By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network

College football’s recently completed 2023 regular season offered another mountain of evidence that goes to a long way toward explaining the current state of college sports.

First, just as the National Football League dominates American television like no other entertainment property (sports or otherwise) — in one recent year, 75 of the 100 most-watched TV programs in the United States were NFL games, and that was not an anomaly — football games dominate viewership of college athletics.

The NCAA’s second most popular sport, men’s basketball, occasionally has individual regular-season games (e.g., Duke-Carolina) that attract more than 4 million viewers. While the biggest games in a given year’s NCAA Tournament draw much bigger numbers, during four-plus months of regular-season hoops action, the 1 million-viewer threshold is a desirable one, and 4 million-plus is regarded as the Holy Grail.

In stark contrast, even during the regular season, dozens of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) gridiron games surpass the 5 million-viewer threshold every year. In 2023, for example, 32 games (see full list immediately below) attracted 5 million viewers or more, four drew approximately 10 million or more, and one pulled in more than 19 million viewers!

2023 NCAA Football
Regular-Season Games (32) With 5M+ Viewers

1. 19+ million — Ohio State-Michigan, B1G, Week 13, Sat., noon, FOX
2. 10+ million — Colorado-Oregon, Pac-12, Week 4, Sat., 3:30 pm, ABC
3. 10+ million — Ohio State-Notre Dame, B1G/Ind., Week 4, Sat., 7:30 pm, NBC
4. 10+ million — Penn State-Ohio State, B1G, Week 8, Sat., noon, FOX
5. 9.3 million — Colorado State-Colorado, MWC/Pac-12, Week 3, Sat., 10 pm, ESPN
6. 9.2 million — Florida State-LSU, ACC/SEC, Week 1, Sat., 7:30 pm, ABC
7. 9.2 million — Michigan-Penn State, B1G, Week 11, Sat., noon, FOX
8. 9.1 million — Alabama-Auburn, SEC, Week 13, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
9. 8.8 million — LSU-Alabama, SEC, Week 10, Sat., 7:45 pm, CBS
10. 8.8 million — Texas-Alabama, Big 12/SEC, Week 2, Sat., 7 pm, ESPN/ESPN2
11. 8.7 million — Nebraska-Colorado, B1G/Pac-12, Week 2, Sat., noon, FOX
12. 8.1 million — Tennessee-Alabama, SEC, Week 8, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
13. 7.9 million — Oklahoma-Texas, Big 12, Week 6, Sat., noon, ABC/ESPN2
14. 7.3 million — Colorado-TCU, Pac-12/Big 12, Week 1, Sat., noon, FOX
15. 7.2 million — USC-Colorado, Pac-12, Week 5, Sat., noon, FOX
16. 7.2 million — Alabama-Texas A&M, SEC, Week 6, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
17. 7.1 million — Oregon-Washington, Pac-12, Week 7, Sat., 3:30 pm, ABC
18. 7.1 million — Missouri-Georgia, SEC, Week 10, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
19. 6.7 million — Florida State-Clemson, ACC, Week 4, Sat., noon, ABC
20. 6.4 million — USC-Notre Dame, Pac-12/Ind., Week 7, Sat., 7:30 pm, NBC
21. 6.4 million — Georgia-Auburn, SEC, Week 5, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
22. 5.9 million — Georgia-Florida, SEC, Week 9, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
23. 5.9 million — Washington State-Washington, Pac-12, Week 13, Sat., 4 pm, FOX
24. 5.7 million — Georgia-Tennessee, SEC, Week 12, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
25. 5.4 million — Michigan-Maryland, B1G, Week 12, Sat., noon, FOX
26. 5.4 million — South Carolina-Georgia, SEC, Week 3, Sat., 3:30 pm, CBS
27. 5.3 million — Georgia-Georgia Tech, SEC/ACC, Week 13, Sat., 7:30 pm, ABC
28. 5.3 million — Notre Dame-Duke, Ind./ACC, Week 5, Sat., 7:30 pm, ABC
29. 5.3 million — Tennessee-Florida, SEC, Week 3, Sat., 7 pm, ESPN
30. 5.2 million — Utah-Washington, Pac-12, Week 11, Sat., 3:30 pm, FOX
31. 5.1 million — Notre Dame-Louisville, Ind./ACC, Week 6, Sat., 7:30 pm, ABC
32. 5.1 million — Florida State-Florida, ACC/SEC, Week 13, Sat., 7 pm, ESPN

Diving into the details, the 2023 data also offer reminders of what college football fans tend to enjoy most: intersectional games between high-profile opponents, plus conference matchups between famous programs, winning teams and/or those in well-known rivalries, especially in the Southeastern Conference.

Occasionally, critics will attack the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 and/or Pac-12 commissioners for being lousy negotiators with their various television partners. (In the Pac-12’s case, that criticism is largely justified, because the league’s botching of its latest negotiations led directly to the disintegration of that league’s Power Five brand.)

Instead, a large majority of the time, the most lucrative TV deals (i.e., those in the SEC and Big Ten) are simply a reflection of the undeniable reality that those leagues’ fans watch their favorite (or most hated) teams’ football games in much larger numbers than everyone else.

This season, the unusual case of Colorado (led by polarizing coach Deion Sanders) was an exception to another general rule, i.e., that fans tend to be drawn to teams with sparkling records and high national rankings. The Buffaloes, who finished 4-8, nevertheless attracted enormous TV audiences for the Pac-12, which enabled that league to jump into the lofty Big Ten-SEC neighborhood at least temporarily in some important categories.

2023 Regular-Season Games With 5 Million+ Viewers
(By Conference)

11 — Different Leagues (Non-Conference Games)
10 — SEC vs. SEC
5 — Pac-12 vs. Pac-12
4 — Big Ten vs. Big Ten
1 — ACC vs. ACC
1 — Big 12 vs. Big 12

Nobody should have been surprised that the ACC’s only conference game that drew more than 5 million viewers this season was Florida State’s trip to Clemson. Those two programs, thanks to both their on-field success (each has three national championships, and their 37 combined ACC titles are seven more than those of the rest of the league’s other 12 current members combined) and passionate fanbases, have been the league’s best gridiron TV draws for many years.

When administrators at FSU (often very publicly lately) and/or Clemson (usually more privately) have made noise in recent years about 1-wanting to leave the ACC, or 2-adding viewership-related data to the league’s existing financial distribution formula, these TV numbers explain why, although the Tigers (8-4) were not their usual selves this season, either on the field or as a compelling media magnet.

Finally, this year’s regular-season TV numbers offer yet another reminder of Notre Dame’s powerful football brand. While Louisville (10-2 during the regular season) and even Duke (7-5 after a thrilling start) deserve some credit for appearing on the list below, having the Fighting Irish (9-3) as an opponent certainly helped their cause in that regard.

Notre Dame’s lucrative TV deal with NBC largely explains their ability and desire to remain a football independent, but the Irish’s gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC (five games per season) continues to create success stories for both parties.

2023 Regular-Season Games With 5 Million+ Viewers
(By School, with Regular-Season Records)

6 — Georgia (12-0), SEC
5 — Alabama (11-1), SEC
5 — Colorado (4-8), Pac-12 (headed to Big 12)
4 — Notre Dame (9-3), independent
3 — Florida (5-7), SEC
3 — Florida State (12-0), ACC
3 — Michigan (12-0), Big Ten
3 — Ohio State (11-1), Big Ten
3 — Tennessee (8-4), SEC
3 — Washington (12-0), Pac-12 (headed to Big Ten)
2 — Auburn (6-6), SEC
2 — LSU (9-3), SEC
2 — Oregon (11-1), Pac-12 (headed to Big Ten)
2 — Penn State (10-2), Big Ten
2 — Southern Cal (7-5), Pac-12 (headed to Big Ten)
2 — Texas (11-1), Big 12 (headed to SEC)
1 — Clemson (8-4), ACC
1 — Colorado State (5-7), MWC
1 — Duke (7-5), ACC
1 — Georgia Tech (6-6), ACC
1 — Louisville (10-2), ACC
1 — Maryland (7-5), Big Ten
1 — Missouri (10-2), SEC
1 — Nebraska (5-7), Big Ten
1 — Oklahoma (10-2), Big 12 (headed to SEC)
1 — South Carolina (5-7), SEC
1 — Texas A&M (7-5), SEC
1 — Texas Christian (5-7), Big 12
1 — Utah (8-4), Pac-12 (headed to Big 12)
1 — Washington State (5-7), Pac-12