Paul Finebaum raised eyebrows this week by asking a once-unthinkable question about Notre Dame: “Does anybody watch these games?”
“They think they’re great. But they’re not. They’re not the draw they used to be. That has nothing to do with the playoffs,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s First Take. “It just has to do with the fact that their brand—as good as they think are—aren’t as big as the SEC brand or even the Big Ten brand.”
The “Voice of the SEC” came at it a bit raw. But if you look at the data, Finebaum has a point. Yes, the independent Notre Dame is the only school to boast its own national TV deal, pocketing an estimated $50 million a year from NBC Sports. Yes, the Fighting Irish’s pigskin traditions are unmatched, from their gold helmets and Leprechaun mascot to the Touchdown Jesus mural on the South Bend campus.
But as Notre Dame declares war on the committee that snubbed them from the College Football Playoff this week, they face an increasing disconnect from a media standpoint.
Notre Dame carries itself like an irreplaceable television attraction, when in reality, it has become more of a middle-of-the-road TV draw. The hard truth for Subway Alumni is this: When it comes to national TV appeal, the Irish are now more Indianapolis Colts than Dallas Cowboys. Consider:
- The 10–2 Irish didn’t rank among the top 10 most-watched college football teams this year, according to Nielsen. In fact, their average viewing audience of 3,925,000 viewers ranked them No. 15, behind Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Florida State. And ahead of Vanderbilt, Missouri, Penn State, and Miami.
- The most-watched team was Alabama, averaging more than double Notre Dame’s viewers at 8,493,000, followed by Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. Overall, SEC teams accounted for 4 of the 5 most-watched schools—and 8 of the top 10.
- According to Nielsen, Notre Dame played in only one of the top 20 most-watched college football games this year. It drew a season-high 10.8 million viewers vs. Miami for its season opener on Aug. 31. Ironically, the committee pointed to that 27–24 road loss to the Hurricanes as the reason the Irish didn’t make the playoff cut. Even Notre Dame’s 34–23 victory over rival USC on Oct. 18 didn’t pop a big number. NBC’s broadcast averaged 2,998,000 viewers, trailing three SEC matchups on ABC: 6,046,000 for Mississippi-Georgia; 4,913,000 for Alabama-Tennessee; and 3,875,000 for LSU-Vanderbilt.
- Last season, Notre Dame had a magical season, going 14–2 before falling to Ohio State in the national championship game. The telecast’s average viewership of 22.1 million viewers on ABC made it the CFP’s most-watched game of the season. But it was still down 12% from Michigan’s win over Washington in 2024. And the third-lowest audience among all 11 CFP title games.
Of course, TV ratings are not the end-all and be-all. The devil’s in the details. Notre Dame started out 0–2 this season before righting the ship and ripping off a 10-game winning streak. That slower start dampened its ratings momentum. Plus, the Ohio State–Notre Dame natty kicked off within hours of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, which could have cut into its audience. If college football programs were bought and sold, the Irish would rank as the fourth most valuable with a projected sale price of $1.85 billion, according to The Athletic, behind only Texas, Georgia, and Ohio State.
But that’s a hypothetical. In reality, the 11-time national champions are thirsty for another title after a 37-year drought. Notre Dame has not won a championship since the 1988 season. The millions of Notre Dame fans nationwide who root for the iconic Catholic university might not want to hear it. But SEC and Big Ten teams like Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, and Georgia are now far bigger TV draws.
Don’t tell that to Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. The feisty AD has been on a media tour this week, accusing the CFP committee of “stealing” a playoff spot from his college athletes—and warning the ACC had done “permanent damage” to their relationship by promoting Miami.
But the aloof Notre Dame has long been resented for its independence and arrogance. The more the Irish complain, the more the college football world is turning on them with a vengeance.
On Tuesday, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark blasted Notre Dame and Bevacqua’s reaction as “egregious” and “out of bounds.” It was a virtually unprecedented move by a league commissioner in the old boys club of college football.
“I don’t like how Notre Dame has reacted to it. I think Pete, his behavior has been egregious,” said Yormark at Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. “It’s been egregious going after [ACC commissioner] Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during COVID.”
Bevacqua has been “totally out of bounds in his approach,” added Yormark. “If he was in the room, I would tell him the same thing.”
Notre Dame has plenty of defenders, including legendary Dick Vitale of ESPN, who called them the “all-time greatest name in college football” on X/Twitter. But even Bevacqua supporter Mike Greenberg of ESPN changed his mind after the AD’s eye-rolling claim Notre Dame pulled off “one of the most dominant 10-game runs in the history of college football” this season.
On Wednesday’s Get Up, Greenberg argued Notre Dame’s run was only the fourth-most-impressive 10-game win streak this year; never mind in history. Indiana, Ohio State, and Texas Tech all posted similar 10-game runs against better competition. “You lost your last defender in me,” said Greenberg.
From a business standpoint, Notre Dame is not going to get much sympathy from the worldwide leader. ESPN is paying billions to serve as the TV partner of the CFP, ACC, and the SEC. Don’t forget, in the lead-up to Selection Sunday, ESPN’s ACC Network practically played the Hurricanes’ Aug. 31 win over the Irish on a permanent loop.
The more Bevacqua opens his mouth, the “more embarrassing he becomes by the day,” said Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday’s First Take.
“He needs to zip it. Sit his behind down, go back to his office, or just admit you’re clamoring for camera time. Because that’s usually reserved for [head coach] Marcus Freeman and the players.”
