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College GameDay and the SEC Championship Game were both huge hits for ESPN in Week 15. The ratings have now been revealed and both programs blew past their viewership numbers from last season.
Per ESPN PR, College GameDay averaged 2.1 million viewers with a peak of 3.1 million. This is up 8% over the championship weekend episode from 2023. The ratings for this version of the program were also up 5% over the previous high championship weekend episode from 2010.
Meanwhile, the SEC Championship Game brought in 16.6 million viewers. The Georgia-Texas matchup comes in as the 4th-most-viewed SEC Championship Game of all time, behind just 2023, 2018, and 2009. The game had a peak of 19.7 million viewers and is the 3rd-most-watched regular season college football game across ESPN platforms all-time.
ESPN’s Field Pass killed it in the ratings as well. Field Pass became the most-viewed CFB alternate broadcast of all time, averaging 1.4 million viewers.
Overall, it was ABC’s most-watched conference championship slate since 2014. Between the SEC, Big 12, and ACC Championship Games, the network had 8.4 million average viewers.
All of those viewers were treated to some exciting football. In the SEC, the Bulldogs were able to defeat the Longhorns for the 2nd time this season. This time, Georgia escaped with a 22-19 victory in overtime.
In the Big 12, Arizona State dominated Iowa State, winning 45-19 and securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, Clemson took down SMU in the ACC, but both teams ended up earning CFP spots regardless.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
