Michigan football's win vs. Alabama reached near-record viewership for Rose Bowl, CFP
To address an elephant in the room: Michigan vs. Alabama in the Rose Bowl was always going to completely dominate ratings.
After Michigan's thrilling overtime win Monday, ESPN shared the ratings for both the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. According to ESPN's graphic, the Rose Bowl stands as the most-watched College Football Playoff semifinal since the system's first year and the most-watched CFP semifinal as a whole in six seasons.
Michigan vs. Alabama held an average of 27.2 million viewers, third-most ever behind the 2014 Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (28.2 million and 28.3 million, respectively), with the peak at a staggering 32.8 million. That peak is the most of any College Football Playoff semifinal. It also sits as the top non-NFL sporting event since 2018, and a top-10 cable telecast ever.
REQUIRED READING: Michigan football odds vs. Washington: Wolverines open as favorite for CFP championship game
The Sugar Bowl, for its part, sat at 18.4 million viewers, with a peak of 24.5 million. That number is a bit more on par with where semifinal games have been in recent years, but it is the fourth-highest-rated Sugar Bowl since 2004.
Overall, 22.6 million viewers tuned in across both games. In additional notes, 13.3 million viewers tuned in across the New Year's Six games.
Last year's Rose Bowl was among the worst-rated Rose Bowls ever, with Penn State and Utah squaring off with Utes quarterback Cameron Rising out. This game, if nothing else, was a return to form for the Granddaddy of Them All.
Most-viewed Rose Bowls since 2000
The Rose Bowl has always been appointment viewing for college football fans. The scenery of the stadium in Pasadena alone is enough to draw in viewers, and there's a pageantry that is unique to the game.
This was the highest-rated Rose Bowl since the 2014 season. Here's a look at some of the other top games since 2000.
2005: Texas vs. USC (35.6 million)
2014: Oregon vs. Florida State (28.2 million)
2023: Michigan vs. Alabama (27.2 million)
2017: Georgia vs. Oklahoma (26.9 million)
2006: Michigan vs. USC (24 million)
2009: Ohio State vs. Oregon (24 million)
2003: Michigan vs. USC (23.9 million)
2001: Miami vs. Nebraska (21.6 million)
2008: USC vs. Penn State (20.6 million)
2010: TCU vs. Wisconsin (20.6 million)
2004: Michigan vs. Texas (20.5 million)
While the CFP has changed the substantiation of the Rose Bowl viewership (just three games over 20 million viewers since the inception of the system, vs. eight from 2000 to 2013), there's no doubt the hits are bigger. Three of the top four Rose Bowls by viewership are CFP semifinal games, with Michigan vs. Alabama sitting as the third best by viewership since 2000.
The game was always going to draw eyeballs, but a close game between two extremely polarizing teams was a perfect recipe for big numbers. Fans showed up in droves to watch, and it reflected in the ratings once again.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's Rose Bowl win vs. Alabama had near-record viewership
