Alabama-LSU rivalry game receives lowest TV rating in more than a decade
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Alabama may have gotten the win over LSU, but it doesn’t look like the game scored a win in terms of television ratings.
Alabama and LSU were both ranked on the initial College Football Playoff Top 25, at No. 1 and No. 19 respectively, setting up another anticipated matchup in a strong rivalry. Well, LSU did put up an admirable fight, but the Tigers could not score enough to hang with the Crimson Tide.
Alabama’s defense once again took over and held the Tigers passing game in check. The Crimson Tide went on to win 24-10 despite being out gained by LSU.
The Tide paced themselves to another two-score victory, and it doesn’t appear many fans outside of LSU and Alabama took time to tune in to the game.
According to Paulsen with Sports Media Watch, the game on CBS earned the lowest ratings for the rivalry in more than a decade:
Saturday’s LSU-Alabama college football game scored a 3.7 overnight rating on CBS, down 38% from last year (6.0), down 41% from 2015 (6.3), and the lowest for the rivalry since at least 2006 — the last year it was televised by ESPN…The 3.7 is also the lowest for a primetime SEC game on CBS since at least 2006.
Alabama has been on such a dominant stretch, and that could be one reason why less fans are tuning in. Watching the Crimson Tide is exciting, but many fans would likely prefer to see closer games in the future.
The SEC has also struggled this year as Alabama and Georgia clearly look to be head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. Saturday’s game between Auburn and Georgia may turn out to be the best game of the season, but it could potentially turn into another SEC blowout.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
