What a dawg: TCU-Georgia TV viewership hits record low

A snoozefest, blowout college football national title game led to record-low TV ratings, per multiple reports. The figure comes as college football nears expansion of the playoffs, leading to more saturation.

Georgia’s 65-7 win over TCU on Monday averaged 17.2 million viewers, ESPN announced. That is the lowest figure for a national championship game since the BCS era started in 1999.

Talk about a dawg of a game.

The Bulldogs quickly jumped to a large lead over the Horned Frogs and coasted. That led many to turn off the game and find other ways to spend their night.

It likely didn’t help viewership that TCU was in the game instead of a traditional powerhouse.

TCU has an enrollment of slightly more than 10,000 students. That means the school has fewer alumni and casual fans than, say, Alabama, which has more than 38,000 students and a national following.

Last year, when Alabama faced Georgia for the national championship, the average viewership was 22.6 million viewers.

The good news for the playoff committee, and broadcast partner ESPN, was this year’s three-game playoff was up 9 percent from last year, with an average of 20.6 million viewers across the Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and national title game. 

The two semifinal games played on New Year’s Eve included Ohio State and Michigan. Both games were close and thrilling, unlike the final game of the 2022 season.