Despite being the most watched game of the year so far, CFP championship TV ratings fell by double digits year-on-year and Dave Portnoy has given a brutal assessment of the season’s curtain call.
2025 CFP Championship TV Ratings Fall Drastically
Ohio State – who were heavily favoured by US sportsbooks – clinched their first CFP championship title in a decade on Monday night, as an average viewership of 22.2 million people tuned in to watch their 34-23 victory over Notre Dame.
There were plenty of positives to take from a historic night for the Buckeyes; their second national championship in the CFP era, the most-watched game of the season, and even the most-viewed non-NFL sporting event in the US over the past year.
However, comparative CFP championship tv ratings make for grim reading.
An average of 25 million viewers sat down to watch Michigan’s 34-13 victory over Washington in 2024, meaning this year’s NCAA playoff match-up saw a ratings drop of 12%.
Since the CFP title era came into effect, it ranks as the third-lowest audience according to ESPN, with all three of those coming in the past five years.
Dave Portnoy Says “Nobody Cared” About CFB Championship Game
Barstool Sports head honcho and die-hard Michigan fan Dave Portnoy – who will have gone into hiding after seeing rivals Ohio State win – gave a damning assessment upon seeing the low ratings.
Yikes. Like I said nobody cared. Too far into nfl playoffs, 4th place conference team, inauguration. If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it does it make any noise. https://t.co/IiPZRbPe8z
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 23, 2025
‘Yikes. Like I said nobody cared.
‘Too far into NFL playoffs, fourth place conference team, inauguration. If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it does it make any noise.”
The game arrived on a Monday night that closely followed a breathtaking NFL Divisional Round weekend, as well as the hysteria around Donald Trump’s second inauguration as president.
The first CFP title game in 2015, which saw the Buckeyes’ claim a 22-point win over Oregon – is still the most-watched college football game in the CFP era at 33.9 million viewers.
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