The Colorado football program will head into next weekend with a 1-0 record following a narrow victory against the North Dakota State Bison. On Thursday, the Colorado Buffaloes played an epic contest against the Bison, holding the latter four yards short of a walk-off Hail Mary touchdown pass. Colorado and NDSU played on a Thursday with just 21 other matchups, earning a primetime viewership slot on ESPN.
In the fallout of Colorado football’s 31-26 win, ESPN announced the contest “averaged 4.8M viewers, peaking at 5.6M.” The viewership numbers shattered the channel’s numbers from the year before.
Colorado Football-NDSU Draws Massive Viewership
After a long and eventful offseason, Thursday’s matchup between Colorado football and the North Dakota State Bison became must-watch TV. According to Front Office Sports:
Colorado’s win over North Dakota State averaged 4.8M viewers, peaking at 5.6M. It was ESPN’s best Thursday opener in seven years and up 49% over last season’s.
Last season, the Florida Gators visited a ranked Utah Utes squad, losing 24-11. Thursday’s Colorado football game bested the previous year’s viewership percentage by 49%. In 2017, the Indiana Hoosiers hosted the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, with that contest gaining a substantial amount of viewership.
Colorado football has earned a massive following since hiring head coach Deion Sanders before the 2021 season. Sanders and company went 4-8 in his inaugural season, but quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way superstar Travis Hunter posted stellar numbers last year. In the home opener against North Dakota State, the younger Sanders went 26-of-34 for 445 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick, while Hunter caught seven passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns. He also recorded two tackles.
For More Football News:
For More Football News and to dive into the excitement, follow me on Twitter at @alec_musa. Let’s get the conversation rolling! I’m all ears for your thoughts and insights. You can also reach out to me via email at musaalec@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest college and NFL news, click here!
