25 Million Viewers Tuned Into the National Championship Last Night | TV Ratings | Michigan Football

Craig Smoak’s Off the Radar discusses the TV ratings from the National Championship between Michigan and Washington, how last nights TV ratings ranked among other college football games, and more.
With Craig Smoak, David Smoak, & Paul Catalina

[@Jrh-rp7np]

Michigan now has the 3 most watched games of the year.. 19 million people watched the Michigan Vs Ohio st game ,, most watched regular season game,, the most watched game in the Rose Bowl with 27 million and 25 million watched the National Championship…

[@Danny-cg8dj]

University of Michigan-Highest rated broadcasts, highest rated school paraphernalia sales, highest rated fans in attendance, the most wins in college football history , #7 highest research University in the World, #13 highest rated University in the World, 3rd largest stadium in the World, top rated Burn Hospital in the World, 2nd best fight song in sports! What’s not to like!

[@williamgullett5911]

Michigan arrogance? And I’m a 50 yr Michigan fan

[@treyabbey6477]

​@williamgullett5911 All fan bases are arrogant.

[@williamgullett5911]

@@treyabbey6477 I hope not as much as Michigan fans. Fan bases of teams that aren’t winning championships know their teams aren’t great. They are realistic. For a long time Michigan was losing 3,4 or 5 games in some years and some fans still thought they were better than that. Michigan fans have been unrealistic for quite a while. They would talk up Michigan as a premier team when they were going to the Citrus and Outback bowls. I’m happy they won

[@treyabbey6477]

@williamgullett5911 I get it. I'm a huge Michigan fan, realistic too, and a huge college football fan. I follow a few teams and interact with fans from several teams.

[@williamgullett5911]

@@treyabbey6477 I would listen to huge Michigan fans in different parts of the country gush over Michigan and while I admired their being such a big fan, I always wished they would slow their roll and instead wonder when the upcoming disaster was coming next. At one point, during the Rich Rodriquez and Brady Hoke years I came to a conclusion that the louder they were about Michigan the further away they were from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel….which was seeing through the Michigan name and tradition to see what was in front of us at that moment…which were average teams. Peace came when I finally realized they weren’t the program they were all those years ago. I had a friend who was an Ohio St fan. We were at a horse track in Florida in probably 2006. Some guy was blasting Michigan. And he was ripping them good. Called them overrated and a few other things. My friend looked at me and said “aren’t you gonna say anything?”. I said “what can I say, he is right”. Bo lost his first 7 bowl games. They scored 72 points in those 7 games. Bo was 5-12 in Bowl games. I just got tired of being disappointed. Of course I’m thrilled they won but I’ve been shell shocked for so long on this team I’m always leery about getting too excited going into games

[@whyhasgooglemessedwithmych1423]

The Rosebowl was on network television. If the natty had been on national television it would have drawn 27-30 million viewers easily.

[@martin4749]

The Wolverine fan base continues to grow as more are added each year than die off. I’ve been on board since 1972.

[@Jleed989]

Me too! That last second loss to Stanford in the rose bowl still causes me pain

[@davidwagner1718]

Since you’re name dropping famous Michigan alums, don’t forget James Earl Jones!

[@waltermitchell768]

Jeter was a michigan resident (Kalamazoo) and actually was enrolled at u of m Then the Yankees called

[@Macdelaven]

The Rose Bowl started at 5pm ET. I have to believe that the kickoff time has to be taken into account when it comes to ratings. If they want bigger ratings move to a Sunday afternoon or Saturday afternoon/evening. I did not get home until 1am Tuesday morning and if Michigan was not playing, I would not have stayed out to watch the game with a few hundred of my closest friends. :) Go Blue!

[@flman1478]

No it was Washington. How big is their fan base lol. And there is no interest outside Wash and a few Pac 12 schools.

[@whyhasgooglemessedwithmych1423]

Rosebowl was on network TV. That was the biggest reason that the rosebowl got so many views. With cable cutting there were millions of people that did not watch the game that could have it had been on regular tv.

[@summer031977]

Just imagine how many more people could have watched it if it was on regular TV.

[@ralphmelvin1046]

Michigan sells the most popular team in college football for TV

[@htvlogs80]

It was something fresh and new, no SEC team.

[@Drummajortsu]

Oregon vs Ohio State in 2014 was the highest watched game of the CFP. So the SEC ratings stuff is a myth

[@zophix-5741]

@@Drummajortsu 23M view for an all SEC national championship vs 25M views for a non-SEC national championship. The SEC ratings myth doesn't seem to hold up, and I'm not even an SEC homer.

[@ryant2412]

@@zophix-5741big ten has way more views than SEC 😂

[@Chris-no6mc]

@@ryant2412 SEC has way more natties 😉

[@ryant2412]

@@Chris-no6mc B1G the future.

[@David-nx2vm]

Imagine the ratings if they had allowed a $5.99 PPV option for the millions of people without cable/satellite or expensive streaming packages.

[@Jleed989]

Or if it was on network tv that you can get with an antenna

[@thomassteenburg7220]

More would have watched but not everybody gets ESPN-couldnt believe it wasn't on one of the big 4

[@jakeMontejo3272]

Not a Michigan alum. But in NYC, they’re popular. Been this way since the 80s from what I can remember. I’ve always seen Michigan gear here for decades, regardless of wins. Even more than Syracuse. There’s bars that always have Michigan fans where I live on the UWS & through out the city. There’s a big alumni base in Manhattan. The SEC may be huge in the south, but they’re irrelevant here,. My theory is back in the 80s & 90s they were always on TV. every Saturday that they kind of just became popular by default. That and many Michigan grads just end up here after college because of their careers

[@George00-jk3un]

NYC loves Notre Dame too

[@dave_in_florida]

no because michigan produces more business executives, more attorneys etc than the SEC

[@sheneedsme]

Years ago Jews were not admitted to Ivy League schools and the best public school outside of them was the University of Michigan. There are at least 3 generations of New York Jews that have gone to or are going to UofM. Its is jokingly referred to as the Jewniversity of Michigan and the school is happy to accommodate them.

[@user-bc4bl6df2b]

From what I can tell Anti Semitism is alive and well in the Ivy League or was I not supposed to say that out loud.

[@George00-jk3un]

For sure Boston loves Notre Dame

[@johndavis48076]

We’re America’s Team.

[@edwinhargrave679]

The mich brand always brings in big viewers, doners,alumni,fans,and dollars thankyou.

[@user-jf4nj3ez2k]

Would be a lot more if they played on a Saturday night. When college football is supposed to be played.

[@thebluefus]

Add a couple more million if it was on ABC

[@waynelei6459]

Go Blue from Taiwan!

[@Bbbmurr]

Imagine the ratings for a Saturday night championship game i know a lot of people who didn't watch (myself included) because they had to work early the next day

[@Jleed989]

Or don’t want to pay for ESPN like me

[@jaredmitts5203]

Depending on the reference Michigan has 525,000-640,000 living alumni and Washington 500,000-600,000. That is a lot of people. For an example Georgia has about 350,000 and TCU around 90,000. And left out of a conference Wash State 200k +

[@aaronsmith2433]

Next years CFP ratings are going to be through the roof now that we will have a real full-on playoff!

[@timhochstetler]

It would have been much higher if they had put it on TV.

[@observer466]

One more thing has happened. Many feel that the SEC has gotten unbearably obnoxious that very many B1G fans are now watching, following, and supporting the B1G - Michigan - even if they hate the Wolverines. I watched to root for the B1G, despite it being Michigan.

[@heartbreak25]

I'm a PSU fan. I watched to boost the ratings for B1G, but also watched to see Michigan lose. Besides, Washington is now a B1G school so it was a B1G bowl.

[@ODUCKSFAN1]

I never hate michigan, i hate Washington because their fans keep trolling us

[@lonnyrowden2630]

1. It’s expected. You’re an enemy. 2. Winning would help you!

[@xdude2x]

“Big Game James” and State Penn

[@xmositoxc147]

Same here.... have skipped the last few CFP... but watched all 3 games this time around

[@ctu5086]

Jim Harbaugh is a really good coach. He has been very good everywhere he has been. Stanford, San Francisco, Michigan were all very good with him coaching and not good prior to him coaching. His brother John Harbaugh is one of the best long term coaches in the NFL. I think this Championship was about Harbaugh being a better Coach than Sarc at UT, The Washington Coach, and about overall as good as Saban. Jim Harbaugh has just moved around a lot because he builds friction with everyone long term as part of his personality. Saban didn't have any success in the NFL and went to Alabama Long Term. Jim Harbaugh had coached one of the best teams at San Francisco in the NFL for multiple years and Saban coached one of the worst teams in the NFL for one or two years only. We'll see if Jim Harbaugh stays at Michigan Long Term but he has always left his position after around 5 years because he has had conflicts with management and has then negotiated for a different good open position.

[@huskerjpg]

The 98th episode of the XFiles, "Redux", drew 27.4 million viewers in 1998.

[@1.21Gigawatts_]

Michigan can leave the Big Ten and go independent if they want to. A network will give michigan their own TV deal

[@brownsense1]

Michigan is that school! GO BLUE!

[@edwinhargrave679]

Hail to the victors and we thank all the mich fans world wide go blue.

[@kevinc764]

While the NCAA wants to go after Harbaugh, and this is the thanks we get.🤔

[@kathyjaissle6791]

No surprises here!!! Go BLUE!!!!!! 💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛

[@duchaneaux]

I wonder how much higher the ratings would be if it was Texas instead of Washington.

[@tudfrey]

Michigan is Americas team. Don't believe me it's still true.

[@user-us6zk4jq1n]

Just imagine the people who don’t have espn.

[@johnm6798]

Michigan is always the biggest draw. There is no argument.

[@Field_Marshall]

Washington definitely not a brand name. Personally Washington has never been viewed as a national brand name program. Don’t give me this impression people watch football to see Washington on tv.

[@flman1478]

Let the Big Ten drive Michigan out of the conference. It's not OSU driving the ratings, Its not the little 12 either. By the way the Purdue and their pssy coach and all the others Big ten teams complaining. Enjoy the checks you now get to cash. Because you sure as sht couldn't bring in any significant money.

[@Plants28]

People keep forgetting about new york. The giants the jets the bills the viewship they bring. They dont have a good college team so a lot ride big10. Just like bama too poor to have an NFL team. So college football means so much. And with all the tv deals the big10 is going to have the $ is going to be flowing. But sec has the natties. So you win you lose some.

[@Wayne-tk5mx]

Americas team so everyone has to watch 😂 lol 😂

[@gregoryldismukes]

And another 20 million bootlegged it.

[@johnnywebb2351]

😂agreed 💯

[@user-fy7gv4pr8k]

Had To go to bar to watch. Never buying espn.

[@orangehoof]

Hail to the Cheaters! Did Connor Stalions get to raise the championship trophy? What an example they are for higher education!

[@GaDawg0513]

Enjoy your suspensions next year and a program that will forever be associated with the word cheater.

[@tycesumerall8718]

Jealousy is hilarious

[@JackoWillMakeLives-loveu]

That’s funny from a UGA fan. You guys were paying players before it was even “allowed”. Funny how your team went from obscurity to pulling #1 classes overnight lol sure bro

[@garrettbainbridge1954]

Enjoy that L this season

[@GaDawg0513]

@@JackoWillMakeLives-loveuFACTS are FACTS.

[@GaDawg0513]

@@garrettbainbridge1954Absolutely. Take a L all day over cheating.

[@gregnielson7975]

NBA finals can't get half of that.. 😂😂😂