Ratings for OSU vs. ND Down Compared to 2024

[isucy86]

NFL:
Six days between end of season and first round
Six days between first round and second round
Seven days between second round and conference championship games
Fourteen days between conference championships and Super Bowl
Total end-of-season to Super Bowl: 33 days

College:
Thirteen days between conference championships and CFP first round
Ten days between CFP first round and second round
Eight days between CFP second round and semifinals
Ten days between CFP semifinals and championship
Total between conference championships and CFP final: 41 days
(Total between end of regular season and CFP final: 48 days)

I'd like to give the playoff folks a pass in the first couple years as I'm assuming the CFP organizers are adhering to some contractual obligations that existed for dates/sites.

But the committee has to realize fan interest will decline over such a long playoff window. I hope the Conferences (Really mean Presidents and AD's) come to realize a couple things:

1. Structuring the playoffs to follow traditional New Years day football is not ideal for a 4 round playoff. Especially when those NY games are early round vs semi/championship.
2. Conference Championship games hold very little meaning in a 12 team playoff structure. There are enough regular season games (12) to determine a "conference champ". Whether that means: highest rated, conference tiebreaker rule or in-season conference playoff.

 

[Gonzo]

Continuing to have it on a Monday night sucks and is stupid. They need to get it played before NFL wildcard games, they need to stop going 10 days between rounds/games, and they need to stage the title game on a Saturday night. These things should be obvious.

 

[beentherebefore]

They stretched it out too long. There is absolutely no reason for Wash/Mich to out draw Ohio St/Notre Dame. If the game would've been last Sat night after the wild card games, or even last Monday, it probably would've been higher than last year.

Once the playoff is established and disconnects completely from bowls, the process should become more streamlined and take less time. COllege football should not be played into late January.

 

[Allikat]

Here is who I (and I assume most people)root for in Playoffs- in order:
A."Your Team" ISU-here.
B. .The Cinderella (smaller school)
C. Other Teams in your conference (except for the 1-3 (depending on conf) douche schools that all others hate)
D. Midwest Schools
E. Then the rest
F. Top SEC schools
G. Then those Douche Schools, that all others hate.


***OSU(G) vs ND(G)

Everyone despises those two.....

Regarding watching a playoff and in particular a championship I am done watching after C on your list.

I refuse to support a Big 10 / SEC centric endeavor in any way.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

There were also almost zero hype for the game because everyone who isn’t a diehard ND fan knew OSU was going to win.

It was also right in the middle of some incredible NFL playoff games that everyone cares about way more so the championship was not only a foregone conclusion but an after thought.

Compare that to last year when the match up favored Michigan but Washington also looked really dynamic on offense. That game had a ton of hype and didn’t have to compete against the NFL playoffs in the same way.

 

[MeanDean]

Yeah, somebody need to hype this a bit.

This was a sarcastic comment. This series/game was hyped like it was the Royal Wedding held in conjunction with the Coronation and World Cup Final.

 

[ClubCy]

Regarding watching a playoff and in particular a championship I am done watching after C on your list.

I refuse to support a Big 10 / SEC centric endeavor in any way.

Everyone can watch or not watch what they want and it seems like a decent amount of people have gone the way similar to you but..

If you have ESPN+ to watch Iowa State games (which I would think majority of us have) you are supporting ESPN/SEC more than you are hurting them by not watching a singular game.

 

[2forISU]

Hasn't ratings been trending down the last decade? I can't blame anyone for having some fatigue over sports.

 

[cyfanatic]

Hasn't ratings been trending down the last decade? I can't blame anyone for having some fatigue over sports.

AGREE!

 

[Mr Janny]

Here are some interesting numbers on total viewership this season

2024 College Football TV Ratings: Behind the Numbers

College Football rules Saturdays during the fall, but when it comes to the TV ratings, which teams were featured most? That and more in our full CFB TV Ratings for 2024.

collegefootballnetwork.com

Doesn't include all of the playoff, but still some good info. For example, Iowa State actually had more total viewers than Iowa this year.

 

[NATEizKING]

My boycott work, haven't watched a second since ASU lost.

 

[PickSix]

The postseason dragging out is another reason to get rid of the stupid conference championship games. Play the first round that weekend. second round Army/Navy weekend. Then the semis can be played before Christmas, and we get build up over the holidays for a New Year's Day title game.

Then everything's done before the NFL playoffs, new semester, and conference basketball play. The sanctity of New Year's Day football is protected, and the game would draw a massive number with it being a holiday.

It will probably never happen, but at least a fella can dream...

 

[Dgilbertson]

The good news was the CFP final between the Buckeyes and Irish was the most watched non-NFL game over the last year.

The bad news, viewership was down 12% compared to the Wolverine and Husky Championship game last year. Michigan always figures a way to beat the THE OSU.

Article on Ratings

this is suprising to me. did Harbaugh's scandal contribute? It felt like there was a lot more attn on it this year. Wonder if the delay from end of conf season to CFP championship is the cause.

 

[NetflixAndClone]

The talk i heard was being on ESPN hurt them. If it was on ABC I'm sure the numbers would be higher. However, I hated all the teams in the top 4 so I didn't follow the games.

 

[isucy86]

The talk i heard was being on ESPN hurt them. If it was on ABC I'm sure the numbers would be higher. However, I hated all the teams in the top 4 so I didn't follow the games.

Plausible. But the reality is, the networks are slowly transitioning viewers to not complain about having to pay to watch the big games. Whether it be on a Disney subscription service or a Peacock, Paramount.

So I doubt Disney is losing any sleep over ratings or overpaying to televise the CFP.

 

[Sigmapolis]

I was done after the screwing Arizona St. took against Texas.

I'm an Iowa St. fan and a Big 12 fan. After that... I don't care much.

Notre Dame and Ohio St. hold little interest to me.

 

[Allikat]

Everyone can watch or not watch what they want and it seems like a decent amount of people have gone the way similar to you but..

If you have ESPN+ to watch Iowa State games (which I would think majority of us have) you are supporting ESPN/SEC more than you are hurting them by not watching a singular game.

True. But the network gods are tracking my viewing habits and enough people do the same thing then they may realize that paying 5x for the SUC or big broadcast rights is not a good investment.

I am fine with ESPN being happy with Big 12 viewership and deducing they need more of it.

 

[CychiatricWard]

They have a problem on their hands. There's a growing divide between the fans of the "haves" and the "have nots", and there is just nothing compelling for the fans of the "have nots" in the playoff. The extent to which I don't give a **** about who wins between ND and OSU is astronomical. I watched Food Network re-runs instead of the game. They've made the regular season meaningless for 90% of teams, they've made bowls meaningless and you can't be surprised when people stop caring and stop watching.

I honestly believe it’s why non playoff bowls had such better ratings than previously.

 

[CychiatricWard]

Hilarious that espn was the 4th most watched network. I know ABC owns it, but people like the broadcasts on ABC, Fox, NBC so much better.

 

[twincyties]

They have a problem on their hands. There's a growing divide between the fans of the "haves" and the "have nots", and there is just nothing compelling for the fans of the "have nots" in the playoff. The extent to which I don't give a **** about who wins between ND and OSU is astronomical. I watched Food Network re-runs instead of the game. They've made the regular season meaningless for 90% of teams, they've made bowls meaningless and you can't be surprised when people stop caring and stop watching.

This is what I never understood about networks motivation in this.

I get the schools and athletic departments want to stack the deck in a way where their team is always in the running for a championship.

But would the networks not benefit from more parity?

Let’s be honest. The fans of the Ohio States, Alabamas, and Notre Dames of the world are going to watch regardless. I don’t think you’re gaining any new eyeballs from the ACC or Big 12 fan bases if the same schools continue to be dominant year after year after year. Especially when their teams are left on the outside looking in.

This is not the NFL when you have 30 teams and a draft m/schedule structure that is designed to promote parity.