The sports world is captivated by the rise of IU football.
Indiana’s CFP quarterfinal win over Alabama at the Rose Bowl averaged 23.9 million viewers, a new record for the 12-team field.
The game peaked at about 25.6 million viewers. That’s up roughly 13% from last season and more than 18 of the previous 22 CFP semifinals.
The Rose Bowl was the most watched game of the four CFP quarterfinals by a healthy margin. The other games each fell short of 20 million viewers. Miami’s win over Ohio State on New Year’s Eve had 19 million viewers. Ole Miss’ win over Georgia had about 18.7 million, and Oregon’s win over Texas Tech was just under 16 million.
This year’s Rose Bowl also beat last year’s national championship game by a wide margin. Ohio State’s CFP final win over Notre Dame averaged about 22.1 million viewers.
How did an average of 23.9 million viewers compare to some of the other biggest sporting events of 2025?
Indiana vs. Alabama exceeded Game 7 of the NBA Finals by a wide margin, and nearly surpassed Game 7 of Major League Baseball’s World Series:
- 2025 NBA Finals Game 7: averaged 16.4 million viewers
- 2025 Major League Baseball World Series Game 7: averaged 26.88 million viewers
- 2025 Super Bowl: averaged 126 million viewers
No. 1 Indiana (14-0) returns to the field (and your screen) Friday when the Hoosiers take on No. 5 Oregon in the a CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
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