Wishing there were more commercials, hope there is more next year than this! It has nothing to do with Monday, nor the schools that played, it is the endless commercials. CFB and NFL are horrible for this now.
@randombutrelevant I am not staying up to watch a halftime that is way too long. I am a big college football guy and I am thinking of giving it up because of all the commercials.
It's definitely not just a scheduling issue. Less and less people have cable every year, less and less people have ESPN every year. If you want numbers to go up you can't be on television.
This was a bad matchup, played on a Monday night, after the biggest Presidential inauguration in recent memory, when a Nation is so divided one side wants the other side dead. That’s way more important than a football game.
I understand not having the game on Saturday or Sunday and competing with the NFL playoffs, but Monday is a bad choice. Friday night would probably fare much better.
This is probably the last time they can do it. For years ESPN has been able to command big $ from all the cable providers. With more options for viewers, this might be their last bite at the apple.
Well, maybe I’m speaking for myself. But most people equate the best college football games with Saturdays and beers. Monday night before work is not conducive to college games. Again, maybe this is just me
But its been on a Monday for as long as I can remember. It was the team's, just admit. The south just cares more. I live down and I have never in my life heard so many ppl say they didn't watch. Also it could be because you have pay extra for ESPN down here. Not sure if its like that every where else. But down here, its not part of cable. If you want ESPN with your cable. You gotta pay extra. And ppl are broke right now
@@jacoblott4002if the south cared more about football, they’d watch the national championship every year, regardless of conference affiliation. This is proof that they actually care less about football and have a more insular view of the sport
@@jacoblott4002i tuned in when it was 7-7, then once Ohio st scored again and took the lead I forgot to care because there was no chance in hell Notre dame would ever have the lead again. Ohio state vs anyone else would have been more interesting.
I was trying to watch it but I don't have ESPN so was forced to illegally stream. I tried to in haste sign up for ESPN3 monile app but they made it so difficult to apply.
@@kbrichmo8547 Over-the-air antenna. I get my TV for FREE. Of course, I only pick up my local ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CW, FOX, and a few other stations. But that's all that I usually need. Once in a while there is a game that's only on ESPN that I would like to watch live, so I'll go to a bar to watch it. But it's rare.
The CFB Playoff is one of the very few “major” sporting events that is not broadcast on an over-the-air network. The Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the World Series, the Stanley Cup Finals, Wimbledon, the Masters, the Daytona & Indianapolis 500's, etc. are all available to the public without have to pay an additional fee. BTW, ESPN+ is worthless unless you're a UFC fan (I'm not).
7:30 on a Monday night is brutal. People are lucky if they can keep their eyes open for the 2nd half because it's past their bedtime, and they have work in the morning.
The main reason viewership is down. Is because it's on ESPN, and not a free program like it has been forever. And it will keep going down if it stays that way. Most Americans have cut the cord and couldn't care less about ESPN. And certainly won't pay money to ever watch TV again.
I honestly forgot about the game. I was busy watching the inaguration and dealing with the kids being out of school. I didn't remember the NC game until i went to bed. When i checked the score the game was already over.
It felt like the juice of the playoff was gone by the time we got to the Natty. Also, a lot of college football fans can’t keep up with the rapid pace of change in CFB. It’s just not a good product at the moment.
When something is only on ESPN, it's a little hard to watch. I'm a die hard Ohio State fan, and yet I missed the Oregon game altogether. I just don't have cable, wasn't about to go out to watch the game in below zero weather, and don't wanna pay for streaming services. Put the game on ABC or CBS & watch those numbers skyrocket. Also, put the game on a Friday or Saturday night. People had work in the morning Monday night. Non Ohio state/ND fans weren't staying up.
When the only thing you hear is Ohio State is an unstoppable machine who blew out the number 1 undefeated team and is now favored by what, 8.5? Why would the casual fan bother?
Soo true. OSU v Texas wasn't even over yet and Reese Davis was telling viewers he sees no way Notre Dame can compete with this team. Then that narrative went on for 10 days. No wonder nobody tuned in.
This was exactly what I was thinking. Knowing Ohio was pretty much guaranteed to win, when there is no competition, there is literally no point in watching unless you're a fan of said team. I cared so little I didn't even know it was on until the next day, when I saw the score
The date the game was played had absolutely no bearing on the ratings. Being on ESPN cannot be understated. I had to buy sling to get it for me and my mom. On ABC, it would have done 30.
Agreed, january 20 vs january 7 or so makes no difference at all. If the playoff were broadcast on multiple networks, the playoff hype would have a way bigger build up and inevitably better ratings for the NC
Having playoff games on random days that are diff than the regular season is dumb. They had games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Friday... etc. Should have the games on Saturday, we attribute college football with Saturdays.
Add Michigan to that, too. Collectively, Big 10 schools hate OSU and Michigan about the same. Right now it would probably be Ohio State because the Buckeyes have been so successful the past 25 years while Michigan was dormant from 2007 - 2020.
I really like Joel Klatts schedule proposal to move the Army Navy Game to the beginning of the season as a kickoff to college football and even move the season up one week to get the playoffs started at the beginning of December and the Championship on January 1st
The expanded playoff and the fact that it goes so long into January is not the friend of mass viewership. And, of course, not having it on a standard network.
@@jbjohnson4728I’m a southern fan and still tuned in, but only for a second because it was obvious going into it that Ohio State was the best team this year by far and Notre Dame is Notre Dame and they’re always gonna lose big in the championship. (And they definitely lost big, despite how “close” this game looked at the end)
It was on a network that has limited capability for people to watch. Other championships were at a time that everyone could watch as well on networks accessible over the air.
Monday Night Football used to only be on ESPN a few years back, then they caved and mirrored it on ABC. If that had been done here, maybe they would have hit 25mm or more. This is a bad viewership number given the matchup.
Inauguration had a huge impact on viewership. Basically the people I know almost completely forgot about the game, and we were watching the executive orders being signed instead of the game.
Didn't care about the teams playing. I don't think anyone really thought it'd be a close game at any point and props to ND for making it interesting-ish late, but it never was in question. Monday night game is one thing, but it just wasn't a good game in general.
Had to have a free subscription to youtube tv for 3 weeks. It ended the 22nd. My buckeyes put it down on the 20th. Cancelled the 21st. Ty for the freebie
Above all, the main reason is because it wasn't on network TV. ESPN isn't on most basic cable packages anymore and adding a sports package to Xfinity isn't worth it for most people. ESPN is also literally worthless other than actual live sports, their shows are horrible now
I stopped watching after my team played their bowl game. As far as I'm concerned the season was over then and there. Literally could care less after my team is done for the year.
I get the whole rage viewership for the SEC but TRUST ME, people hate OSU and ND as well. Just a matter if they hate them enough to watch the game out of spite. The main factor was that the game had been 95% decided after the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl. The spreads and media talking all week were basically saying, "I love what ND has done this year and congrats to them. OSU wins by 2 scores still."
Yep, PLENTY of people hate OSU. But at this point everyone knew they were going to win and if there is no competition there is literally no point in watching it
I can attest, I watched, but I watched with basically zero hype and zero anticipation. After Penn state lost to Notre dame I could actually feel myself being done with the season. It’s too many games going too long into the new year.
Rage viewing has two sides. A lot of people I talked with said they could care less to watch because they hated both teams and did not want to see either win a title. Let me preface these were all SEC fans. Had it been any team playing either of these two teams, some SEC folks would have watched just hoping to see OSU or Notre Dame get beat.
I live on the west coast and have to sit through traffic after work. I dont get home until after 9 PM eastern. Then I have to eat and chat with family. I can't remember the last national championship I watched live.
I am not going to pay to subscribe to ESPN. They have a monopoly on the bowl games. i am not going to pay for something that a major network should carry. TH-cam gives me the highlights later. That is good enough for now.
I had very little interest in the 12 team playoff. Reasons: ESPN, greed, politics involved in rankings, bad matchups, etc. All of this plus NIL and the portal has forever changed college football and not for the good.
Numbers were down because it was defacto big10 championship game. Sec and other conferences most likely didn't watch it but looked at the score on espn
A combination of the presidential inauguration, MLK day, and stretching the cfp all the way to the 20th creates cfp fatigue. Just a few reasons that come to mind …
#’s down because everyone knew what was going to happen and I would bet the #’s were higher before Ohio St went up 31-7 I’m sure a lot of other fan bases turned it off at that point
First off, I'm a big Buckeye fan. I went to one friends house to watch 2 NFL games Saturday. Then went to another to watch 2 NFL games Sunday (fell asleep on the couch there). Went home and napped for 2 hours, then watched 10+ hours of inauguration stuff. By the time the CFP natty came on, I was absolutely beat. Of course I stayed up almost all night Monday into Tuesday and watched the entire game twice plus all the pre and post shows, but it was tough. If my team was not playing, I'd probably have just DVR'd it for the next day. 1) It shouldn't be on a Monday 2) It shouldn't be that late in January 3) It should never be on inauguration day
*You missed an aspect in comparing ND to a P4 conference member* (not just SEC) - ND's high interest is primarily from 1 team's fans, a P4 team draws broader interest from their conference.
Probably would have had more viewership if OSU wasn't favored by like 10. Casuals would talk and say yeah Ohio State is gonna win and it won't be close and then their casual friends wouldn't watch
Maybe have the game on a Friday night instead of a Monday. Those of us in the East time zone can't stay up til Midnight to watch a freaking game when we have to go to work the next day. Your not competing with the NFL on Friday so I dont understand why they don't have the game on a Friday night
I have 3 different sports subscriptions to watch football, and local TV somehow costs money now.. I indeed wonder why viewership is down for a thing that I have to pay for with ads baked in 🤔
For the Saturday bit with the NFL, Mr. Pate, you would need the FCS Championship on Friday. I think that would be the total package, for all, the FCS, the FBS, and the NFL.
Because this one doesn't feel like anything. OSU lost to Michigan, did not even play in their conference championship, and won during a year that the rules will be changing going into next season. It's like the covid year in a way. Who cares.
I didn't watch the NC this year. For me it was because it was obvious who was going to win. I'm an NFL guy through and through and for College football, it's hard for me to watch because games can be so lopsided. If I think it's going to be a close, good game, I watch it. Didn't watch TCU v GA a few years back either except I think the first 10 minutes just out of hope for the little guy. I was cheering for OSU because they beat us (VFL) and it's always nice to lose to the champ if you have to lose, but I didnt need to watch the game to know who would win. I don't enjoy watching blow outs in college, or NFL either.
The problem with working with the NFL to resolve the Saturday night scheduling solution is College Football has no leadership or commissioner. Pate for CF Commissioner now!
When you pay the most to buy your team, who cares if you win. It’s intuitive. Plus, when my 9-3 Bama almost made the playoffs and teams who lost their conference championships, or didn’t play one (that’s you, ND), something is wrong with the system. It’s too easy to get in. It has ruined the season in my opinion. None of the bowls or playoffs should be during the weekdays. People got to work. I also have to agree. Without the SEC making it, a large section of demographic was gone.
Numbers were down because Michigan was not involved and it was inauguration day and people were locked in on Trump...and most people hate Ohio St and Notre Dame
The viewership numbers look to be a reaction to the point spread of the game. If these same two teams had played a game with a one point or a pick em number going in then the numbers would reflect that but the -8.5 hurt the numbers
I disagree about the “rage viewing” thing. The problem isn’t that no one hates Ohio State or Notre Dame, because… lol. The problem is everyone hates them BOTH. It was hard for a lot of people to root for a team this year because everyone hated them both.
You know why the championship game viewership was down? Because it was the inauguration of Donald Trump. A lot of people were watching that including me.
I’m sure the championship game got plenty of viewers but we had some pretty unexciting matchups too. Ohio state fan will always show up and tune in. It’s a fan base that you always expect to be involved
I failed to understand why they scheduled the national title game on MLK / Inauguration Day. Makes no sense and should’ve been schedule for the night before..
Title game should be on New Years day. Once it was extended beyond it started stepping on the NFL's toes and thus they no longer respect the boundaries previously followed: Friday was HS, Saturday was College, Sunday was NFL.
All college playoff and NC games should occur on Saturday. Saturday is college football day. This shouldn’t be that complicated. Also, any changes to the playoff must be unanimous between all conferences. The Big10 has no incentive to change the format. There will be no major changes.
Keep the show free - SUBSCRIBE to the channel! - JP
Wishing there were more commercials, hope there is more next year than this! It has nothing to do with Monday, nor the schools that played, it is the endless commercials. CFB and NFL are horrible for this now.
@randombutrelevant I am not staying up to watch a halftime that is way too long. I am a big college football guy and I am thinking of giving it up because of all the commercials.
ESPN+ not having ESPN is like a big middle finger to sports fans.
Exactly. My dad wasn’t able to watch because he cut the cord recently. He has ESPN+, and he should have been able to watch it there.
Dude yes. Idek why I pay for it cause I can't watch shit.
They could have had at least one playoff game on ESPN+. Free advertising for the platform
True story.
@@MBarberfan4life streameast is the only way I'm able to watch good games
This is 100% a scheduling problem. The playoff should not be extended to Jan 20th.
Exactly, more than 7 days between games is ridiculous
It's because of the president being sworn in earlier that day, speeches and executive orders being signed on TV
It's definitely not just a scheduling issue. Less and less people have cable every year, less and less people have ESPN every year. If you want numbers to go up you can't be on television.
Scheduling issues. No reason playoff games should be 9-11 days apart from each other
This was a bad matchup, played on a Monday night, after the biggest Presidential inauguration in recent memory, when a Nation is so divided one side wants the other side dead. That’s way more important than a football game.
Monday is so dumb
I understand not having the game on Saturday or Sunday and competing with the NFL playoffs, but Monday is a bad choice. Friday night would probably fare much better.
It’s always been fine
Every person who works midnights can't watch it cause you have to work that night or no holiday pay
@@lordredhood1858 I work mids and watched most of it til I went in at 11
@@rickgerald2261 not really, unless it's your team playing. Why bother staying up past midnight to finish a game.
It should have been on ABC also.
This is probably the last time they can do it. For years ESPN has been able to command big $ from all the cable providers. With more options for viewers, this might be their last bite at the apple.
ESPN and ABC are both owned by Disney.
@@carseye1219last time maybe but not the last year.
Their contract gives them exclusive broadcast rights of the playoffs through 2031
A poll was recently conducted. 1000 ppl answered that because it wasnt the sec, no one cared to watch the game.
Well, maybe I’m speaking for myself. But most people equate the best college football games with Saturdays and beers. Monday night before work is not conducive to college games. Again, maybe this is just me
Monday is the worst day of the week to hold such a big game. Make it Friday or Saturday.
Exactly, Saturdays are for college football
On a Monday night, during the nfl playoffs, on a crummy network. Not surprising at all really
But its been on a Monday for as long as I can remember. It was the team's, just admit. The south just cares more. I live down and I have never in my life heard so many ppl say they didn't watch. Also it could be because you have pay extra for ESPN down here. Not sure if its like that every where else. But down here, its not part of cable. If you want ESPN with your cable. You gotta pay extra. And ppl are broke right now
@@jacoblott4002if the south cared more about football, they’d watch the national championship every year, regardless of conference affiliation. This is proof that they actually care less about football and have a more insular view of the sport
@@jacoblott4002i tuned in when it was 7-7, then once Ohio st scored again and took the lead I forgot to care because there was no chance in hell Notre dame would ever have the lead again. Ohio state vs anyone else would have been more interesting.
Michigan did much better last year on Monday night.....
@@mgoboski mich wasn't playing on a new president taking office either
The game should have been on ABC. It would have gotten A LOT more viewers! I don't have ESPN so I had to go watch it at a bar.
How do you have ABC but not ESPN??
Regular local channels via antenna. @@kbrichmo8547
@@kbrichmo8547 on Xfinity, ESPN isn't included in the basic cable package. Far fewer people have access to ESPN now than a decade ago.
I was trying to watch it but I don't have ESPN so was forced to illegally stream. I tried to in haste sign up for ESPN3 monile app but they made it so difficult to apply.
@@kbrichmo8547 Over-the-air antenna. I get my TV for FREE. Of course, I only pick up my local ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CW, FOX, and a few other stations. But that's all that I usually need. Once in a while there is a game that's only on ESPN that I would like to watch live, so I'll go to a bar to watch it. But it's rare.
ESPN is too expensive. You have to have some other carrier to get it or you are forced to subscribe to other channels on a package deal.
The CFB Playoff is one of the very few “major” sporting events that is not broadcast on an over-the-air network. The Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the World Series, the Stanley Cup Finals, Wimbledon, the Masters, the Daytona & Indianapolis 500's, etc. are all available to the public without have to pay an additional fee. BTW, ESPN+ is worthless unless you're a UFC fan (I'm not).
Not everyone has ESPN
Or cable.
TH-cam does carry a lot of games watched it here just like I had ESPN .
7:30 on a Monday night is brutal. People are lucky if they can keep their eyes open for the 2nd half because it's past their bedtime, and they have work in the morning.
whats interesting is that is early compared to past years that started at 9 so should have had an increase in viewers.
Greed by ESPN. Everyone doesn't have it
You can't even read an article on their website without being a paid subscriber.
Airing on the same night as the inauguration didn’t help
My family did both haha. Celebrated trump, to celebrating the buckeyes getting the W
The game was like 6 hours after the inauguration
@ my family did both and partied all day.
We also celebrated diversity and the end of the white race with MLK day
The main reason viewership is down. Is because it's on ESPN, and not a free program like it has been forever. And it will keep going down if it stays that way. Most Americans have cut the cord and couldn't care less about ESPN. And certainly won't pay money to ever watch TV again.
Yep to woke of a network. Plus people was more interested in watching my president trump do his thing on Monday
I think all the talk leading up to the game was how can Notre Dame keep this game close. Analyst had already but crowned Ohio State
I honestly forgot about the game. I was busy watching the inaguration and dealing with the kids being out of school. I didn't remember the NC game until i went to bed. When i checked the score the game was already over.
The same reason that Georgia v TCU a few years ago only had 17 million. People don't like mismatches
It felt like the juice of the playoff was gone by the time we got to the Natty. Also, a lot of college football fans can’t keep up with the rapid pace of change in CFB. It’s just not a good product at the moment.
When something is only on ESPN, it's a little hard to watch. I'm a die hard Ohio State fan, and yet I missed the Oregon game altogether. I just don't have cable, wasn't about to go out to watch the game in below zero weather, and don't wanna pay for streaming services.
Put the game on ABC or CBS & watch those numbers skyrocket. Also, put the game on a Friday or Saturday night. People had work in the morning Monday night. Non Ohio state/ND fans weren't staying up.
consider using streameast next time, though it can buffer a lot and not work at times
@@kev614Yep, or you can just get a 7-day free trial with TH-cam tv, Fubo, Hulu, etc.
Im not paying for multiple apps. They make it too difficult and expensive to watch.
When the only thing you hear is Ohio State is an unstoppable machine who blew out the number 1 undefeated team and is now favored by what, 8.5? Why would the casual fan bother?
Soo true. OSU v Texas wasn't even over yet and Reese Davis was telling viewers he sees no way Notre Dame can compete with this team. Then that narrative went on for 10 days. No wonder nobody tuned in.
This was exactly what I was thinking. Knowing Ohio was pretty much guaranteed to win, when there is no competition, there is literally no point in watching unless you're a fan of said team. I cared so little I didn't even know it was on until the next day, when I saw the score
The date the game was played had absolutely no bearing on the ratings. Being on ESPN cannot be understated. I had to buy sling to get it for me and my mom. On ABC, it would have done 30.
Agreed, january 20 vs january 7 or so makes no difference at all. If the playoff were broadcast on multiple networks, the playoff hype would have a way bigger build up and inevitably better ratings for the NC
simple, more people are sailing the high seas when watching sports.
The most rational and prudent ones, yes.
sportssurge v2
Saturday is the best day for any college football game. Two people I know didn't have ESPN.
Playoff rounds are way to far apart, everyone forgets by the time the final comes
Couldn't agree more.
This game needs to be played on a Saturday.
Having playoff games on random days that are diff than the regular season is dumb. They had games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Friday... etc. Should have the games on Saturday, we attribute college football with Saturdays.
They don’t hate Ohio State and ND? 🤯😳 Those two are the two most HATED football programs in the ENTIRE country.
Add Michigan to that, too. Collectively, Big 10 schools hate OSU and Michigan about the same. Right now it would probably be Ohio State because the Buckeyes have been so successful the past 25 years while Michigan was dormant from 2007 - 2020.
They are not even close to being the most hated football teams in the country,and I hate both of them lol
You can't forget Alabama every video josh posts someone is taking shit about them.
Some people just don’t like MSESPNBC
I really like Joel Klatts schedule proposal to move the Army Navy Game to the beginning of the season as a kickoff to college football and even move the season up one week to get the playoffs started at the beginning of December and the Championship on January 1st
The expanded playoff and the fact that it goes so long into January is not the friend of mass viewership. And, of course, not having it on a standard network.
Because we all knew osu was going to win
And the streaming service debacle
@@NdfourlifeI think he was just stating a fact😂. You appear to be a ND fan lashing out here
Did you boycott the championship game because a Southern team wasn't in it. 🥲
@@jbjohnson4728 no boycott. I think people just couldn’t find anything compelling about it🤷🏾♂️. Then the game proved out to be a snooze
@@jbjohnson4728I’m a southern fan and still tuned in, but only for a second because it was obvious going into it that Ohio State was the best team this year by far and Notre Dame is Notre Dame and they’re always gonna lose big in the championship. (And they definitely lost big, despite how “close” this game looked at the end)
It was on a network that has limited capability for people to watch. Other championships were at a time that everyone could watch as well on networks accessible over the air.
Monday Night Football used to only be on ESPN a few years back, then they caved and mirrored it on ABC. If that had been done here, maybe they would have hit 25mm or more. This is a bad viewership number given the matchup.
the first rd games that aired on abc had about a 7 mil increase from the other 2 just on espn. Id say 30 mil easy without the inauguration.
The President inauguration was a factor, I was surprised by how many people said they watched the inauguration and football game. I know I did.
Monday is a serious factor. But please remember not all fans have espn
I forgot it was on
lol
Inauguration had a huge impact on viewership. Basically the people I know almost completely forgot about the game, and we were watching the executive orders being signed instead of the game.
Exactly
I had to remind myself at least 3 or 4 times that the Title game was Monday. Not used to the season extending this far in to January.
Didn't care about the teams playing. I don't think anyone really thought it'd be a close game at any point and props to ND for making it interesting-ish late, but it never was in question. Monday night game is one thing, but it just wasn't a good game in general.
Jose you know why? The folks that live in the south east didn't care one thing about watching that game.
Had to have a free subscription to youtube tv for 3 weeks. It ended the 22nd. My buckeyes put it down on the 20th. Cancelled the 21st. Ty for the freebie
Signed up for a free trial of TH-cam TV at 730pm on 1/20, watched the game, canceled the TH-cam TV trial 30 minutes after the game ended.
Above all, the main reason is because it wasn't on network TV. ESPN isn't on most basic cable packages anymore and adding a sports package to Xfinity isn't worth it for most people. ESPN is also literally worthless other than actual live sports, their shows are horrible now
the 4 most hated college football programs: Texas, Ohio State, Norte Dame, Alabama
I stopped watching after my team played their bowl game. As far as I'm concerned the season was over then and there. Literally could care less after my team is done for the year.
@lizardinthelites: Then you're not a college football fan, you're just insular and resentful.
@echt114 that's an interesting opinion. Remember opinions are not factual and are seldom based in reality. Thanks for sharing how you feel.
@@echt114 It's an opinion Karen,relax.
@ Ooh, I seem to have touched a nerve with the resentful types.
I get the whole rage viewership for the SEC but TRUST ME, people hate OSU and ND as well. Just a matter if they hate them enough to watch the game out of spite. The main factor was that the game had been 95% decided after the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl. The spreads and media talking all week were basically saying, "I love what ND has done this year and congrats to them. OSU wins by 2 scores still."
Yep, PLENTY of people hate OSU. But at this point everyone knew they were going to win and if there is no competition there is literally no point in watching it
Greedy people never know when to stop while fucking up a good thing.
Monday night going into the coldest 2 days of a very cold winter... and ESPN doesnt share it on ABC
Put it on a broadcast network.
Don't forget those of us bootlegging cable TV 😂
I can attest, I watched, but I watched with basically zero hype and zero anticipation. After Penn state lost to Notre dame I could actually feel myself being done with the season. It’s too many games going too long into the new year.
Add in that the spread was -8.5 and a vast majority of talking heads thought the game wouldn't be all that close
Rage viewing has two sides. A lot of people I talked with said they could care less to watch because they hated both teams and did not want to see either win a title. Let me preface these were all SEC fans. Had it been any team playing either of these two teams, some SEC folks would have watched just hoping to see OSU or Notre Dame get beat.
I live on the west coast and have to sit through traffic after work. I dont get home until after 9 PM eastern. Then I have to eat and chat with family. I can't remember the last national championship I watched live.
That's because no one, outside of OcryO St and Notre Dame's fan base, cares for those two teams.
U hit the nail on the head my friend
I am not going to pay to subscribe to ESPN. They have a monopoly on the bowl games. i am not going to pay for something that a major network should carry. TH-cam gives me the highlights later. That is good enough for now.
I had very little interest in the 12 team playoff. Reasons: ESPN, greed, politics involved in rankings, bad matchups, etc. All of this plus NIL and the portal has forever changed college football and not for the good.
Let’s see, I believe most of the case is we don’t give a shit about these two schools. 😂
Numbers were down because it was defacto big10 championship game. Sec and other conferences most likely didn't watch it but looked at the score on espn
A combination of the presidential inauguration, MLK day, and stretching the cfp all the way to the 20th creates cfp fatigue. Just a few reasons that come to mind …
#’s down because everyone knew what was going to happen and I would bet the #’s were higher before Ohio St went up 31-7 I’m sure a lot of other fan bases turned it off at that point
I bet there was fan bases that didn't even watch the game. SOS
First off, I'm a big Buckeye fan.
I went to one friends house to watch 2 NFL games Saturday. Then went to another to watch 2 NFL games Sunday (fell asleep on the couch there). Went home and napped for 2 hours, then watched 10+ hours of inauguration stuff. By the time the CFP natty came on, I was absolutely beat. Of course I stayed up almost all night Monday into Tuesday and watched the entire game twice plus all the pre and post shows, but it was tough. If my team was not playing, I'd probably have just DVR'd it for the next day.
1) It shouldn't be on a Monday
2) It shouldn't be that late in January
3) It should never be on inauguration day
I never have and never will pay for ESPN
Well, and probably the majority of SEC fans didn’t tune in to watch so… That’s a lot of viewers
*You missed an aspect in comparing ND to a P4 conference member* (not just SEC) - ND's high interest is primarily from 1 team's fans, a P4 team draws broader interest from their conference.
Two team yall hate the most that’s why lol. But yeah, Inauguration Day didn’t help much either. I’m just glad we won. Go Bucks.
Notre Dame is probably the most popular team in the country
@@pigalow2002 You forgot the "un"
Because it was two of the most hated teams in the nation outside of their own fanbases lol
Right! Most people I know wished both teams could lose. I was pulling for ND because OSU fans are the worst
🥲🥲🥲
@@shawnbrooks5293 yeah, I know a lot of people who were rooting for a meteor.
@@Ohhelmnomy preference was a sinkhole on the 50 yard line
@Ohhelmno I was watching at my local and the majority wanted the ground to open up and swallow both teams
Killing the sport is killing the viewership.
Game on Monday after 2 nfl games on Saturday, 2 nfl games on Sunday, and then the national championship on Monday kinda buries it
Probably would have had more viewership if OSU wasn't favored by like 10. Casuals would talk and say yeah Ohio State is gonna win and it won't be close and then their casual friends wouldn't watch
Maybe have the game on a Friday night instead of a Monday. Those of us in the East time zone can't stay up til Midnight to watch a freaking game when we have to go to work the next day. Your not competing with the NFL on Friday so I dont understand why they don't have the game on a Friday night
Having every ESPN tv “personality” talk about how fraudulent the playoffs was, I’m not shocked.
I have 3 different sports subscriptions to watch football, and local TV somehow costs money now.. I indeed wonder why viewership is down for a thing that I have to pay for with ads baked in 🤔
For the Saturday bit with the NFL, Mr. Pate, you would need the FCS Championship on Friday. I think that would be the total package, for all, the FCS, the FBS, and the NFL.
Because this one doesn't feel like anything. OSU lost to Michigan, did not even play in their conference championship, and won during a year that the rules will be changing going into next season. It's like the covid year in a way. Who cares.
If it’s not the SEC no one cares
I didn't watch the NC this year. For me it was because it was obvious who was going to win. I'm an NFL guy through and through and for College football, it's hard for me to watch because games can be so lopsided. If I think it's going to be a close, good game, I watch it. Didn't watch TCU v GA a few years back either except I think the first 10 minutes just out of hope for the little guy. I was cheering for OSU because they beat us (VFL) and it's always nice to lose to the champ if you have to lose, but I didnt need to watch the game to know who would win. I don't enjoy watching blow outs in college, or NFL either.
The problem with working with the NFL to resolve the Saturday night scheduling solution is College Football has no leadership or commissioner. Pate for CF Commissioner now!
When you pay the most to buy your team, who cares if you win. It’s intuitive. Plus, when my 9-3 Bama almost made the playoffs and teams who lost their conference championships, or didn’t play one (that’s you, ND), something is wrong with the system. It’s too easy to get in. It has ruined the season in my opinion. None of the bowls or playoffs should be during the weekdays. People got to work. I also have to agree. Without the SEC making it, a large section of demographic was gone.
I personally hate that they're playing the game on Monday night. College football belongs on Saturday.
Numbers were down because Michigan was not involved and it was inauguration day and people were locked in on Trump...and most people hate Ohio St and Notre Dame
The viewership numbers look to be a reaction to the point spread of the game. If these same two teams had played a game with a one point or a pick em number going in then the numbers would reflect that but the -8.5 hurt the numbers
@joshpatecfb think you forget 2014 title game was highest viewership and there were zero sec teams playing in that game
Because it was the inaugural playoffs
For the viewership number to max, put it on ABC both are owned by Disney
I disagree about the “rage viewing” thing. The problem isn’t that no one hates Ohio State or Notre Dame, because… lol.
The problem is everyone hates them BOTH. It was hard for a lot of people to root for a team this year because everyone hated them both.
Not everyone has a subscription to ESPN
Ya, if you’re a CFP that’s an issue, no?
Thank you needs to be on regular tv
You know why the championship game viewership was down? Because it was the inauguration of Donald Trump. A lot of people were watching that including me.
It's because most of us hate the buckeyes 😂
I’m sure the championship game got plenty of viewers but we had some pretty unexciting matchups too. Ohio state fan will always show up and tune in. It’s a fan base that you always expect to be involved
They're going to bring that big money 💯
I failed to understand why they scheduled the national title game on MLK / Inauguration Day. Makes no sense and should’ve been schedule for the night before..
NFL wouldn't dare put games on 1 network only
Title game should be on New Years day. Once it was extended beyond it started stepping on the NFL's toes and thus they no longer respect the boundaries previously followed: Friday was HS, Saturday was College, Sunday was NFL.
absolutely
All college playoff and NC games should occur on Saturday. Saturday is college football day. This shouldn’t be that complicated. Also, any changes to the playoff must be unanimous between all conferences. The Big10 has no incentive to change the format. There will be no major changes.
Great take JP.
I had to call off work to watch the game which is preposterous. College football should ONLY be on saturdays. Period.
The transfer portal is a bigger story than the natty was amongst diehard fans
I may not like every take of Pate’s, but his take on a compromise between college ball and the NFL isn’t a bad idea.
You had Trump dropping executive orders live and the 2nd Monday night Raw on Netflix at the same time. Saturdays are for college football