An average of 8.5 million viewers watched the 118th matchup of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate between Georgia Tech and its rival Georgia last Friday on ABC, marking the largest average audience for a regular-season game involving an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team since Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Viewership for the thrilling eight-overtime game peaked at 11.5 million during the extra periods, which extended past midnight ET.
With its 8.5 million average, the Tech-UGA matchup ranked as:
- The 12th largest college football audience of the 2024 season;
- The second largest non-Saturday audience of the season (only behind the 8.6 million viewers for the LSU-USC game on Labor Day Sunday);
- The largest for a regular-season game involving an ACC team since the opening weekend of the 2023 season (specifically, Florida State vs. LSU on Labor Day Sunday);
- The biggest audience for a Black Friday game since 2011;
- The highest viewership ever for the Georgia Tech-Georgia rivalry.
The significant audience for this regular-season finale also marked the third time this season that Georgia Tech attracted an average of at least 3.46 million viewers (previously achieving 4.99 million against Florida State on August 24 and 3.46 million against Miami (Fla.) on November 9). Tech is one of the only two ACC teams, alongside Miami, with three average TV audiences of at least 3.46 million viewers in 2024.
Looking ahead, another substantial TV audience is anticipated for Georgia Tech (7-5, 5-3 ACC) as they prepare for their second consecutive bowl game. The Yellow Jackets will find out their bowl destination and opponent on Sunday.
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