The NFL and college football had games broadcast at the same time last Saturday, and the NFL won the ratings war.
Even though the 12-team college football playoff format made its debut, it did not gain the same viewership as the NFL.
SMU and Penn State aired at 12 pm ET and averaged 6.4 million viewers on TNT networks.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell listens to a question during a news conference before Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 5, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The NFL clash, a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans, began at 1 p.m. ET and averaged 15.5 million viewers on NBC.
The NFL and college football collided again later in the afternoon, as Clemson-Texas began at 4:00 p.m. ET, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens game began shortly after, at 4 :30 pm Eastern Time.
The Steelers-Ravens matchup averaged 15.4 million viewers on FOX, while Clemson-Texas drew 8.6 million viewers on TNT.
When the NFL wasn’t competing with the College Football Playoffs, ratings went up a lot for the other two games.
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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates with quarterback Patrick Mahomes after Mahomes’ touchdown against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Images by Denny Medley-Imagn)
Indiana-Notre Dame, the first game of the new 12-team format, aired Friday night and averaged 13.4 million viewers on ABC/ESPN.
Saturday’s only game not competing with the NFL performed well, as Tennessee and Ohio State averaged 14.3 million viewers on ABC/ESPN.
The overall average of 10.6 million viewers for the first round of the College Football Playoffs was higher than all but four college games this season.
College football and the NFL will collide again on Saturday, as the NFL has three games throughout the day against a series of bowl games.
Shedeur Sanders, left, and Travis Hunter of the University of Colorado Buffaloes speak to the media on July 21, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Louis Grasse/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots play at 1 pm ET, the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals play at 4:30 pm ET, and the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams play at 8:10 pm ET.
One of Saturday’s most notable bowl games is No. 18-ranked Iowa State against No. 13-ranked Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Another big game is 23rd-ranked Colorado against 17th-ranked BYU in the Alamo Bowl at 7:30 pm ET, where top draft prospects Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are expected to play.
