South Dakota State Jackrabbits quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) rushes the ball through the play on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, at Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota. Credit: Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
College FootballESPNBy Sam Neumann on

The FCS Playoffs are having a moment.

Talk about a glow-up!

Sam Herder, who covers the FCS for Hero Sports, cites an ESPN spokesperson as reporting that TV viewership for the FCS semifinals on ABC reached impressive heights. South Dakota State-North Dakota State drew as many as 1.583 million viewers, while South Dakota-Montana State garnered 1.369 million viewers.

Those numbers are especially impressive, given the competition. The FCS went head-to-head with the first round of the College Football Playoff, and while TNT’s numbers were lackluster, the same can’t be said for the Football Championship Subdivision.

When you compare it to last year, when the games were broadcast on ESPN2, the increase is staggering. UAlbany-South Dakota State only pulled around 476K viewers, while North Dakota-Montana had 790K.

It’s clear that moving these games from ESPN2 to ABC was a game-changer for the FCS.

We’re all a bunch of sickos for tuning in, especially with the semifinals going head-to-head with NFL and College Football Playoff games. But when you look at the bigger picture, these were the highest-viewed FCS semifinal games since 2021, when James Madison-North Dakota State put together a decent audience.

But nothing compared to this.

Not bad for the FCS, especially considering the stiff competition. The move to ABC has opened the door for stronger viewership, which bodes well for future growth.

It also bodes well for not confusing South Dakota State and San Diego State — again.

[Sam Herder on X]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann