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Vols Have Highest-Viewed Bowl Game Outside of NY6

The Tennessee Volunteers had the highest-watched bowl game outside of the College Football Playoff and the New Year's Six bowl games.
Evan Crowell|
Vols Have Highest-Viewed Bowl Game Outside of NY6
Vols Have Highest-Viewed Bowl Game Outside of NY6

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Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers had eyes on them all season, which continued through the bowl game. The Vols reported that they were the most-viewed bowl game outside of the New Year's 6 games, a strong mark for a program trending in the right direction. It was the fifth-most viewed game under head coach Josh Heupel in his tenure, signaling the excitement around true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

"True freshman quarterback first career start drew 2.2 million more viewers than the Fiesta Bowl featuring Oregon versus Liberty (4.6 million) in that same time slot on New Year's Day.It's the third straight bowl game under that the Vols have scored over 5.5 million viewers. In his first season, Tennessee's 2021 Music City Bowl matchup against Purdue tallied 5.6 million viewers, while the 2022 Orange Bowl triumph over Clemson drew 8.6 million viewers on ESPN.Four of the Vols' games during the 2023 season logged over five million viewers, including contests vs. Florida (5.3 million), Alabama (8.0 million) and Georgia (5.7 million). Dating back to Heupel's first season in 2021, a total of 10 UT games have featured a viewership of over five million." - Tennessee Athletics

Highest-Rated Bowl Games Outside of New Year's 6

  • 6.8m – Citrus Bowl: Tennessee vs. Iowa (ABC)
  • 4.6m – Reliaquest Bowl: LSU vs. Wisconsin (ESPN2)
  • 4.3m – PopTarts Bowl: NC State vs. Kansas State (ESPN)
  • 3.9m – Alamo Bowl: Arizona vs. Oklahoma (ESPN)
  • 3.8m – Duke's Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. West Virginia (ESPN)
  • 3.6m – Liberty Bowl: Memphis vs. Iowa State (ESPN)
  • 3.5m – Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Louisville (FOX)
  • 3.4m – Gator Bowl: Kentucky vs. Clemson (ESPN)
  • 3.3m – Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Oregon State (CBS)

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Evan Crowell
EVAN CROWELL

Evan Crowell is currently pursuing a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and has various media experiences throughout his young career. He's been committed to marrying the fan's perspective of the game of football to the technical intricacies installed in each game by coaches and players. Crowell has been working at Fan Nation since 2020 and has covered high-profile college football games, recruiting events, and more during that five-year tenure. While he never played football, he's worked relentlessly to continue improving his understanding of the game while still covering the unique stories of each individual he covers.

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