College Football TV Ratings: Rose Bowl draws historic viewership to lead CFP quarterfinals
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Despite two blowout results, the College Football Playoff quarterfinals still delivered from a TV ratings perspective. It was also a historic day for the Rose Bowl.
Indiana’s resounding victory over Alabama led the charge on New Year’s Day. An average of 23.9 million peopled tuned to ESPN as the Hoosiers dominated the Crimson Tide, 38-3, to punch their ticket to the Peach Bowl. It marks the highest viewership for a 12-team CFP game – meaning it topped last year’s national championship game – and is the fourth-most watched Rose Bowl on record.
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The Rose Bowl highlighted a strong slate of College Football Playoff quarterfinal TV ratings. On the whole, viewership increased 14% from last year’s CFP, ESPN announced.
All eyes were on the ‘25-‘26 #CFBPlayoff Quarterfinals – which averaged 19.3M viewers, up 14% YoY
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 5, 2026
The standalone New Year’s Eve game between Miami and Ohio State also drew impressive viewership with a 37% increase from last year’s quarterfinal on the same day. It brought in 19.0 million viewers on ESPN for the Cotton Bowl as the Hurricanes took down the Buckeyes to advance in the bracket.
In Thursday’s nightcap on New Year’s Day, Ole Miss fought off Georgia as an average of 18.7 million viewers watched the two teams engage in a thriller. The Rebels and Bulldogs combined for 30 points in the fourth quarter as Pete Golding got his second win as a head coach. Finally, Oregon’s shutout win over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl also averaged 15.9 million viewers.
More on ESPN’s bowl game viewership
Last week’s quarterfinal games followed a slight decrease in viewership during the College Football Playoff first round, fueled by the two TNT games going directly against the NFL. ESPN’s first-round games averaged 14.9 million and 14.8 million viewers, but TNT’s games struggled. Ole Miss vs. Tulane hit 6.2 million viewers while Oregon vs. James Madison averaged 4.4 million.
However, outside of the CFP, ESPN is still generating strong numbers for Bowl Season. The network announced a 13% increase for non-College Football Playoff games through Dec. 27 with 2.7 million people on average tuning in on average. Of course, the biggest game in that stretch was the Pop-Tarts Bowl between BYU and Georgia Tech, which averaged 8.7 million viewers on Dec. 27.
The Pinstripe Bowl between Penn State and Clemson drew its best viewership on record as 7.6 million people tuned in for the Nittany Lions’ victory over the Tigers. Additionally, the Gator Bowl hit 6.0 million viewers on average – its best figure since 2009. Virginia took down Missouri in that game to secure a 10-win season for the Cavaliers.
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