If it seemed like nearly everyone was either in Bristol for the Tennessee-Virginia Tech game or talking about while it was on, that’s because they were. Not only did the Battle at Bristol set the record as the most attended football game of all time, the game attracted the largest television audience of the weekend, too.
According to Sports TV Ratings, the Battle at Bristol attracted 5.8 million viewers over the weekend to watch Tennessee prevail 45-24 over the Hokies.
Most-watched college game of the weekend was Va Tech-Tennessee w/an average of 5.8 million viewers
— Sports TV Ratings (@SportsTVRatings) September 13, 2016
In fact, the UT game did so well inside the state of Tennessee, it outdrew the state’s NFL team in its own backyard.
According to the Tennessean, the Battle at Bristol drew more viewers from Nashville than the Tennessee Titans’ season opener played in front of the home fans at Nissan Stadium. The Vols attracted 226,756 mid-state television viewers Saturday, while the Titans got only 215,864 on Sunday.
Just when you thought the numbers from last weekend’s game couldn’t get any bigger, the Battle at Bristol continues to exceed all expectations.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
