With one of the most dramatic finishes in the 2018 season, ESPN’s presentation of Clemson vs. Texas A&M was the highest-rated game of Week 2 across all networks. The tightly contested matchup between the Tigers and the Aggies is the second-highest Saturday primetime game on ESPN since 2016, and was up +50% from the same game window in 2017, which saw an early-season showdown between No. 3 Clemson and No. 13 Auburn go Clemson’s way with the Tigers scoring 14 unanswered points to beat Auburn, 14-6.
With the contest coming down to the closing minutes, the action at Kyle Field peaked at a 4.0 (10:30-10:45 p.m. ET) as Clemson intercepted the ball on an attempted A&M two-point conversion to seal the victory for the Tigers, 28-26.
Birmingham was the No. 1 local market for Clemson’s victory Saturday, registering a 16.0. The top 10 markets:
Rank Local Rating Market
1 16.0 Birmingham
2 15.9 Greenville-Sprtnburg-Ash
3 7.5 Charlotte
4 7.0 Austin
5 6.6 Atlanta
6 6.5 Dallas-Ft. Worth
7 6.4 San Antonio
8 6.2 Houston
9 6.1 Greensboro-High Point
10 5.9 Norfolk-Portsmth-N. Nws
Additional Week 2 Highlights:
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ESPN and ABC Combine for Four of Top Six Games Overall In addition to ESPN’s marquee matchup between Clemson and A&M, ESPN and ABC teamed up to televise four of the top six games Saturday. Colorado’s 33-28 victory over Nebraska (3:30 p.m., ABC) rated a 2.1 Saturday, while Penn State’s rout of in-state rival Pittsburgh (8 p.m., ABC) registered a 2.0 rating. The noontime reverse mirror games of Arizona vs. Houston and Georgia Tech vs. USF recorded a 1.9 rating.
Pac-12 Soars with Highest ESPN Saturday Finale Window Rating since 2016 With a wild finish that came down to a 28-yard field goal as time expired, Arizona State’s 16-13 upset of No. 15 Michigan State (10:45 p.m., ESPN) averaged a 1.6, the highest for that window on ESPN since November 2016 and 100% ratings increase from 2017. In total, ESPN touted the top five games on cable Saturday.
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot Gains Steam College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, set in College Station, Texas for the Clemson-Texas A&M showdown, averaged a 1.4 across ESPN and ESPNU, up +17% from 2017’s Week 2 show surrounding Oklahoma-Ohio State
