Oregon has only been a member of the Big Ten for a couple of months now, but the Ducks have already proven their worth in the conference.
Not only did Oregon upset No. 2 Ohio State in Eugene on Saturday, but the matchup spoke volumes about the Ducks’ — and the Bucks’ — ability as draws. According the NBC, the showdown was the most-watched regular-season primetime game between two Big Ten teams since 2008, with the network touting an average of 10.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports Digital. Per a release, NBC Sports’ audience peaked at 13.4 million viewers in the game’s final minutes, which saw Oregon kick the game-winning field goal with 1:47 remaining in what proved to be a 32-31 victory for the Ducks.
Unsurprisingly, Columbus, Ohio, served as the top market for the game, followed by Cleveland, Portland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Austin, Texas, Milwaukee and West Palm Beach. The game was ultimately the most-watched regular-season Big Ten game in primetime since Penn State’s victory over Ohio State in 2008, which averaged 10.4 million viewers.
While the Oregon-Ohio State rating is undoubtedly impressive, it is worth noting that the conference’s top draw — the annual rivalry game between the Ohio State and Michigan — is traditionally played at 12 p.m. ET. Last year’s battle between the Buckeyes and Wolverines drew an average of 19.1 million on Fox, which will once again play host to “The Game” on Nov. 30.
Still, there’s no downplaying the turnout for the first Big Ten matchup between Ohio State and Oregon, which isn’t just the conference’s top-rated game thus far this season, but also the second-highest rated game of the 2024 college football season, trailing only Alabama-Georgia (11.99 million). It’s also a heckuva payoff for NBC, which acquired the rights to air the game via a trade with Fox, and further proved that nobody stood to benefit more from Big Ten expansion than the Comcast-owned network.
[NBC P.R.]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.