College GameDay's visit to Columbus is show's most viewed episode
College GameDay has been a staple of football Saturdays for nearly 30 years.
Every week, we see the crew roll up to some of the most iconic locations on the most popular campuses for the most highly-anticipated games. In all, its aired 382 episodes from games like Auburn-Alabama, Notre Dame-USC and Texas-Oklahoma.
Last weekend, though, the show had a record-setting viewership.
The GameDay bus rolled into Columbus on Saturday for the heavyweight matchup between No. 3 Michigan and No. 2 Ohio State. Because of the B1G and College Football Playoff implications, the show aired for an extra two hours, opening at 7:00 AM rather than the tradition 9:00 AM start.
The result?
GameDay pre-UM-OSU was the show’s most-watched regular-season episode on record (382 episodes) 2,682,000 avg live viewers.
— angelique (@chengelis) November 30, 2016
Over 2.6 million viewers, making it the most watched episode in the shows extensive history. According to the media release, that record-setting number was measured during the traditional three-hour window and didn’t include the 7-9 AM coverage.
The Game itself drew in the highest audience of the season, as well, with more than 16 million viewers tuning into the contest according to reports.
Ohio State went on to win the contest 30-27 to end the year 11-1 and presumably lock up a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes sit at No. 2 in the most recent rankings and Michigan dropped to No. 5.
Saturday’s contest was considered a must-see, and apparently nobody wanted to miss a second of the action, including the pregame festivities.