PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 01: A general view of a flyover during the singing of the National Anthem before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl Game at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)The Jan. 1 Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Utah had some strong ratings to match the thrilling action.
The contest averaged 16.6M viewers, which is tied for the second-most viewed game of the season on ESPN. The Cotton Bowl Classic was also at 16.6M viewers, while the Orange Bowl averaged 17.2M viewers.
Those are the three most-viewed games of the season, while the other NY6 bowls averaged 10.7M viewers.
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🏈 3 most-viewed games of 2021-22 season
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The Rose Bowl in particular was a wild back-and-forth affair. Utah had multiple double-digit leads against Ohio State, but the latter kept punching back.
Heck, there were 42 combined points scored in the fourth quarter as Utah was up 35-21 at halftime.
It ultimately led to the Buckeyes finding their way back in the second half as receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba couldn’t be stopped. He finished with 346 yards and three touchdowns on 15 receptions.
His 346 yards are not only a career-high but also the most by any player in any bowl game in college football history.
The Buckeyes won 48-45 after outscoring the Utes 17-7 in the fourth quarter.
All of these ratings are spectacular, but the National Championship between Georgia and Alabama on Monday will surely blow them out of the park.
