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ESPN’s Fiesta Bowl broadcast garners best ratings for non-New Year’s Day CFP Semifinal
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Long expected to be one of the best College Football Playoff Semifinals ever, Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl did not disappoint.
The primetime kick between Ohio State and Clemson had plenty of build-up with the action on the field proving to be as epic as expected. In the end, a late stop by Clemson and a couple of crucial calls that did not go in favor of the Buckeyes gave the Tigers a close win.
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On Sunday, ESPN released a look at the ratings for both semifinal games. While the afternoon Peach Bowl between LSU and Oklahoma still hit good numbers, it was the Fiesta Bowl that stole the headlines.
According to ESPN’s release, the Fiesta Bowl drew 21.2 million viewers. That made it the most-watched non-New Year’s Day CFP Semifinal to date. It was also a 9% increase from last year’s similarly scheduled game.
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Though some of the head coaches may prefer to keep the Playoff games on New Year’s Day, these numbers likely put an end to that thought for the near future.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.