College Football TV Ratings Week 12: Caleb Williams' Final Regular Season Game Cracks Top 5
The college football TV ratings for Week 12 are an interesting dive into the penultimate week of the 2023 season, where several games carried significance.
With the conference championship games and the College Football Playoff on the horizon, let's look at the Week 12 TV ratings per Sports Media Watch to determine which games had the most eyeballs.
Ranking the most watched college football games of Week 12
#5, USC vs. UCLA (2.65 million)
The final USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins matchup inside the Pac-12 was likely the last game of Caleb Williams' collegiate career. More than 2.6 million people tuned into ABC to watch these two West Coast teams square off. With the Bruins winning 38-20.
UCLA has coach Chip Kelly on the hot seat, and things will get more exciting for both teams after the Week 12 game.
#4, Louisville vs. Miami (2.89 million)
The No. 9 Louisville Cardinals have done well and are trying to make a case for the College Football Playoff. They picked up a 38-31 come-from-behind road win over the Miami Hurricanes to clinch the ACC championship game berth.
This game was on ABC before the USC vs. UCLA game and gave a lot of excitement as almost three million people watched this game.
#3, Washington vs. Oregon State (4.73 million)
The Pac-12 is almost done, but the viewership in this Week 12 matchup was incredible. The Washington Huskies have climbed into the top four of the college football AP Poll as they had a 22-20 road win over Oregon State.
The Beavers were 11th in the AP Poll, but the Huskies clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship game, with Heisman Trophy contender Michael Penix Jr. playing well.
#2, Michigan vs. Maryland (5.43 million)
The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines have been the talk of college football with the suspension of coach Jim Harbaugh but almost got upset by the Maryland Terrapins.
Just shy of 5.5 million viewers on FOX in the noon slate of games, the Wolverines overcame the Terrapins 31-24. This matchup was also historic as Michigan won its 1000th game in the program's history.
#1, Georgia vs. Tennessee (5.73 million)
The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs faced off against the No. 25 Tennessee Volunteers, and the Bulldogs proved to be a dominant program. The gap between this and the Michigan game in terms of viewership was similar, but the 3:30 p.m. ET slate had an incredible number of fans tuning in.
The Bulldogs dominated with a 38-10 road win to remain undefeated and go one step closer to the SEC championship game.