The Pitt-Florida State matchup last Saturday at Acrisure Stadium saw a close game initially before No. 4 Florida State came away with the 24-7 victory.
Despite the good start from the Panthers, ESPN broadcasted their tough loss to a nationwide audience on ESPN for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The game originally had a chance to earn a spot on ABC, drawing an even bigger crowd than on ESPN, but Pitt holding a 2-6 record prevented that from occurring. The loss for the Panthers puts them down to 2-7 on the season, their worst start since the same record in the 1998 season, 25 years ago.
Pitt-Florida State drew 1.0 rating and 1.76 million viewers, according to sportsmediawatch.com. That rating and total viewers ranks as the third best this season for a Pitt game in 2023. The Backyard Brawl against West Virginia on the road on Sept. 16 which had 2.1 million viewers and a 1.3 rating on ABC at 7:30 p.m. was the best, and a blowout loss to then ranked No. 14 Notre Dame the week prior on Oct. 28 on the road drew a 1.1 rating and 1.89 million viewers, second best.
In terms of Week 10 college football, the Pitt-Florida State game ranked No. 12 across all games. The most watched game of the weekend was the LSU-Alabama rivalry, also known as the “First Saturday in November.” That historic matchup, which saw No. 8 Alabama defeat No. 14 LSU 42-28 at home, drew a 4.6 rating and 8.82 million viewers at a 7:45 p.m. kickoff on CBS.
The Pitt-Florida State game also finished No. 4 for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff. No. 2 Georgia defeating No. 12 Missouri at home on CBS ranked No. 2 on the weekend and No. 1 in the time slot with a 3.8 tv rating and 7.00 million viewers. No. 22 Oklahoma State defeating rival No. 9 Oklahoma at home on ABC ranked No. 2 drew a 2.1 rating and 3.76 million viewers, and No. 11 Penn State demolishing Maryland on the road on FOX drew a 1.3 rating and 2.39 million viewers for third best.
This is also the fifth game that Pitt has played on National Television this season. They also played twice on the CW Network, which saw them lose to rival Cincinnati in Week 2 and upset then ranked No. 14 Louisville in Week 7. Both games drew a 0.32 rating, but the River City Rivalry drew 617 thousand viewers and the Louisville game drew 569 thousand viewers.Â
Pitt has one last nationally televised game of the year, which will feature them taking on Boston College at home next Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Most viewers were there for FSU. The small percentage of Pitt viewers turned on the beverly hillbillies after the 1st quarter.