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Ole Miss-Miami was the second least watched CFP semifinal ever

Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:28 am
Posted by Roaad
White Privilege Broker
Member since Aug 2006
82343 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:28 am
could actually be the lowest

quote:

The Fiesta Bowl was a classic on the field and a dud — relatively speaking — in the ratings.

Last Thursday’s Miami-Mississippi College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl averaged 15.8 million viewers across the ESPN family of networks, topping only Clemson-Oklahoma on New Year’s Eve 2015 (15.7M) as the least-watched semifinal of the CFP era. Given the changes in Nielsen methodology over that span — Nielsen did not even begin tracking out-of-home viewing in its estimates until 2020 — it is almost certain that this year’s audience would trail the 2015 figure all things being equal.


Posted by sorantable
Member since Dec 2008
53951 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:28 am to
People hate the Hurricanes.
Posted by Gifman
Member since Jan 2021
17931 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:30 am to
Pete Golding shite the bed. Lane wouldn’t have.
Posted by MrAUTigers
Florida
Member since Sep 2013
29770 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:32 am to
well people missed a hell of a game.
Posted by OleVaught14
Member since Jun 2019
10804 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:33 am to
Playing a semi-final.game on a Thursday night is stupid. All the playoffs games should be Friday and Saturday games.
Posted by ColtTiger247
Jonesville
Member since May 2025
1011 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:37 am to
You’re telling me Pete Goldings defense getting ran through like shite through a screen door isn’t must see TV?
Posted by vidtiger23
Member since Feb 2012
8301 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:42 am to
quote:

Playing a semi-final.game on a Thursday night is stupid. All the playoffs games should be Friday and Saturday games.

You think the ratings were bad just see how they’d be trying to compete with an NFL playoff game.
Posted by BevoBucks
H-town
Member since Dec 2022
6659 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:50 am to
quote:

You think the ratings were bad just see how they’d be trying to compete with an NFL playoff game.
Yep. Niners-Eagles drew 41 million viewers & Bills-Jags almost 33 million.
Posted by Tarpon08
Cut Off, LA
Member since Dec 2014
8335 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:50 am to
Ole Miss Traveled really well. All 60,000 members of their fanbase were in the stadium.
Posted by RebelExpress38
In your base, killin your dudes
Member since Apr 2012
14252 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:57 am to
quote:

Pete Golding shite the bed. Lane wouldn’t have.



Lane would’ve lost to UGA. No way he lets the kicker kick 55 yard FG.
Posted by DeathByTossDive225
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2019
7312 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:57 am to
quote:

Playing a semi-final.game on a Thursday night is stupid. All the playoffs games should be Friday and Saturday games.

It’s unbelievably stupid. Amazing that no one in charge of CFB seems to give a shite about the product. Shortsighted.
This post was edited on 1/14/26 at 7:58 am
Posted by Nado Jenkins83
Land of the Free
Member since Nov 2012
65458 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 7:59 am to
Crazy because it was the only playoff game I watched in entirety

Was a very entertaining game.
This post was edited on 1/14/26 at 8:01 am
Posted by BevoBucks
H-town
Member since Dec 2022
6659 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:04 am to
quote:

It’s unbelievably stupid. Amazing that no one in charge of CFB seems to give a shite about the product. Shortsighted.
You put Purdue-Wisconsin MBB or some other sacrificial lamb up against the NFL. Not the CFP ESPN paid all that money for in rights & promo. That would be suicidal business.

That said, if the CFB season didn’t last so long, they could go back to their usual slots.
Posted by AbSnopes
Birmingham
Member since Dec 2020
1137 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:09 am to
Ole Miss vs Miami was the best game of the playoffs.
Posted by ElDawgHawg
L.A. (lower Arkansas)
Member since Nov 2012
3694 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:10 am to
Someone beat me to it but Thursday-Friday Semifinals were a dumb idea.

We happened to be home randomly for the Thursday night game but were at a HS basketball game Friday and what little I got to watch was on my phone.
That's bad scheduling by the CFP or whoever made that call.
Posted by BevoBucks
H-town
Member since Dec 2022
6659 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:18 am to
quote:

That's bad scheduling by the CFP or whoever made that call.
Thursday/Friday prime time was the best option available. Guess they could have scheduled them for 11 AM on Sat & Sunday, but even then, NFL pregame coverage would’ve cost them massive viewership.
Posted by lowhound
Effie
Member since Aug 2014
9758 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:20 am to
Who would have thunk putting a playoff game on mid-week would bring in fewer viewers? I blame that on the networks and playoff committee.
Posted by AUTiger789
Birmingham, AL
Member since Apr 2022
3813 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:29 am to
It’s Ole Miss. The largest media market in the state of Mississippi, Jackson, ranks 99th largest in the country and therefore isn’t a metered market.

Miami is a relatively small private school that has a mostly disengaged alumni when it comes to athletics.

Pair these two up to play on a work night in January and it’s not exactly a recipe for success.
This post was edited on 1/14/26 at 8:30 am
Posted by BevoBucks
H-town
Member since Dec 2022
6659 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:30 am to
quote:

Who would have thunk putting a playoff game on mid-week would bring in fewer viewers?
Should they have scheduled it for 2:30 on Saturday and drawn 2 million viewers instead?
Posted by clamdip
Rocky Mountain High
Member since Sep 2004
20989 posts
Posted on 1/14/26 at 8:37 am to
quote:

People hate the Hurricanes.

Which actually increases ratings. Unless you're playing Ole Mundane.
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