The TV ratings for the National Championship between Ohio State and Alabama on Monday night were down compared many past years.
The game drew 18.7 million viewers across ESPN TV (non-streaming) channels, ESPN shared.
Monday night's showdown between #GoBuckeyes & #RollTide registered 18.7 million viewers across ESPN's MegaCast coverage
The @CFBPlayoff semis & championship are cable's best telecasts & the best non-NFL sporting events across all networks since the 2020 #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/IEqUpMj2bx
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 12, 2021
The 18.7 million viewers is a lot, but not by college football championship game standards. That’s down 36.8 percent from the 25.58 million viewers who watched the LSU-Clemson game last year. Even both of this year’s semifinal games outdrew the championship game.
This was the lowest-rated championship game since USC-Oklahoma in 2005 (the 2004 season).
The disjointed season, questions about a possible postponement, and lack of hype/buildup because it followed six NFL playoff games, all likely contributed to the low ratings. Ohio State only having played seven games and being unable to build a full resume may have contributed too. Plus, the game became a blowout, which likely hurt ratings.
College football still draws extremely well on TV, but this wasn’t its best season, which was expected given the circumstances.
