In an electrifying game that went into double overtime, the Colorado Buffaloes emerged as the victors against Colorado State. But it wasn’t just the thrilling on-field action that caught people’s attention – the late-night game also drew in the largest audience of the season, despite its 10 p.m. ET start.
With an average of 9.3 million viewers, the game saw an increase of over half a million viewers compared to last week’s matchup against Nebraska. Broadcasted on ESPN, it not only became the largest late-night college football audience ever recorded across any network, but it also ranked as ESPN’s fifth-largest regular season audience ever.
According to Nielsen, the game hit its peak viewership around 11 p.m. ET, with 11.1 million people tuning in. The high-stakes showdown between the two teams kept fans glued to their screens until the Buffaloes ultimately sealed their 43-35 victory at around 3 a.m. ET.
Throughout the regular season, Colorado had been inching towards claiming the top game of the week title, but it surpassed all other matchups in Week 3. The second most-watched game of the week was South Carolina vs. Georgia, attracting around 5.4 million viewers, followed by Tennessee vs. Florida with 5.3 million viewers, which aired right before the Colorado/Colorado State game.
Impressively, Colorado now holds three out of the five most-watched games of the entire season, alongside FSU vs. LSU and Texas vs. Alabama, which were the top games in the first two weeks of the season.
To put this accomplishment into perspective, last season’s most-watched game for Colorado was their Friday night opener against TCU, which garnered around 1.25 million viewers on ESPN. However, this season’s opener drew 7.3 million viewers, indicating a significant surge in popularity for the team.
Looking forward, Colorado’s upcoming matchup against No. 10 Oregon is expected to attract a substantial audience as the team continues its stellar season. With a string of successful games and a growing fan base, the Buffaloes are showing that they are a force to be reckoned with in college football.
