Even before the 2024 College Football Playoff kicked off on New Year’s Day, the four-team playoff was shrouded in controversy.
The committee decided to leave undefeated Florida State out of the playoff format in favor of a pair of one-loss teams in Alabama and Texas.
For now, it appears that the committee made the right decision. On Monday, college football fans were rewarded when both semifinal games went into overtime with Michigan and Washington prevailing in a pair of one-score games. On the other hand, Florida State was dismantled 63-3 versus No. 6-ranked Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
Not only did the CFP committee select the teams that would put the best product on the field but they also paired together two historic blue blood programs that captivated the interest of the entire nation.
Rose Bowl TV Ratings Set New Record For College Football Playoffs
The 2024 Rose Bowl between Michigan and Alabama reached record viewership numbers, according to ESPN.
The Michigan-Alabama game averaged 27.2 million viewers, putting it in some elite company when it comes to TV ratings. The event performed well, finishing as the best non-NFL sporting event since 2018 and one of the top 10 most-watched cable telecasts ever. All in all, the telecast peaked at over 32.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched College Football Playoff Semifinal in history.
The only College Football Playoff game with higher TV ratings came in the inaugural CFP Semifinal between Alabama and Ohio State.
Sugar Bowl, New Year’s Six Bowls Also A Success For ESPN
On the other hand, the Sugar Bowl averaged 18.4 million viewers, ranking as the fourth most-watched Sugar Bowl in the last 20 years. The Washington vs Texas game averaged 18.4 million viewers and peaked at 24.5 million viewers, good for the third-best among non-NFL sporting events since the start of 2023.
Overall, the 2024 College Football Playoff Semifinals averaged 22.6 million viewers, making them it most watched CFP Semifinals in six years. More than 13.3 million viewers also tuned into ESPN’s New Year’s Six bowl games, the most since 2018-19.
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