Michigan-Washington title game draws big audience for ESPN

Field Level Media|published: 01/09/2024, 8:38pm EST

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy kisses the championship trophy to celebrate the Wolverines' 34-13 win over Washington in the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. credits: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

An average of just over 25 million viewers tuned into top-ranked Michigan's victory over No. 2 Washington on Monday night, making it the most-watched College Football Playoff championship game since 2020, ESPN said Tuesday.

LSU beat Clemson in the 2020 title game before viewership later took a massive dip in 2023, when Georgia blasted TCU 65-7. The Bulldogs' rout of the Horned Frogs ended up being the least-watched championship game since the Bowl Championship Series' inception in 1999.

But fans returned to watch the Wolverines claim their first CFP title, as ESPN saw nearly 8 million more viewers tune in to Monday's contest.

Monday's game was the second-most watched game of the season, with only the Rose Bowl bringing in a larger audience. Michigan edged Alabama 27-20 on New Year's Day in that contest.

The Wolverines' 30-24 win over Ohio State on Nov. 25 drew the largest audience of any regular-season game, with over 19 million viewers.

—Field Level Media