Oregon’s TV Ratings vs James Madison Ignite Playoff Criticism

The No. 5 Oregon Ducks faced the No. 12 James Madison Dukes in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The matchup overlapped with an NFL game, and the viewership ratings add to the criticism surrounding the playoff format.

Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning greets fans before the game against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff officially kicked off over the weekend, and a couple of the games in the first round overlapped with NFL matchups. The No. 5 Oregon Ducks and No. 12 James Madison Dukes game overlapped with an NFL matchup, drawing competition for viewers.

College football is in the playoff, and the expectation could be that the postseason would draw more viewers. With games overlapping, the ratings add to the criticism surrounding the current playoff format.

Nov 14, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) walks off the field after a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Playoff vs. NFL Viewership Ratings

According to Yahoo Sports, the NFL drew in a massive number of viewers compared to the CFP. The matchup between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers overlapped with Oregon and James Madison. The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles overlapped with the Ole Miss Rebels and Tulane Green Wave.

As a whole, Saturday’s NFL games combined for 36.8 million viewers compared to the CFP’s 10.6 million viewers. 

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field before the game as the Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies on Nov. 29, 2025, at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here is how the average views compare between the NFL and playoff:

Packers vs. Bears: 21.34 million
Oregon vs. James Madison: 4.4 million

Eagles vs. Commanders: 15.46 million
Tulave vs. Ole Miss: 6.2 million.

Oregon's matchup against the Dukes peaked at 7.2 million viewers despite being a 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff.

The NFL dominated over the College Football Playoff in viewership on Saturday 📺

🏈 Packers-Bears (21.34M) over JMU-Oregon (4.4M)
🏈 Eagles-Commanders (15.46M) over Tulane-Ole Miss (6.2M) pic.twitter.com/Pqsz8cNhwG

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 24, 2025

Blowout Losses Playing A Role

One of the biggest complaints through the first round of the playoff is that two of the matchups were blowouts. The Oregon Ducks defeated James Madison 51-34. By halftime, the score was 34-6, which makes drawing in viewers a challenge.

Similarly, Ole Miss defeated Tulane 41-10. While the halftime score was a little closer, with the Rebels leading 17-3, the average football fan may prefer to watch a closer game.

Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) touches medal O during the march march before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

James Madison and Tulane were their conference champions, giving them a spot in the playoff, despite other teams having a tougher regular season record. The teams rightfully earned a CFP spot, given the format, but there has been criticism over the quality of the matchups.

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The two matchups were the only ones that overlapped with the NFL, but if the games were closer, the viewership ratings could have been different.

Two playoff games that did not overlap with the NFL and were closer matchups. On Friday night, the Oklahoma Sooners and Alabama Crimson Tide faced off, which averaged 14.9 viewers. This game earned the highest average among all games in the first round.

Nov 8, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The first game on Saturday was between Miami and Texas A&M, averaging 14.8 million. It was a low-scoring matchup, but the time slot, not competing with the NFL, could have played a factor in the viewership numbers.

Oregon’s Playoff Path

The Ducks had a big performance against the Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore had a big game, racking up 313 passing yards and four touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions, which is something to be careful of before facing the tougher Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The run game took off, with the two true freshmen leading the way. Running back Jordon Davison led the team with 90 rushing yards, while Dierre Hill Jr. had 76 yards and one touchdown.

Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning instructs his team from the sideline against the Indiana Hoosiers during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The key moving forward will be to stay focused and play all four quarters of the game. While the Ducks had a big lead, the Dukes still finished the game with 34 points.

With the win over James Madison, the Ducks are on to the quarterfinals. The Oregon Ducks will kick off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Jan. 1 at 9 a.m. PT. It will be held on neutral ground at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. 

This is setting up to be a much closer game, with two closely ranked teams, and being on a neutral ground, it could be an exciting match. With a different time slot and a higher-ranked opponent, it will be interesting to see how the viewership ratings change.