This past weekend’s Florida State\Georgia Tech ACCCG was a classic between two top 15 teams. It was by far the best conference championship of the weekend, and it set an ACC Championsip Game Television viewing record.
It was the fourth highest rated college football game of the season.
The 6.9 ranks as the fourth-highest college football overnight of the season on any network — trailing only the Auburn/Alabama Iron Bowl (7.2), the Alabama/Missouri SEC Championship Game (7.7) and Notre Dame/Florida State in October (8.5).
Including a game against Miami in mid-November (6.1), FSU played in three of the season’s six highest rated games in the metered markets. The other three games featured Alabama.
There are a couple of points to take from both statements.
1) Florida State is starting to approach Notre Dame/Alabama levels of viewership. Whether you love or hate the Seminoles, you are going to watch. That’s much the same treatment the Irish and Tide get. That’s good for the ACC. That’s more exposure for ACC due to FSU’s rise. With five football games year with Notre Dame, that agreement doesn’t look bad now either.
2) Let’s face it, as must see TV as Florida State has become, people aren’t going to watch the Noles beat teams 45-0 every week. The ACCCG was enhanced by Georgia Tech beating UGA the week before and being ranked in the top 15. For the last couple of years FSU/Clemson was really the only compelling game in the ACC. FSU/Miami still drew attention because of its history. This year though FSU games with Louisville and Georgia Tech also drew large audiences. We are starting to see some depth with other teams in the ACC.
As we pointed out earlier this year, the ratings for ACC football were looking up even in games that didn’t feature Florida State.
I’m sure this football season won’t hurt the ACC in those ACC\ESPN Network negotiations.
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