ESPN releases New Years Six bowl viewership numbers

ESPN on Tuesday released its viewership numbers for each of the New Years Six bowl games, including the Cotton, Orange, Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Peach Bowls, and the grouping of games made up for three of ESPN’s most viewed games of the 2021-2022 season.

The College Football Playoff semifinals averaged 16.9 million viewers, slightly below last year’s College Football Playoff semifinals, while the Rose Bowl far outperformed the non-semifinal New Years Six games. The four non-semifinal New Years Six games averaged a total of 10.7 million viewers, thanks in large part to the Rose Bowl’s performance, which makes up the third-best non-semifinal New Years Six on record.

Below are the full viewership numbers for each of the bowl games.

Orange Bowl: Georgia – 34, Michigan – 11

Viewers: 17.2 million

Georgia routed Michigan in the second of two College Football Playoff semifinal bowls, and this one was far less exciting than the first (which was also a blowout, but at least Cincinnati kept it relatively close for a half). Stetson Bennett led the charge for Georgia with 20 completions in 30 attempts, good for 313 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Cotton Bowl: Alabama – 27, Cincinnati – 6

Viewers: 16.6 million

Cincinnati proved no match for No. 1 Alabama, but the game still managed to eclipse 16.6 million viewers — despite the fact that it was played at 3:30 on a workday (Dec. 31). Bryce Young completed 17 of 28 passing attempts for 181 yards and three touchdowns, but the real story was Alabama’s rushing attack, which ran for 300 yards on the day.

Sugar Bowl: Baylor – 21, Ole Miss – 7

Viewers: 9.8 million

Baylor and Ole Miss put together a defensively stout Sugar Bowl, and the lack of offense could be in large part due to Matt Corral’s first-quarter injury, which ended the soon-to-be first-round pick’s day. Baylor took control early in the contest and the Bears never looked back.

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State – 37, Notre Dame – 35

Viewers: 8.0 million

Oklahoma State and Notre Dame was the second most exciting non-semifinal New Years Six bowl, second to only the Rose Bowl, and for good reason. Oklahoma State, which trailed 28-14 at the half, managed to mount a fantastic comeback and beat Notre Dame 37-35.

Peach Bowl: Michigan State – 31, Pitt – 21

Viewers: 7.6 million

Michigan State and Pitt had the lowest viewership of all New Years Six bowl games, and there are several factors contributing to its performance. First, and likely most important, two of the most talented players in Kenny Pickett and Kenneth Walker opted out of the game. Secondly, again, this game was on a weeknight, kicking off after dark on Thursday.

Rose Bowl: Ohio State – 48, Utah – 45

Viewers: 16.6 million

The grandaddy of them all did not disappoint this year, as Utah and Ohio State delivered a back-and-forth affair, an instant classic that will absolutely go down in Rose Bowl history. There were countless highlight-worthy plays, from kick return touchdowns to game-winning drives, but Jaxson Smith-Njigba seized the day for Ohio State, reeling in 15 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns.