Rocky Mountain Showdown breaks ESPN viewership records

DENVER (KDVR) – The University of Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams met on Saturday ESPN History as millions of viewers watched the Rocky Mountain Showdown.

While the matchup is more of a local feud, the match, which started after 10 p.m. on the East Coast, was different ESPN’s most-watched college football game in late prime time on record.

Last year, the two teams, both with losing records, combined for four wins. This season, both took part in a matchup that was ESPN’s most-streamed regular-season college football game of all time.

The game attracted 9.3 million viewers, according to ESPN. Just before halftime at 11 p.m. ET, viewership peaked at 11.1 million people as they watched the two Colorado teams battle for victory.

The game lasted into the early hours on Sunday as the Coloradans stayed past midnight to watch the finish while the East Coasters watched the game until 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

Two Colorado teams that haven’t had winning seasons in recent years both caught the nation’s attention. The game ranked as ESPN’s fifth most-watched game of all time in college football.

The local game became a national phenomenon overnight. Some of this could be due to the Colorado feud or the “Prime Effect.”

In any case, popular celebrities, local fans and spectators across the country stayed awake until Sunday morning to watch the exciting conclusion to the game, which ended in a double overtime win for CU with a final score of 43-35.

ESPN and ABC voted the Rocky Mountain Showdown the fourth best regular season game (excluding conference championships) in the last six years.