CFP Semifinals TV Ratings Drop 17% in 12-Team Format’s First Year

TV ratings for the College Football Playoff semifinals were down roughly 17% in the first year of the new 12-team format, as the final four played out later in January than is typically the case.

This year’s matchups drew an average of 19.2 million viewers across ESPN’s standard multiplatform “MegaCast” approach, which is down by four million from last year’s CFP semifinals that averaged 23.2 million. 

Ohio State’s 28–14 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl drew 20.6 million viewers Friday night, while Notre Dame’s 27–24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl had an audience of 17.8 million.

Rose-Colored Glasses

The important distinction is that last year’s semifinals played out on New Year’s Day, traditionally a huge TV day for college football. 

There was also the benefit of Michigan-Alabama playing out at the Rose Bowl, which usually draws a big rating no matter who is playing, and last year had 27.7 million people watch. That was a bigger audience than the Michigan-Washington national championship game drew (25 million). The other CFP semifinal a year ago, Washington-Texas in the Sugar Bowl, drew 18.7 million viewers.

Further showcasing the power of the Rose Bowl, this year’s game on Jan. 1, which saw Ohio State defeat Oregon in the quarterfinals, is the CFP’s most-watched game so far, with 21.1 million viewers. Ohio State led 34–0 in the second quarter.

Next year, the Fiesta and Peach bowls will host the CFP semifinals, also on the second Thursday and Friday of January, which should make for a clean comparison to this year’s game.

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With the CFP down to its final matchup, here’s a look at round-by-round average viewership heading into the title game:

• First round: 10.6 million
• Quarterfinals: 16.9 million
• Semifinals: 19.2 million

ESPN and TNT Sports platforms each had two first-round game broadcasts, while ESPN carried all four quarterfinals and both semifinals.