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UCF's Win over Memphis Is the Most-Watched AAC Championship Ever

TV Ratings

UCF head coach Scott Frost holds up the American Athletic Conference Championship Trophy as his team celebrates winning the title Saturday, December 2, 2017. (Photo: Derek Warden)
UCF head coach Scott Frost holds up the American Athletic Conference Championship Trophy as his team celebrates winning the title Saturday, December 2, 2017. (Photo: Derek Warden)

UCF's dramatic 62-55 double-overtime win over Memphis was the most-watched American Athletic Conference Championship Game in the league's short history, as it picked up a 2.5 overnight national rating on ABC. That's up 56% from Temple-Navy in last year's AAC Championship (1.6), and up 25% from Houston-Temple (2.1) in 2015, according to SportsMediaWatch.com. The final rating for the game ended up at 2.3.

3.385 million viewers tuned in on ABC to see the Knights' 62-55 2 overtime win over the Tigers, which is the fifth-most watched UCF Football telecast ever, and the second-most watched non-bowl game behind only the War on I-4 Game from Black Friday this year. It is also the most-watched UCF conference title game ever.

Top 10 Most-Watched UCF Football Telecasts Nationally

Matchup Date Network Viewers Rating Notes
Baylor vs. UCF 1/1/14 ESPN 11.3 million 6.6 2014 Fiesta Bowl
UCF vs. Georgia 12/31/10 ESPN 4.7 million 3.0 2010 Liberty Bowl
USF at UCF 11/24/17 ABC 4.6 million 3.2 War on I-4
Mississippi State vs. UCF 12/29/07 ESPN 3.9 million N/A 2007 Liberty Bowl
Memphis at UCF 12/2/17 ABC 3.385 million 2.3 AAC Championship
South Carolina at UCF 9/28/13 ABC 3.2 million 2.2
N.C. State vs. UCF 12/26/14 ESPN 3.2 million 2.0 2014 St. Pete Bowl
UCF at Michigan 9/10/16 ABC 2.8 million 1.9
UCF vs. Rutgers 12/19/09 ESPN 2.5 million N/A 2009 St. Pete Bowl
UCF at Louisville 10/18/13 ESPN 2.2 million 1.5 Thursday Night

The game was down from USF-UCF on Black Friday by 1.3 million viewers nationally. A big part of that was tougher competition as the American Athletic Conference Championship Game went head-to-head with the Big 12 Championship Game on FOX, which garnered 5.8 million viewers and was the most-watched Big 12 game since 2013.

The American Athletic Conference Championship was the 6th-most watched football game of the weekend behind each of the the Power 5's conference championship games, with the SEC and Big 10 leading the way:

Rating Viewers Teams Game Time Slot Network
8.0 13.466M GeorgiaAuburn SECChamp. Dec. 2, 4:00 PM CBS
7.3 12.918M Ohio StateWisconsin Big TenChamp. Dec. 2, 8:15 PM FOX
3.8 5.896M OklahomaTCU Big 12Champ. Dec. 2, 12:45 PM FOX
3.2 5.428M ClemsonMiami ACCChamp. Dec. 2, 8:00 PM ABC
N/A 3.657M USCStanford Pac-12Champ. Dec. 1, 8:00 PM ESPN
2.3 3.385M

UCF

Memphis

AAC

Champ.

Dec. 2, Noon ABC
N/A 1.856M College GamedayFrom ACC Championship Dec. 1, 9:00 AM ESPN
N/A 1.630M CFP Rankings ShowAll four hours Dec. 3, Noon ESPN
0.45 652K ToledoAkron MACChamp. Dec. 2, Noon ESPN
0.39 623K Boise St.Fresno St. MWCChamp. Dec. 2, 7:45 PM ESPN
N/A 255K No. TexasFAU C-USAChamp. Dec. 3, Noon ESPN2
N/A 225K TroyArk. State. Sun Belt Dec. 3, 7:30 PM ESPN2

UCF will take on Auburn in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on January 1st on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. Dave Flemming, Brock Huard and Allison Williams will be on the television broadcast while Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic will call the game for ESPN Radio.