Michigan vs. Ohio State turns in second-highest viewership in rivalry history

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There was plenty at stake for both Michigan and Ohio State when they renewed their rivalry last week. With a Big Ten Championship appearance and their CFP lives on the line, all eyes were on Columbus with storylines galore.

It resulted in a massive ratings victory for FOX.

“The Game” brought in 19.07 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch, which is the second-highest viewership in the history of the rivalry. In addition, the 9.0 rating is the third-highest on record behind only the 2006 “Game of the Century” and the 2016 matchup.

The matchup between Michigan and Ohio State had no shortage of storylines. Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh was again absent from the sidelines as he finished his three-game suspension from the Big Ten, and offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was serving as the acting head coach for The Game. Michigan was looking for its third straight win over Ohio State for the first time since 1995-97, as well as a third consecutive trip to the Big Ten title game and CFP.

The Wolverines did just that with the 30-24 victory. And for FOX, everything lined up for the biggest regular-season game in the network’s history.

Michigan ended the regular season as a big TV ratings draw

Since news broke of the sign-stealing investigation at Michigan — and the Big Ten announced its decision to suspend Harbaugh — the Wolverines played in the most-watched game twice in the final three weeks of the season.

The Week 11 game against Penn State drew 9.16 million viewers. That was the first game without Harbaugh and took place shortly after the program learned it wouldn’t get a temporary restraining order to keep him on the sidelines. Michigan came away with the 24-15 victory in Happy Valley that day.

Then, the Wolverines’ Week 12 matchup against Maryland brought in 5.43 million viewers, which was second only to Georgia vs. Tennessee that week. It set the table for The Game, and just like last year, the Wolverines played a closer game than expected in their penultimate regular season game.

That also laid the groundwork for the record numbers the Ohio State game would set. Storylines have helped drive college football viewership all season, as On3’s Eric Prisbell wrote, and there were plenty of them around Harbaugh and the Wolverines as the regular season came to an end.