The FCS spring season concludes Sunday with the national championship game between South Dakota State and Sam Houston.
It’s been an entertaining bracket, ending the one-time spring campaign on a high note after an up-and-down regular season.
One thought heading into this season was the opportunity to get more eyeballs on the FCS without the competition of FBS games. Ratings have been solid, but not great for the playoffs, further proof that moving the FCS to the spring permanently is a nonstarter.
Here are the viewership numbers for the spring playoffs compared to the 2019 playoffs:
2019 Quarterfinals:
NDSU vs. Illinois State (ESPN) — 1.7 million viewers
UNI vs. JMU (ESPN2) — 563K
Montana vs. Weber State (ESPN2) — 438K
2021 Spring Quarterfinals:
NDSU vs. SHSU (ESPN) — 328K
UND vs. JMU (ESPN2) — 251K
SDSU vs. SIU (ESPN2) — 219K
2019 Semifinals:
Montana State vs. NDSU (ESPN2) — 518K
No ratings listed for the Weber State vs. JMU semifinal on ESPNU.
2021 Spring Semifinals:
JMU vs. SHSU (ABC) — 706K
Delaware vs. SDSU (ESPN) — 520K
2019 Championship:
NDSU vs. JMU (ABC) — 2.7 million
2019 Celebration Bowl:
Alcorn State vs. NC A&T (ABC) — 1.8 million
2021 Spring SWAC Championship:
No ratings listed for the Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Alabama A&M game on ESPN2.
2021 Spring Championship:
SDSU vs. SHSU (ABC) — 905K
