Why Haven’t College Football Ratings Fallen Like the NFL’s?

SI ^ | November 16, 2016 | Emily Kaplan

[C19fan]

Perhaps panic over the NFL’s evaporating television audience was premature. On the first post-election Sunday, the league’s ratings surged thanks to two marquee match ups. According to NBC, Seahawks-Patriots drew the network its biggest Week 10 Sunday Night Football audience in five years. Meanwhile in Fox’s late-afternoon window, the Cowboys’ 35-30 win over the Steelers was the NFL’s highest-rated individual game this year. However it’s indisputable that NFL viewership lagged over the season’s first half. Entering Week 9, industry experts peg total NFL consumption down about 14 percent. In a memo sent from the NFL office in early October, the league admitted “a confluence of events” was affecting ratings, blaming “unprecedented interest” in the presidential election as the largest culprit. The trend also raised a different question: Why did college football broadcasts not suffer the same drop?

[Buckeye McFrog]

Because apparently not enough people were watching games like Kent State at Bowling Green on ESPN last night. P-U!!

[pepsi_junkie]

The most obvious reason is not mentioned in the article.

This is true in virtually every analysis I've read of the NFLs ratings woes. They say the election, streaming, officiating, duration of games, etc. But they don't even mention the "America sucks" protests by players, even to dismiss it. Rome is burning and Rodger Goodell is in his office fiddling.

[pepsi_junkie]

The college game is far more enjoyable, better overall game experience, no salary cap/contract distractions, no politics from the players, rivalries mean more (Even with conference changes.) and just being in the top 25 means something to a sizable segment of the fan base.

I have always been an NFL guy because it seemed most college games I would tune into would be 52 - 3 blowouts and the announcers would be blathering about how they'll drop in the polls because the margin of victory isn't quite high enough. Plus it's easier for me to find time for a game on a lazy Sunday than on a busy Saturday. But when you put two top 10 teams on the field at the same time, I will agree that it's usually an awesome game, better than most regular season NFL games by far for the reasons you cite. Plus the bands, the energy in the stadium, all of it.

I may have to start tuning into more college games.

[kosciusko51]

I could care less about any NFL game that doesn’t have the Steelers playing and this season and last; I’ve found myself increasingly challenged to care about the black and gold.

I hear that loud and clear. Growing up in Western PA, I remember that in the fall, Friday night was watching the local high-school team, Saturday was watching Pitt and/or Penn State (and my dad rooting against ND), and Sunday was the Steelers.

Since moving to Alabama, college football (esp. the SEC) is much bigger down here. Could be a lack of (good) NFL teams in SEC country, or the fact that the SEC has been a dominant conference in NCAAF.

[katana]

Agreed.

- Go Bucks! (and Muck Fichigan) -

[Buckeye McFrog]

I have not been paying much attention to the Steelers here in Pittsburgh ever since the Rooney family decided to make them a bolt-on part of the Clinton and Obama campaigns.

[dsc]

“College football is a wholesome sport with wholesome fans, and the players are wholesome college students, as are the cheerleaders. It’s a joy to watch.”

My daughter and I went to a local game. Small college. I doubt there were 5,000 people there.

We had a great time.

[jimmyray]

that was passed long ago, at least in the SEC

[wrcase]

Baylor, Miami (FL), and Missouri and I’m sure others just called to disagree with you. Also our colleges and universities are very supportive of patriotism and conservatism (sarc).

[onedoug]

I hope the nfl goes broke. And as the university in general is the most discriminatory of institutions, it should hence be closed.

[RayChuang88]

FOX Sports Radio's Colin Cowherd mentioned this factor: the "week" in politics starts on Sundays, and given the huge interest in the Presidential election in 2016, the effect of the Sunday morning political talk shows seriously hurt NFL ratings. Note that on Saturdays, all the political pundits are tired, and as such there is little election news to interfere with college football games.

[Jack Hammer]

Does it really need to be said?

PC bullsh*t and fatuous moonbats like Kaepernick - absent from college ball.

[mpackard]

homophobia, I think...

[political1]

Cam Newton took a dive in the Superbowl. He was worried about getting hurt, and trying to maintain a long NFL career. It's a fine balance to keep. but he chose the money, and long career over winning the game. People don't want to watch games where the players care less about winning then money. 2cd. This weekend, The quarterback for Pittsburgh, Ben R, was hit and any other time in football history it would have been called a good clean hit. Not this time. He fell to the ground and acted like he was hurt. The refs threw a flag. He looked like one of those soccer players faking injury so the other team will get penalized. The difference is the NFL has changed the rules to protect the quarterback, and there is no reason to fake the injury anymore.

[lepton]

I’m pretty sure that kick return rule applies to the NFL too.

[SouthernerFromTheNorth]

At least in conferences like the SEC and Big Ten, they don’t have nearly as many moonbats as, say, the Ivy League or big city elite schools.

[right way right]

Million dollar gangsta ghetto trash babies are turning the NFL into a display that can only be described using very non PC terms that include forms of the ‘N’ word.
Goodall is a moron for letting it slide into this state of embarrassing garbage. I bet Americans of all races are watching less because of it. We're tired of this trash.