Michigan-Washington National Championship Game Draws Biggest Ratings in 4 Years

Monday night's National Championship Game between No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Washington was the most-watched in four years, according to ESPN. Overall, the College Football Playoff saw its best ratings in six seasons.

Monday night's National Championship Game between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington saw massive ratings. It was the most-watched title bout in four seasons, drawing 25 million viewers, according to statement from ESPN.

The Wolverines defeated the Huskies 34-13, winning their first outright title since 1948. It seems that college football fans were really intrigued by the fresh set of teams in the championship game. This year's game also peaked at 28 million viewers.

The ratings from Monday's title game were the most since LSU played Clemson at the end of the 2019 campaign. 

ESPN's MegaCast presentation of the '24 #CFBPlayoff #NationalChampionship delivered 25M viewers

• Best audience since Year 6 ('20)
• Up 45% year-over-year
• Peak: 28M viewers
• Most-watched 3-game CFP since Year 4 ('18)

Thank you @ESPNCFB fans! See you in the fall for Wk 0 pic.twitter.com/EKrujDIBHP

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) January 9, 2024

ESPN didn't just experience success with the National Championship Game ratings. All three College Football Playoff games drew in a major audience, averaging 23.6 million viewers for the trio of games.

This year's semifinal matchups featured No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama (Rose Bowl) and No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas (Sugar Bowl). It was the most-watched three-game Playoff since 2018.

Monday also marked the end of the four-team field for the College Football Playoff. Beginning next season, the bracket will expand to include 12 teams.

The Big Ten bookended the College Football Playoff's four-team format with a pair of championships. Ohio State won the inaugural championship in 2014. How fitting that the Buckeyes' biggest rival, Michigan, took home the trophy 10 years later.

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