Alluring Pac-12 fuels surge in college football television viewership

A season defined by the long-hovering cloud of controversy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the captivating final act of a 108-year-old conference is on pace to be remembered for something else: The most-watched college football regular season on record.

Viewership has been up more than 13% across all networks, a trend that promises to continue during a weekend highlighted by the massive Ohio State–Michigan game, which is sure to draw enormous viewership numbers on FOX Sports’ “Big Noon Saturday.”

Reasons for a spike in college football interest have been bandied about all season: NIL opportunities leading to quick-fix remedies for programs; the transfer portal unlocking opportunities for players to shine in new homes; and a return to glory for some familiar faces like Florida State, Texas and Oklahoma. 

And now a series of studies by Playfly Sports, released Monday, has put a finer point on exactly which conferences have seen the steepest increase in viewership this season. “Playfly Fan Score: College Football Edition” is a series of studies, reports, data collections and fan engagement insights diving deep into sports fandom, fan behaviors, rankings and topical narratives.

READ: Top 10 most-watched games of Week 12

Through the first seven weeks of the season, when data was collected, the Pac-12 saw a 60% rise in viewership over last season. While no surprise, the data remains striking because it underscores how talented transfer quarterbacks – Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Oregon’s Bo Nix – can quickly make programs must-see TV. USC was an unmitigated disappointment, but the play of Caleb Williams rightly attracted eyeballs.

And, obviously, the Pac-12’s popularity reflects the nationwide intrigue – specifically early on – in the reality show that ensued in Boulder with Deion Sanders and his team of transfers.

Ratings boost also for ACC, Big 12

The ACC (+27%) and Big 12 (+25%) also experienced noteworthy increases in viewership, according to Playfly data, although their overall average viewership still was below that of the other three power leagues. Big brands like Florida State, whose viewership was up 51% through seven weeks, and Texas, up 14%, continue to be in pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth. Oklahoma has remained in the national conversation as well.

The SEC, which still had the highest overall average viewership, and the Big Ten both saw slightly diminished viewership totals compared with last season. But that could change with Ohio State-Michigan and also the upcoming SEC championship between Georgia and Alabama.

In terms of realignment, there was a generational divide among fans polled. The custom realignment study had 1,915 overall respondents. Some 36% of respondents 18-34 and 40% between 35-54 believe realignment is a positive move for college athletics. But only 27% of those 55 or older see realignment as a positive.

The coveted 18-34-year-old demographic overwhelmingly said they will watch more games in 2024 once realignment takes hold. There was a slight decrease among fans older than 55.

Also of note, Playfly introduced the Playfly Fan Score (PFS), which it bills as the first actionable and insightful sports ranking index geared to marketers and sports business leaders. It relies on three proprietary factors: fan passion, fan receptivity and fan marketplace.

The top 10 for Power 5 conferences were, in this order: Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Penn State and Notre Dame.

Colorado’s viewership numbers tumble

Much like Colorado’s record over the last six games (1-5), viewership numbers for the Buffaloes have also fallen off a cliff.

Colorado averaged a remarkable 8.5 million viewers over its first five games. But Friday’s loss to Washington State attracted just 727,000 viewers on FS1, according to Sports Media Watch.

On Saturday, Georgia’s victory over Tennessee was the most-watched game of the day, drawing 5.73 million viewers on CBS. The intrigue surrounding a Harbaugh-less Michigan team, which won at Maryland in a closer game than expected, attracted 5.43 million on FOX. And finishing third Saturday was Washington’s victory at Oregon State, which saw 4.73 million tune in on ABC.