College Football Playoff TV Ratings Change Amid Notre Dame Snub

The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels defeated the No. 11 Tulane Green Wave 41-10, drawing an average viewership of 6.2 million on TNT, TBS and truTV. This is a decline from the 8.6 million average viewers for last year's Texas-Clemson game, which aired during the same time slot and on the same networks. This situation also raises questions about the exclusion of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from the playoff, especially in comparison to teams like Tulane or James Madison.

The current format grants automatic bids to the five highest-rated conference champions. This system benefited teams like James Madison and Tulane, while it resulted in Notre Dame being excluded. This situation has prompted discussions among national analysts, including Kirk Herbstreit.

The most-watched game in the College Football Playoff was the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide's impressive 34-24 comeback victory over the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners, which drew an average of 14.9 million viewers on a Friday night on ABC/ESPN. This game not only marked the highest viewership for a CFP first-round matchup in the two years of the expanded 12-team format, but it also ranked as the fifth most-watched game of the entire season. Last year's CFP opener between Notre Dame and Indiana averaged 13.4 million, for comparison.

Miami's 10-7 victory over Texas A&M attracted an average of 14.8 million viewers on ABC/ESPN on Saturday afternoon. This number more than doubled the 6.4 million viewers who tuned in to watch the SMU-Penn State game during the same time slot on TNT, TBS and truTV. The Hurricanes' win marked the sixth-most-watched game of the season.

The first-round ratings immediately reignited debate over how the College Football Playoff field is constructed. While Alabama’s win over Oklahoma was great, matchups involving James Madison and Tulane struggled to attract similar attention.

The disparity has fueled broader analyst consensus that brand power and competitive expectation still heavily influence national interest. This reinforces the argument that automatic bids for lower-rated conference champions may come at a cost. As discussions continue around playoff refinement, these numbers will likely factor into future decisions, especially as the CFP looks ahead to next season with potential adjustments to broadcast windows, seeding logic and access criteria designed to maximize both competitive integrity and viewership appeal.