Total Games, Most Appearances, Most-Viewed Games, Thursday & Saturday Data, & MoreCollege football has been a cornerstone of ESPN’s programming since the network’s launch in 1979 and televised live on ABC every year since 1966. ESPN’s commitment to the sport has grown to include multiple weekly games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile as well as daily studio programs highlighted by College Football Live, the Saturday morning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, and content across ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, espnW and more.
ESPN will provide a “by the numbers” look at historical information across its platforms over three consecutive days from August 20-22.
- Part one, today, includes total amount of live and exclusive games across ESPN platforms, coverage growth over the years and teams that have appeared most frequently on ESPN
- Part two, Wednesday, Aug. 21, provides figures on ESPN’s Thursday night series, including total games and team information; production facts; memorable moments that happened on ESPN networks; and ESPN commentator credentials
- Part three, Thursday, Aug. 22, looks into ESPN’s ratings history with the most-viewed games and top 25 rated markets for the 2012 season
The home for college football
In 2012, ESPN carried 306 regular-season Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) games exclusively on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 – nearly 200 more than every other national network combined (CBS, FOX, NBC, FX, NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network).
ESPN will once again lead the way in 2013 as the only network to cover home games from all 10 FBS conferences and BYU as well as road games featuring Notre Dame, Navy and Army.
The beginning and the totals…
ESPN, which offered a significant schedule of taped games from 1979 to 1983, first began televising live regular-season games in 1984 following a Supreme Court ruling allowing conferences and universities to negotiate their own television rights.
- Total Games: Since 1984, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Classic have combined to provide exclusive live coverage of 4,614 regular-season games from the FBS and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Specific by network:
- ABC and ESPN: 1,585 on ABC and 1,306 on ESPN since 1984
- ESPN2: 825 since its launch in 1993
- ESPNU: 506 since its debut in 2005
- ESPN3: 357 since it began exclusive game coverage in 2005
- ESPN Classic: 35 overall
In addition to extensive television coverage, ESPN Radio has broadcast more than 100 regular-season games since 2007. Additional historical details and growth:
- First Live Game: ESPN’s first live regular-season game telecast in 1984 showcased BYU kicking off its National Championship season with a 20-14 victory over Pittsburgh on September 1.
- Growth: Coverage across ESPN platforms has grown significantly since the first year for each, including:
- ESPN’s schedule has increased from 28 games in its first year to at least 61 game telecasts every season since 2007, peaking at 73 in 2011.
- ABC has expanded to include the 2006 debut of Saturday Night Football, the highest-rated and most-viewed college football series among all networks last season, which launched with Notre Dame defeating Georgia Tech 14-10 on September 2.
- ESPN2 has steadily increased from a single matchup in its first year (Lehigh over Lafayette 39-14) to 49 telecasts in 2012.
- ESPN3 has grown from eight exclusive games in 2005, its first season of exclusive coverage, to 124 matchups in 2012. The national network will surpass last year’s record high, beginning with approximately 60 contests in the first month of the 2013 season.
- Reverse Mirror: In 2007, ESPN introduced the innovative coverage in which one of two games is televised regionally on ESPN or ESPN2 to markets receiving another game on ABC. Since then, ESPN has offered 36 reverse mirror windows with ABC while ESPN2 has provided 35.
Big Teams, Big Games
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU have combined to televise games involving 188 different teams from the FBS and FCS since 1984, showcasing many top matchups through the years.
- Variety: ESPN has televised 138 different teams while ESPN2 has covered 139 programs.
- 1 vs. 2: ABC has televised six of the eight regular-season matchups between the No. 1-and No. 2-ranked teams since 1988
- Most Frequent: Auburn (75) and Miami (Fla.) (73) are the two teams to have played more than 70 games on ESPN. Florida State and Virginia Tech are tied for third with 68 ESPN telecasts each. The top 15 is rounded out by Penn State (66), Wisconsin (65), Michigan (64), Ohio State (62), West Virginia (62), LSU (59), South Carolina (58), Pittsburgh (57), Clemson (56), Georgia Tech (55) and Alabama (54).
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“By the Numbers”: Three-Part Look at College Football on ESPN Networks – Part 2
Total Games, Most Appearances, Most-Viewed Games, Thursday & Saturday Data, & More
Part two of ESPN’s three-part “by the numbers” series providing extensive historical information on the network’s college football coverage includes figures on ESPN’s Thursday night series, including total games and team information; production facts; memorable moments that happened on ESPN networks; and ESPN commentator credentials.
The third part – coming Thursday, Aug. 22 – will look into ESPN’s college football ratings history with the most-viewed games and top 25 rated markets for the 2012 season. Part one, released August 20, included total amount of live and exclusive college football games across ESPN platforms, coverage growth over the years and teams that have appeared most frequently on ESPN.
College football has been a cornerstone of ESPN’s programming since the network’s launch in 1979 and televised live on ABC every year since 1966. ESPN’s commitment to the sport has grown to include multiple weekly games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile as well as daily studio programs, the Saturday morning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, and content across ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, espnW and more.
Thursday Night Showcase
ESPN’s Thursday night series has grown from select dates in a season to a weekly showcase and one of the network’s most-viewed series. The first live Thursday night game was a Thanksgiving showcase in 1985 pitting Texas at Texas A&M on November 28. A regular schedule of live ESPN Thursday prime time telecasts began with the 1992 season when the network provided 10 matchups. Overall, ESPN has televised 283 Thursday College Football Primetime games involving 101 teams (73 different home teams and 78 as visitors).
- Longest Streak: Virginia Tech holds the longest streak, playing at least one Thursday night game every season since 2002.
- Most Games: Virginia Tech leads all programs with 26 home and away games combined followed by Georgia Tech with 24; Texas A&M and West Virginia at 19 each; Miami (Fla.) and NC State with 18; Louisville and Pittsburgh at 17; BYU at 16; and Mississippi State, South Carolina and Texas with 15.
- Ranked Matchups & Top Fives: The series, set in advance of the season unlike most Saturday games that are scheduled six or 12 days prior to the game, has included 25 matchups between ranked teams and 35 teams in the top five at the time they played. Nine of the contests between ranked teams have included a team in the top five, highlighted by No. 3 West Virginia at No. 5 Louisville (November 2, 2006).
- Host with the Most: Georgia Tech has been the host for 18 games followed by Virginia Tech at 15; BYU and NC State at 12 each; Miami (Fla.) and Mississippi State at 11; Rutgers with 10; and Louisville and South Carolina nine.
- Road Warriors: Florida State and Texas A&M lead all programs with 12 each followed by Virginia Tech and West Virginia at 11; Clemson and Pittsburgh with nine; Louisville, North Carolina and Texas at eight; and Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Syracuse and Virginia seven.
- Frequent Matchups: Texas and Texas A&M have played each other on Thursday night games more than any other teams with 11 matchups. Mississippi vs. Mississippi State (this year’s Thanksgiving game November 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET), Boston College vs. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech vs. Maryland are tied at second with six games each. Miami (Fla.) against Pittsburgh and Air Force against Colorado State have been featured five times each.
In addition to ESPN’s weekly showcase, ESPNU has offered a regular Thursday night series since its launch, televising 82 games involving 72 teams since 2005.
Production
ESPN continues to research and develop production and technical advancements that enhance telecasts and best showcase the game. Elements include SkyCam; on-field virtual graphics such as the 1st and 10 line and play clock; the “BottomLine” graphic providing constant score and news updates; advanced telestrators; additional and more advanced cameras; audio enrichments; and more.
- Production Needs: ESPN’s extensive equipment needs to produce games across multiple networks each week include:
- Approximately 210 cameras, 41,000 feet of camera cable and 23 to 25 Mobile Unit production trucks on hold.
- The Mobile Unit production trucks travelled approximately 200,000 miles during the 2012 season.
A Moment in Time
ESPN has televised many of college football’s great moments in the past 30 years. A few select moments include:
- Heisman Appearances: ESPN networks have captured multiple Heisman Trophy-worthy moments, including:
- Doug Flutie throwing six touchdowns for Boston College in a 52-20 victory over North Carolina (September 22, 1984 on ESPN)
- Bo Jackson running for 240 yards in a 41-0 Auburn shut-out of Mississippi (October 5, 1985 on ESPN)
- Barry Sanders rushes for 215 yards and two scores for Oklahoma State in a 31-28 loss to Oklahoma in the only national television appearance of his Heisman Trophy-winning season (November 5, 1988 on ESPN)
- Ty Detmer leads BYU over Miami 28-21, completing 38 of 54 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns (September 8, 1990 on ESPN)
- Michigan’s Desmond Howard sets a school-record 93-yard punt return or a touchdown in a 31-3 victory over rival Ohio State (November 23, 1991 on ABC)
- Streak-Breaker: Defending national champion BYU has their 25-game winning streak snapped by UCLA 27-24 (September 7, 1985 on ESPN)
- Big Victory: Grambling defeats Mississippi Valley State for coach Eddie Robinson’s 400th career victory (October 7, 1995 on ESPN2)
- Heartbreaker: Top-ranked Florida State loses at Virginia 33-28 when Seminole running back Warrick Dunn is stopped at the goal line as time expired (November 2, 1995 on ESPN)
- On and On: Arkansas defeats Kentucky 71-63 in seven overtimes, the longest college football game in history (November 1, 2003 on ESPN2)
- BCS Crowned at Rose Bowl: Texas winning the BCS National Championship in a thrilling 41-38 victory over USC in the Rose Bowl Game (January 4, 2006 on ABC)
- Unbeaten and Tops: No. 1 Ohio State defeating No. 2 Michigan 42-39 in the first-ever meeting between the two rivals when both were unbeaten and the top two ranked teams (November 18, 2006 on ABC)
- Most-Viewed Telecast: Auburn’s last-second 22-19 victory over Oregon in Glendale, Ariz. stands as the most-watched program in cable television history with 27,316,000 viewers (January 10, 2011 on ESPN)
Championships, Awards and Honors
ESPN’s roster of analysts includes winners of several of the most prestigious honors in football:
- Five members of the College Football Hall of Fame: Lou Holtz, Desmond Howard, Mark May, Chris Spielman and Andre Ware;
- Six National Championships: Todd Blackledge (1982 with Penn State); Ed Cunningham (Washington in 1991), Brian Griese (Michigan in 1997), Lou Holtz (as head coach of Notre Dame in 1988), Danny Kanell (Florida State in 1993) and Trevor Matich (BYU in 1984);
- Two Heisman Trophies: Desmond Howard (1991) and Andre Ware (1989);
- Eight All Americans: Kevin Carter (1994), Desmond Howard (1991), Mark May (1980), Matt Millen (1978), David Pollack (2002, 2003 & 2004), Chris Spielman (1986 & 1987), Matt Stinchcomb (1997 & 1998), Andre Ware (1989);
- Recipients of Seven Top Player Awards: Todd Blackledge (Davey O’Brien, 1982), Desmond Howard (Maxwell Award & Walter Camp, 1991), Mark May (Outland Trophy, 1980), David Pollack (Chuck Bednarik Award & Lombardi Award, 2004), Chris Spielman (Lombardi Award, 1987), Matt Stinchcomb (William V. Campbell Trophy, 1998) and Andre Ware (Davey O’Brien, 1989);
- Six Super Bowls: Kevin Carter, David Diaz-Infante (two-time), Brian Griese, Desmond Howard (also a Super Bowl MVP), Mark May (two-time) and Matt Millen (four-time).
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“By the Numbers”: Three-Part Look at College Football on ESPN Networks – Part 3
Total Games, Most Appearances, Most-Viewed Games, Thursday & Saturday Data, & More
The third part of ESPN’s three-part “by the numbers” series providing extensive historical information on the network’s college football coverage includes a look into ESPN’s ratings history with the most-viewed games and top 25 rated markets for the 2012 season.
Part one, released August 20, included total amount of live and exclusive college football games across ESPN platforms, coverage growth over the years and teams that have appeared most frequently on ESPN. The second part, released on August 21, provided figures on ESPN’s Thursday night series, including total games and team information; production facts; memorable moments that happened on ESPN networks; and ESPN commentator credentials.
College football has been a cornerstone of ESPN’s programming since the network’s launch in 1979 and televised live on ABC every year since 1966. ESPN’s commitment to the sport has grown to include multiple weekly games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile as well as daily studio programs, the Saturday morning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, and content across ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, espnW and more.
Millions and Millions and Millions of Fans…
ESPN’s multiplatform college football coverage reaches millions of fans. For the 2012 regular-season, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 combined to reach more than 187,000,000 viewers for game telecasts. Combining ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 with ESPNU’s extensive lineup and the networks averaged 2,018,000 viewers over 216 regular-season contests.
ESPN’s top 5 most-viewed regular-season games:
- USC at Ohio State: 10,586,000 viewers (September 12, 2009)
- Boise State at Virginia Tech: 9,888,000 viewers (September 6, 2010)
- Florida State at Miami (Fla.): 9,120,000 viewers (September 4, 2006)
- Miami (Fla.) at Florida State: 8,406,000 viewers (September 7, 2009)
- Arizona at Oregon: 7,787,000 viewers (November 26, 2010)
ABC’s top 5 most-viewed regular-season games:
- Ohio State at Michigan: 21,037,000 viewers (November 18, 2006)
- Notre Dame at USC: 16,059,000 viewers (November 24, 2012)
- Florida State at Florida: 14,829,000 viewers (November 30, 1996)
- Notre Dame at USC: 14,647,000 viewers (November 25, 2006)
- Miami at Florida State: 14,294,000 viewers (November 16, 1991)
ESPN college football content also posts significant usage across digital platforms (ESPN.com, ESPN mobile Web, ScoreCenter, ESPN College Football app, ESPN3, WatchESPN). In 2012, the outlets logged an average minute audience of 163,000 on college football Saturdays. The ESPN College Football app for Android and iOS devices received 3.4 million downloads during the season.
Two of ESPN’s BCS Championships hold the record for the top two most-viewed programs in cable history:
- Auburn beating Oregon 22-19 in 2011 with an average of 27,316,000 viewers
- Alabama defeating Notre Dame 42-14 in 2013 with an average of 26,380,000 viewers
Birmingham Takes Top Spot… Again
Birmingham finished the 2012 campaign as the highest-rated metered market for ESPN’s regular-season for the 12th consecutive season. The football-hungry market averaged an 8.9 rating, which is 89 percent higher than second place Greenville’s 4.7 rating. Eight of top 10 metered markets in 2011 finished the 2012 season among the top 10 again. Tulsa (seventh in 2011) and Las Vegas (ninth) both fell out of the top 10, tying at 12th with a 2.5 rating, while Nashville, Memphis and Austin jumped into the top 10.
Every market in the top 10 but Columbus and Oklahoma City finished with a higher average rating than in 2011, led by Knoxville with a 53 percent increase (4.6 vs. 3.0). Birmingham posted a 51 percent increase over 2011’s leading 5.9 rating.
| Top 25 Markets for 2012 | Top 25 Markets for 2011 |
| No. 1 Birmingham: 8.9 rating | No. 1 Birmingham: 5.9 rating |
| No. 2 Greenville: 4.7 rating | No. 2 Oklahoma City: 4.3 rating |
| No. 3 Knoxville: 4.6 rating | Columbus: 4.3 rating |
| No. 4 New Orleans: 3.7 rating | No. 4 Greenville: 4.1 rating |
| No. 5 Jacksonville: 3.6 rating | No. 5 New Orleans: 3.4 rating |
| Columbus: 3.6 rating | Atlanta: 3.4 rating |
| No. 7 Atlanta: 3.5 rating | No. 7 Jacksonville: 3.3 rating |
| No. 8 Oklahoma City: 3.4 rating | Tulsa: 3.3 rating |
| No. 9 Nashville: 3.3 rating | No. 9 Las Vegas: 3.2 rating |
| No. 10 Memphis: 3.1 rating | No. 10 Knoxville: 3.0 rating |
| Austin: 3.1 rating | No. 11 Dayton: 2.8 rating |
| No. 12 Tulsa: 2.5 rating | No. 12 Greensboro: 2.7 rating |
| Charlotte: 2.5 rating | Austin: 2.7 rating |
| Las Vegas: 2.5 rating | Charlotte: 2.7 rating |
| No. 15 Portland: 2.3 rating | Fort Myers: 2.7 rating |
| Richmond: 2.3 rating | No. 16 Pittsburgh: 2.5 rating |
| No. 17 Orlando: 2.2 rating | Nashville: 2.5 rating |
| Dayton: 2.2 rating | Norfolk: 2.5 rating |
| Norfolk: 2.2 rating | Memphis: 2.5 rating |
| No. 20 Louisville: 2.1 rating | No. 20 Cleveland: 2.4 rating |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg: 2.1 rating | No. 21 Orlando: 2.3 rating |
| No. 22 West Palm Beach: 2.0 rating | No. 22 Raleigh-Durham: 2.2 rating |
| Greensboro: 2.0 rating | West Palm Beach: 2.2 rating |
| Cleveland: 2.0 rating | Detroit: 2.2 rating |
| Ft. Myers: 2.0 rating | No. 25 Cincinnati: 2.0 rating |
| Richmond: 2.0 rating | |
| Portland 2.0 rating | |
| Kansas City: 2.0 rating | |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg: 2.0 rating |
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