CFP quarterfinal viewership up as blue bloods draw big numbers

The quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff saw a viewership increase from last year, and the “blue bloods” of college football continued to be a draw.

Despite a blowout, the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Indiana led the way for ESPN. The game averaged 23.9 million viewers, up 13% from last year, even surpassing last season’s Ohio State–Notre Dame National Championship, which averaged 22.1 million viewers.

Elsewhere, Miami–Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl averaged 19.0 million viewers, up 37% from the New Year’s Eve quarterfinal last year. Ole Miss–Georgia in the Sugar Bowl averaged 18.7 million viewers, up 18% from last year’s game, which was postponed a day following the terror attack in New Orleans. Finally, Oregon–Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, another blowout, brought up the rear with 15.9 million viewers.

Overall, the quarterfinals were up 14% from last year, averaging 19.3 million viewers. It is worth noting that Nielsen’s shift to its new Big Data + Panel ratings methodology, along with expanded out-of-home viewing measurements have generally inflated sports viewership this year.

The quarterfinal viewership increases come after a CFP first round which featured NFL competition and two Group of Five teams, leading to a decrease of 9% from last year.

These viewership results could help those who advocate against the inclusion of Group of Five teams in the College Football Playoff. The NFL competition confounds comparisons, but despite both rounds featuring noncompetitive games, only the first round saw a viewership decrease.

It is also notable that Alabama and Ohio State, two of the most successful college football teams in recent years, were featured in the two most-watched games. The Miami–Ole Miss and Oregon–Indiana semifinals featured teams with less perennial success. The absence of these teams remove what appears to be a viewership draw: hate watching the likes of Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia.

That being said, football continues to dominate viewership, and there is no reason to believe the lack of blue bloods will significantly decrease semifinal viewership. With the semifinals being played on Thursday and Friday nights, the quality of the games will likely have a much more significant impact on viewership.

Through the quarterfinals, the College Football Playoff is averaging 14.6 million viewers, up 5% from last year. Last year’s semifinals averaged 17.8 million and 20.9 million viewers.