Despite finishing the season with a 4-8 record, the Colorado Buffaloes were one of college football’s top draws in 2023. And in their season-opening game on Thursday against North Dakota State, that trend continued in a major way.
With an average of six million viewers per game last season, Colorado only ranked behind Alabama and Ohio State in that category.
Thursday’s game didn’t quite hit those marks. But the ESPN broadcast did bring in an average of 4.8 million viewers, peaking at 5.6 million viewers according to an ESPN press release.
The numbers represent the highest viewership for a Week 1 Thursday opening game on ESPN since a Thursday season-opener between Ohio State and Indiana in 2017. It is also the highest-viewed Thursday season opener on any network since an Ohio State-Minnesota matchup two seasons ago.
To add some context, the Thursday season opener on ESPN last year between Florida and Utah averaged 3.19 million viewers, meaning that this year saw the network bring in a 49% increase.
The Battle of the Buffs & Bison becomes @ESPNCFB‘s best Thursday opener since 2017 🏈 pic.twitter.com/wQQiNo9gsL
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) August 30, 2024
These numbers are impressive for any team. But particularly so considering North Dakota State is an FCS program, albeit one with a long lineage of success in their respective subdivision.
Last season, Colorado particularly dominated in viewership early on in the season, which isn’t much of a surprise considering its early season success. Each of the team’s first six games last year averaged at least seven million viewers.
Colorado narrowly won on Thursday night, coming away with a 31-26 victory. But as long as Colorado remains undefeated, they will likely only continue to improve on this impressive start to the season from a ratings perspective.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.