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College GameDay set a new all-time high for ratings in 2024.
ESPN announced on Friday morning that its flagship college football pregame show had its most-watched season ever in 2024. Per the network, GameDay averaged 2.2 million viewers per show and is up 6% year-over-year.
Crucially, ESPN also says it beat its competition in the final hour by 84% this season. Here are some other notable details from GameDay’s 38th season:
There’s many plausible reasons for the spike in ratings for College GameDay this season. Interest in college football has certainly been up this season as the sport transitions to a 12-team College Football Playoff, which begins on Friday night in South Bend.
There’s also College GameDay’s rejuvenated cast, which now includes former Alabama coach Nick Saban. This was Saban’s first season as a member of the GameDay crew. It was also the second season for Pat McAfee to be on the desk alongside the likes of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.
College GameDay’s season isn’t quite over, however. The show will air twice this weekend during the first round of the College Football Playoff. The first show is scheduled for Friday afternoon in South Bend ahead of Indiana-Notre Dame. Then, GameDay will be in Columbus, Ohio, for Saturday night’s contest between Ohio State and Tennessee. That show will air during its traditional Saturday morning time slot.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
