The College Football Playoff has some viewer momentum going into this week’s semifinals.
Last week’s quarterfinals had a 14% increase from last season. According to ESPN and Nielsen, the four matchups averaged 19.3 million viewers, including the three most-watched games of the season.
The CFP is averaging 14.4 million through the quarterfinals, which is up 3% from last year. Six of the eight games are in the top 10 of most-viewed this season.
Top-seeded Indiana’s 38-3 rout of No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl averaged 24.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched College Football Playoff game since Michigan’s win over Washington in the 2024 title game drew 25 million.
Overall, it was the 12th highest-viewed game in the 12 years of the CFP and a 13% jump from last year’s Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon. The audience for the Hoosiers’ first trip to the Rose Bowl since the 1967 season peaked at 25.6 million.
No. 10 Miami’s 24-14 victory over second-seeded Ohio State at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve averaged 19 million and peaked at 21.6 million. It was a 37% jump between last season’s Dec. 31 quarterfinal between Penn State and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Sixth-seeded Mississippi’s 39-34 comeback win over No. 2 Georgia drew 18.7 million with a peak audience of 21.4 million. It was a 18% increase from last year, when the Notre Dame-Georgia game was moved to Jan. 2 after a deadly terror attack in New Orleans the morning of New Year’s Day.
No. 5 Oregon’s 23-0 shutout of No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl averaged 15.9 million, an 8% drop from last season’s first quarterfinal of New Year’s Day between Texas and Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. The Orange Bowl, though, was the eighth most-watched game of the season.
This is the last year ESPN will have all the quarterfinal games. The Warner Bros. Discovery channels — TBS, TNT and truTV — will have two quarterfinals beginning next year as well as a semifinal game.
How much of an impact last week’s losses by Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State will have on the ratings remains to be seen. According to Nielsen, the Crimson Tide were college football’s most-watched team in the regular season, averaging 8.49 million. The regular-season averages did not include conference championship games.
Georgia was third (7.48 million) and Ohio State was fourth (6.57 million). Texas, which didn’t make the 12-team field, was the second most-watched (7.55 million).
Ole Miss is the most-viewed team remaining in the field. It was 12th during the regular season, averaging 4.48 million. The SEC had 13 of their 16 schools ranked in the top 20. Miami was 19th (3.43 million).
The Rebels and Hurricanes open the semifinals on Thursday at the Fiesta Bowl.
Oregon was 20th (3.29 million) and Indiana 24th (2.70). The two teams meet on Friday at the Peach Bowl.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
