If the numbers behind people tuning into college football has told us anything, Ohio State turns on television sets and streaming devices. We’ve seen that continue during the College Football Playoff, and the CFP National Championship Game between the Buckeyes and Notre Dame pulled in more viewers than any prior.
According to ESPN PR, the game between OSU and the Irish pulled in 22.1 million viewers, the most watched non-NFL sporting event over the past year. The game peaked at 26.1 million viewers between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. ET.
That comes on the heels of massive audiences for Ohio State’s other CFP games. The first-round game against Tennessee resulted in 14.3 million, followed by the Rose Bowl vs. Oregon that had 21.1 million viewers. The Cotton Bowl against Texas attracted 19.9 million eyeballs.
The 2025 #CFBPlayoff #NationalChampionship between @OhioStateFB & @NDFootball topped the CFB postseason charts 📈
🏆 22.1M viewers
🏆 Most-watched non-NFL sporting event over the past year
🏆 Peaked with 26.1M viewers from 8:30-8:45p ET pic.twitter.com/PEOFgGYmB7— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 22, 2025
For comparison’s sake, the contest against Michigan (yes, I know), resulted in 12.3 million viewers. In other words — death, taxes, and Ohio State football games being popular.
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