The FOX Sports broadcast of the Mountain West Conference championship game featuring the Boise State Broncos and University of Las Vegas Rebels averaged 3.01 million viewers and a 1.6 rating, representative of the largest audience in the history of the matchup. The previous high for the contest took place in 2022 when the matchup between Boise State and Fresno State averaged 1.94 million viewers, albeit it aired opposite power conference championships on Saturday. Data from Nielsen Media Research demonstrates that the Friday night game peaked at approximately 3.51 million viewers from the 9 to 9:15 p.m. EST quarter-hour.
Viewership of the game was up 139% from last year’s matchup between these two teams, which aired at the same time of the SEC Championship Game, according to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. The first iteration of the matchup averaged 1.26 million viewers and a 0.7 rating on FOX as Boise State defeated UNLV by a final score of 44-20. The Broncos achieved a double-digit victory for the second consecutive year over the Rebels in the championship game, securing a 21-7 win that propelled them into the No. 3 overall spot that comes with a first-round bye.
When the game was previously held, the matchup had not determined part of the bracket within the College Football Playoff. Since the tournament has now adopted a 12-team format though, at least one team within the Group of Five conferences is guaranteed to be selected by the committee. The Mountain West game outdrew the American Athletic Conference Championship on ABC between Army and Tulane, which averaged 2 million viewers and a 1.2 rating. Lewis notes that it is the eighth time in 40 head-to-head windows where FOX has outdrawn ABC. Nonetheless, ABC garnered an 11% rise in ratings and a 7% boon in viewership.
FOX Sports is currently in a six-year media rights deal with the Mountain West Conference through which it carries all Boise State home games and the championship matchup. The network’s deal with FOX and CBS is reportedly worth a combined total of $270 million. Earlier in the year, the Mountain West Conference came to a multiyear agreement with TNT Sports in which it gained rights to broadcast 14 live college football games on truTV and Max this past season.
Boise State, along with Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, will be departing the conference ahead of the 2026 season to join the Pac-12. Gonzaga will also be joining the conference for all sports except football. Nonetheless, the Mountain West will remain together upon its six full members giving a commitment and subsequently adding Hawaii. The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) requires a minimum of eight teams to remain a conference under the governing body.
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