Aside from the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six bowl games, the Tennessee Volunteers’ game was the most watched bowl match.
Throughout the entire season, and up into the bowl game, the Tennessee Volunteers kept a close eye on them. The Vols revealed that, aside from the New Year’s Six games, their bowl game had the most viewership, which is encouraging for a program that is headed in the right direction. The fact that it was the fifth-most watched game during head coach Josh Heupel’s tenure suggests that Nico Iamaleava, a true freshman quarterback, is gaining momentum.
“On New Year’s Day, 2.2 million more people watched the true freshman quarterback’s first career start than the Fiesta Bowl, which pitted Oregon against Liberty (4.6 million).For the third consecutive bowl game, the Vols have attracted more than 5.5 million viewers. In his debut season, 5.6 million people watched Tennessee’s Music City Bowl game against Purdue in 2021, while 8.6 million saw the Orange Bowl victory against Clemson in 2022 on ESPN.In 2023, four of the Vols’ games—against Florida (5.3 million), Alabama (8.0 million), and Georgia (5.7 million)—drew more over five million viewers. Ten UT games have attracted more than five million viewers since Heupel’s debut season in 2021.” – Athletics in Tennessee
Highest-Rated Bowl Games Outside of New Year’s 6
- 6.8m – Citrus Bowl: Tennessee vs. Iowa (ABC)
- 4.6m – Reliaquest Bowl: LSU vs. Wisconsin (ESPN2)
- 4.3m – PopTarts Bowl: NC State vs. Kansas State (ESPN)
- 3.9m – Alamo Bowl: Arizona vs. Oklahoma (ESPN)
- 3.8m – Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. West Virginia (ESPN)
- 3.6m – Liberty Bowl: Memphis vs. Iowa State (ESPN)
- 3.5m – Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Louisville (FOX)
- 3.4m – Gator Bowl: Kentucky vs. Clemson (ESPN)
- 3.3m – Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Oregon State (CBS