Realignment Moves 6 of 15 Most-Watched Teams To New Conferences
College football conference consolidation is set to have a major impact on TV audiences, as we already started digging into with iSpot data this week. Why such a shift for leagues like the SEC and Big Ten specifically? Many teams on the move were among the sport's most-watched.
- Despite a 4-8 record in 2023, Colorado still accumulated more watch-time than all but two teams (Georgia and Alabama), and now takes that audience interest back to the Big 12, where they previously played from 1996-2010.
- The SEC's two new additions, Texas and Oklahoma, were both among the 15 most-watched schools last season, and Texas stands to benefit from the additional hype of QB Quinn Ewers and being a playoff contender again.
- Three of the Big Ten's four adds – Oregon (No. 8), Washington (No. 9) and USC (No. 13) were also among the most-watched squads in the country, helping that conference grow minutes of viewing by 44% year-over-year.