TV Viewer Numbers For Gator Bowl Between Ole Miss, Duke Revealed

How many eyeballs were glued to the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2?

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) rushes for yards during the second quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels concluded their football season on a high note last week, capturing a 52-20 victory over the Duke Blue Devils in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl to earn another 10-win campaign.

How many viewers were locked in on the action that night? According to some numbers from The Athletic, quite a lot.

The publication recently revealed television viewership numbers for College Football Playoff games and bowl games, and the Rebels' showing in the Gator Bowl was taken in by 5 million people, according to the report. It was the fourth-highest-viewed non-playoff bowl game behind the following games:

Alamo Bowl: BYU vs. Colorado (8 million viewers)

Pop-Tarts Bowl: Iowa State vs. Miami (6.8 million viewers)

ReliaQuest Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama (6.5 million viewers)

Those are some pretty impressive numbers for bowl games that don't factor into the discussion for a national championship. Of course, it also likely helps that all of these games featured prominent brands in college football, and multiple Ole Miss players believe that theirs is a program that will continue its climb in relevance in the years ahead.

"This program's on the rise," quarterback Jaxson Dart said following the Gator Bowl. "They're going to continue to get better, and I think it's just a place where people really want to play. A lot of excitement and momentum going for it, and like I said, I think it's going to continue to improve and continue to be one of the best programs in the country."

The goal for the Rebels entering this season was making the College Football Playoff, but after falling short, they should still feel good about the overall direction of the program. Perhaps that direction will eventually lead to the CFP, but for now, at least Ole Miss still attracts the eyes of football fans around the country.

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