The 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic between the Missouri Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes was anything but a classic for most of the night, but that didn’t prevent college football fans from tuning in to watch this SEC vs. Big Ten showdown.
According to ESPN, the game, which Mizzou won 14-3, garnered an average of 9.6 million viewers.
Those numbers earned it the very specific title of “most-watched non-semifinal Cotton Bowl of the College Football Playoff era,” which would go back to 2016.
The 2023-24 New Year's Six is off to a 🔥 start
The @CottonBowlGame featuring @MizzouFootball & @OhioStateFB scored 9.6M viewers, the most-watched non-Semi #GoodyearCottonBowl of the CFP era
🏈 Most-streamed CFB game ever on @ESPNPlus
🏈 Peaked with 10.7M viewers
🏈 +11% YOY pic.twitter.com/AD8ROafTkg— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) December 30, 2023
Per ESPN, the game peaked with 10.7 million viewers
The ratings meant an 11% increase from the same TV window last year for ESPN, which was the 2022 Orange Bowl (Tennessee-Clemson). It’s also quite the boost for the Cotton Bowl itself, which saw dismal ratings last year when the Tulane-USC edition averaged 4.17 million viewers, making it the smallest audience ever for a New Year’s Six game.
We’ll have to wait and see how the other games shake out but it bodes well for ESPN this bowl season. The Peach Bowl ended up being very competitive. Meanwhile, the Orange Bowl is likely to be a blowout but still features two of the biggest programs in the nation. The Fiesta Bowl’s uninteresting matchup is likely to be this year’s stinker but the CFP should more than make up for it with its huge stakes and notable programs involved.
[ESPN PR]
