Overview
- Alabama–Oklahoma averaged 14.9 million viewers on ABC, the most-watched CFP first-round game on record, while Miami–Texas A&M drew 14.8 million and peaked at 19.3 million.
- Ole Miss–Tulane averaged 6.2 million and Oregon–James Madison 4.4 million on TNT/truTV in windows that overlapped the NFL, with both contests decided by wide margins.
- FOX’s NFL doubleheader dominated the competing windows, with Packers–Bears averaging 21.34 million and Eagles–Commanders 15.46 million.
- The four-game CFP average was 9.9 million viewers, down from last year’s opening round, with analysts noting Nielsen’s recent methodology changes complicate year-over-year comparisons.
- Under ESPN’s sublicense with TNT in Year 2, Warner Bros. Discovery networks again carried two first-round games and are slated for two quarterfinals and a semifinal next year, while a new agreement makes it unlikely TNT will carry two Group of Five teams in the same round.