 9.96 million (Fox)
7. Colorado State-Colorado -- 9.3 million (ESPN)
8. Oregon-Washington, Pac-12 Championship -- 9.25 million (ABC)
9. LSU-Florida State -- 9.17 million (ABC)
10. Michigan-Penn State -- 9.16 million (Fox)

 

[champs99and04]

Georgia-Alabama - 17.52 million
Louisville-FSU - 7.03 million

Guess which league got into the playoff?

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The fact ND only made the list when they played Ohio State tells a story or two

 

[WestHartHusk]

The fact ND only made the list when they played Ohio State tells a story or two

Their fans are dying.

 

[TerryD]

Their fans are dying.

Most appearances in the Top 50:
8: Alabama, Georgia
6: Colorado, Ohio State, Washington
5: Michigan
4: Florida State, Notre Dame, Tennessee
3: Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, USC


So, that must mean that the fans of FSU, Tennessee, Florida, Nebraska, Texas, USC, and.....everyone else in college football are dead or dying as well.

Then, there is this:

Ranking the most-watched college football programs in 2023​

The numbers next to each school indicate the average number of viewers per week for a 12-week season.

Streaming numbers are included if available. Games with no available data are counted as zero.

1. Ohio State — 5.55M
2. Alabama — 5.08M
3. Michigan — 4.78M
4. Colorado — 4.50M
5. Georgia — 3.95M
6. Texas — 3.61M
7. Florida State — 3.58M
8. Notre Dame — 3.46M
9. Penn State — 3.31M
10. LSU — 2.85M
11. Southern Cal — 2.83M
12. Washington — 2.68M
13. Tennessee — 2.67M
14. Oklahoma — 2.40M
15. Nebraska — 2.39M
16. Florida — 2.12M
17. Auburn — 2.074M
18. Oregon — 2.067M
19. Texas A&M — 2.062M
20. Oregon State — 1.74M
21. Mississippi — 1.71M
22. Clemson — 1.70M
23. Missouri — 1.63M
24. Iowa — 1.60M
25. Utah — 1.53M

So, the fans of everyone below #8 most viewed ND must be zombies...........







Oh look. NBC did much, much better with its six ND home games at 3:30 p.m. with dying fans than it did with its much acclaimed and hyped up Big Ten prime time broadcasts.

"NBC took fourth place with a 1.5 and 2.80 million, including a 2.3 and 4.27 million for six Notre Dame games and a 1.3 and 2.40 million for its new Big Ten package. (Those figures are Nielsen-only. NBC streaming viewership is measured by a separate company, Adobe Analytics.)"

(I am old enough to remember the conventional wisdom last year being that NBC would discard ND and not pay what it wanted because it had the much more valuable Big Ten deal. Whatever happened with all of that?)

Are there any living Big Ten fans anywhere?

CBS, FOX, top regular season college football viewership

CBS was the most-watched college football network, while FOX "Big Noon Saturday" was the most-watched window, during the 2023 season.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

 

[Rufus]

NBC often had the 3rd or 4th best B1G game. One week they had Maryland vs. a G5 team. Of course the ND ratings were higher.

Having said that, NBC would benefit with more ND vs B1G teams than ND vs ACC teams. NBC definitely won’t be happy when FSU and Clemson are gone.

Speaking of NBC…I know ND extended their tv contract until the end of the decade, but I don’t ever remember seeing the details of that contract.

 

[TerryD]

NBC often had the 3rd or 4th best B1G game. One week they had Maryland vs. a G5 team. Of course the ND ratings were higher.

Having said that, NBC would benefit with more ND vs B1G teams than ND vs ACC teams. NBC definitely won’t be happy when FSU and Clemson are gone.

Speaking of NBC…I know ND extended their tv contract until the end of the decade, but I don’t ever remember seeing the details of that contract.

You won't ever (and have never) seen any official numbers from ND or NBC since both are private entities and don't give out that info.

The inside "word" or the estimates range from a low of $50 million a year to a high of $65 million a year for ND's 7 home games.

ND also received $17.4 million a year from the ACC/ESPN/ACC Network as per the ACC's 2022 tax returns.

That number is supposed to increase due to higher ACC Network profits (ND gets a full share of that) due to increased carriage, etc.

So, ND will make around $70-85 million a year from TV/conference payouts (P2 money).

That is without having to pay an exit fee, a GOR buyout or even having to join a football conference.

Jack Swarbrick did a good job on his way out in March.

 

[PaulMec]

Most appearances in the Top 50:
8: Alabama, Georgia
6: Colorado, Ohio State, Washington
5: Michigan
4: Florida State, Notre Dame, Tennessee
3: Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, USC


So, that must mean that the fans of FSU, Tennessee, Florida, Nebraska, Texas, USC, and.....everyone else in college football are dead or dying as well.

Then, there is this:

Ranking the most-watched college football programs in 2023​

The numbers next to each school indicate the average number of viewers per week for a 12-week season.

Streaming numbers are included if available. Games with no available data are counted as zero.

1. Ohio State — 5.55M
2. Alabama — 5.08M
3. Michigan — 4.78M
4. Colorado — 4.50M
5. Georgia — 3.95M
6. Texas — 3.61M
7. Florida State — 3.58M
8. Notre Dame — 3.46M
9. Penn State — 3.31M
10. LSU — 2.85M
11. Southern Cal — 2.83M
12. Washington — 2.68M
13. Tennessee — 2.67M
14. Oklahoma — 2.40M
15. Nebraska — 2.39M
16. Florida — 2.12M
17. Auburn — 2.074M
18. Oregon — 2.067M
19. Texas A&M — 2.062M
20. Oregon State — 1.74M
21. Mississippi — 1.71M
22. Clemson — 1.70M
23. Missouri — 1.63M
24. Iowa — 1.60M
25. Utah — 1.53M

So, the fans of everyone below #8 most viewed ND must be zombies...........







Oh look. NBC did much, much better with its six ND home games at 3:30 p.m. with dying fans than it did with its much acclaimed and hyped up Big Ten prime time broadcasts.

"NBC took fourth place with a 1.5 and 2.80 million, including a 2.3 and 4.27 million for six Notre Dame games and a 1.3 and 2.40 million for its new Big Ten package. (Those figures are Nielsen-only. NBC streaming viewership is measured by a separate company, Adobe Analytics.)"

(I am old enough to remember the conventional wisdom last year being that NBC would discard ND and not pay what it wanted because it had the much more valuable Big Ten deal. Whatever happened with all of that?)

Are there any living Big Ten fans anywhere?

CBS, FOX, top regular season college football viewership

CBS was the most-watched college football network, while FOX "Big Noon Saturday" was the most-watched window, during the 2023 season.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

Only 5 teams on this list won't be in the P2 next year; FSU, Clemson, and ND make sense. Oregon State and Colorado seem like anomalies.

 

[businesslawyer]

Most appearances in the Top 50:
8: Alabama, Georgia
6: Colorado, Ohio State, Washington
5: Michigan
4: Florida State, Notre Dame, Tennessee
3: Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, USC


So, that must mean that the fans of FSU, Tennessee, Florida, Nebraska, Texas, USC, and.....everyone else in college football are dead or dying as well.

Then, there is this:

Ranking the most-watched college football programs in 2023​

The numbers next to each school indicate the average number of viewers per week for a 12-week season.

Streaming numbers are included if available. Games with no available data are counted as zero.

1. Ohio State — 5.55M
2. Alabama — 5.08M
3. Michigan — 4.78M
4. Colorado — 4.50M
5. Georgia — 3.95M
6. Texas — 3.61M
7. Florida State — 3.58M
8. Notre Dame — 3.46M
9. Penn State — 3.31M
10. LSU — 2.85M
11. Southern Cal — 2.83M
12. Washington — 2.68M
13. Tennessee — 2.67M
14. Oklahoma — 2.40M
15. Nebraska — 2.39M
16. Florida — 2.12M
17. Auburn — 2.074M
18. Oregon — 2.067M
19. Texas A&M — 2.062M
20. Oregon State — 1.74M
21. Mississippi — 1.71M
22. Clemson — 1.70M
23. Missouri — 1.63M
24. Iowa — 1.60M
25. Utah — 1.53M

So, the fans of everyone below #8 most viewed ND must be zombies...........







Oh look. NBC did much, much better with its six ND home games at 3:30 p.m. with dying fans than it did with its much acclaimed and hyped up Big Ten prime time broadcasts.

"NBC took fourth place with a 1.5 and 2.80 million, including a 2.3 and 4.27 million for six Notre Dame games and a 1.3 and 2.40 million for its new Big Ten package. (Those figures are Nielsen-only. NBC streaming viewership is measured by a separate company, Adobe Analytics.)"

(I am old enough to remember the conventional wisdom last year being that NBC would discard ND and not pay what it wanted because it had the much more valuable Big Ten deal. Whatever happened with all of that?)

Are there any living Big Ten fans anywhere?

CBS, FOX, top regular season college football viewership

CBS was the most-watched college football network, while FOX "Big Noon Saturday" was the most-watched window, during the 2023 season.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

I know it wasn’t your point, but you proved the core of his point in your attack on the hyperbole. Notre Dame was, a generation ago, the clear national leader in terms of TV views and interest yeat in and year out. Now, in terms of market share, it’s just another market powerhouse. And, unlike others on the list, it’s long term trend line is down, not up.

While all its fans aren’t dying, it is clearly true that with each passing generation ND walks away from the aura that at one point made it the dominant national football program. When I was growing up in the 60s, before satellites changed television, there was only one program where anywhere in the country you could see a replay of their Saturday game on Sunday morning. Now, as more generations grow up, you can see every game of any powerhouse school you want.

 

[champs99and04]

When I was growing up in the 60s

I didn't know you were that old! Would have guessed maybe the 70s or 80s was when you grew up.