In the first year of the 12-team playoff format, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame in the national championship game, 34-23.
The game was far less competitive than the final score suggests, as Ohio State scored 31 unanswered points after trailing Notre Dame 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. The lopsided affair translated into poor TV ratings, further fueling criticism of the inaugural year of the expanded playoff.
CFP Championship Viewership Drops Significantly
Monday’s championship game averaged 22.1 million viewers on ESPN networks, a 12% decrease from last season’s Washington-Michigan matchup, which drew 25.1 million viewers.
Ohio State’s 11-point victory over Notre Dame continued a trend of one-sided matchups in the new 12-team playoff. Of the 11 playoff games, only two were decided by one score or less — Texas-Arizona State in the quarterfinals and Penn State-Notre Dame in the semifinals.
Many college football fans who were skeptical about the expanded playoff have felt vindicated in their concerns that too many teams were invited to compete for a championship without realistically having a chance to win.
A common sentiment among these critics is that the blowouts in earlier playoff rounds diminished interest in the championship game. With Ohio State entering the final as nine-point favorites, many fans anticipated another unbalanced contest.
However, there are other factors that contributed to the drop in viewership.
For one, due to the expanded playoff schedule, this year’s championship game was played on a holiday — Martin Luther King Jr. Day — and on a later date than usual, January 19. Prior to this season, the latest date for a CFP championship game had been January 13.
Another significant factor was the geographic concentration of the fan bases. This year’s matchup featured teams from the Midwest — Indiana and Ohio — as opposed to last year’s contest between Washington and Michigan.
Despite this year’s 12% decline in viewership compared to last season, the numbers still surpassed those of the 2023 CFP championship between TCU and Georgia, which averaged just 17.2 million viewers.
Although the first year of the expanded playoff format may have been disappointing in terms of the on-field product — with the lack of competitiveness in the championship game capping it off — this shouldn’t be a major concern for the NCAA moving forward.
