Saturday’s matchup between Michigan and Ohio State drew 17 million viewers, according to Fox Sports. Here’s what you need to know:
- The game was the most-watched college football regular season game of 2022.
- This year’s viewership is 3 percent higher than the 2021 Michigan-Ohio State game, which drew 15.83 million viewers.
- Both teams came into the game with top-three national rankings. Michigan defeated Ohio State 45-23.
Backstory
There’s a case to be made that Michigan-Ohio State is the most valuable rivalry in college sports. The Wolverines and Buckeyes have played two of the three highest-rated regular season games of the past decade and four of the top 10, according to Sports Media Watch.
The Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama is the only rivalry that comes close, and the audience for that game has declined since it peaked with 13.78 million viewers for the Kick Six game in 2013.
Saturday’s Michigan-Ohio State game surpassed all of the games below in viewership numbers.
Highest-rated regular season college football games, 2013-2022
| Game | Date | Network | Avg. audience (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
OSU 30, UM 27 (2OT) | Nov. 26, 2016 | ABC | 16.84 |
LSU, 46, Alabama 41 | Nov. 9, 2019 | CBS | 16.64 |
UM 42, OSU 27 | Nov. 27, 2021 | Fox | 15.89 |
Auburn 34, Alabama 28 | Nov. 30, 2013 | CBS | 13.78 |
Auburn 26, Alabama 14 | Nov. 25, 2017 | CBS | 13.66 |
Alabama 55, Auburn 44 | Nov. 29, 2014 | ESPN | 13.53 |
OSU 62, UM 39 | Nov. 24, 2018 | Fox | 13.2 |
Georgia 27, Tennessee 13 | Nov. 5, 2022 | CBS | 13.06 |
OSU 56, UM 27 | Nov. 25, 2019 | Fox | 12.42 |
Alabama 24, Florida State 7 | Sept. 2, 2017 | ABC | 12.34 |
(Source: Sports Media Watch)
Required reading
- Michigan-Ohio State again feels like winner take all, even as college football evolves
- Ohio State-Michigan, NFL, U.S.-England — a massive Thanksgiving ratings recipe: Sports on TV
(Photo: Rick Osentoski / USA Today)