Harry How/Getty Images

TV Ratings For This Year's Rose Bowl Are Extremely Impressive

Originally posted on The Spun | By Kameron Duncan | Last updated Jan 4, 2025 5:20 PM ET

The College Football Playoff was created in part to find a true, definitive national champion in college football, but it's also been a massive event for college football TV ratings.

The playoff gives us the best and most recognizable teams competing in the biggest games of the season, and football-loving fans couldn't wait to tune in.

Oregon faced Ohio State on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl, and the game produced a massive rating for ABC and ESPN.

According to sports business reporter Joe Pompliano, this year's Rose Bowl drew a rating of 21.1 million viewers on ESPN.

That makes it the most watched non-NFL sporting event since last season's national championship game between Michigan and Washington.

The appetite for the game extended even further, as 2.4 million viewers tuned in to watch the alt-cast featuring The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN 2, making it the network's most-watched alt-cast for any sport, including Monday Night Football featuring Eli and Peyton Manning.

The millions of fans that tuned into Wednesday's game watched Ohio State jump out to a massive early lead in the first half. Oregon would make the score respectable in the second half, but it was clear from the beginning of the game that the Buckeyes would be the better team.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw for 319 yards and three touchdown passes. Freshman star Jeremiah Smith caught two of those touchdown passes, and ended the day with seven catches for 187 yards in his first non-conference major college postseason game.

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeyes fans celebrate during the Ohio State Buckeyes versus Oregon Ducks College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2025, at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Not to be outdone, running back TreVeyon Henderson added two touchdowns of his own, and he ran for 94 yards in the game, significantly out-gaining Oregon's entire effort as a team.

Ohio State will now move on to face Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Friday, another game that is likely to draw a huge rating with two nationally recognized programs with two huge fanbases.

Add in the fact that a trip to the national championship game is on the line, and you've got all the makings of another night of massive ratings for ESPN.

The network has been the leader in college football coverage this year after acquiring the exclusive rights to the SEC, and it seems that their great year will continue with both national semifinals and eventually, the national championship game itself.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: