ESPN: Rose Bowl was ‘most watched non-NFL sporting event’ since last year’s CFP Final

While it lacked significant on-field drama, Wednesday’s Rose Bowl drew massive viewership numbers.

According to ESPN, Ohio State’s 41-21 win over Oregon peaked at 24.3 million viewers and averaged 21.1 million. That not only made it the most watched of the four College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchups but the “Most watched non-NFL sporting event since the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship” game between Michigan and Washington.

Additionally, the Pat McAfee-led altcast had 2.4 million viewers, making it the “Most viewed alcast ever.”

ESPN also touted success from its other CFP broadcasts.

According to ESPN, the Peach Bowl was the “Most watched pre-3 p.m. bowl game of all time. “Texas’ overtime win over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl — the only CFP game of the first two rounds to be decided by fewer than 10 points — averaged 17.3 million viewers and peaked at 23.6 million.

Notre Dame’s win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl averaged 15.8 million viewers and peaked at 19.5 million. Penn State’s Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State, meanwhile, averaged 13.9 million and peaked at 15.9.

Finally, College GameDay averaged 2.4 million viewers and peaked at 4.6 million. That made it the “Most watched Jan. 1 episode ever” and “Up 70% year-to-year.”

The #CFBPlayoff Quarterfinals scored strong viewership on ESPN platforms, including:

🏈 @CollegeGameDay‘s most-watched #NewYearsDay episode ever
🌹 @PatMcAfeeShow Field Pass is the most-watched AltCast ever on any sport
🍑 @CFAPeachBowl is the most-watched pre-3p bowl game ever pic.twitter.com/bUmFr2s8gc

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 3, 2025

The CFP semifinals will feature Penn State against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and Ohio State against Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Given how high profile all four of those programs are, we can only assume that both semifinal games and the National Championship Game will all draw massive numbers, as well.

[ESPN PR on X]