It was always ridiculous thinking by the NCAA to place the college football semifinals on December 31 (as it did the past few seasons) when even the most diehard sports fans were away from their television sets while celebrating New Year's Eve.
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If this year's early returns for Rose Bowl viewership are any indication, however, the NCAA finally got it right.
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This year's incredible 54-48 double OT thriller between Oklahoma and Georgia was the fifth-most viewed cable telecast ever with some 26,826,000 people watching from home.
This year’s Rose Bowl was the fifth most watched cable telecast of all time. pic.twitter.com/9F5ZY4QrKI
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 2, 2018
Not surprisingly, the top three-most watched games all went down during the massive excitement of the very first college football playoffs with the fourth-most viewed contest having been the BCS National Championship tilt in 2011 between Oregon and Auburn.
It'll be interesting to see how an all-SEC championship game between Alabama and Georgia plays out nationally across the country.
In fact, here's everything you need to know before settling into your favorite recliner or spot on the couch for Monday's championship bout.
Who: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Date: January 8, 2018
Time: 8 PM ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Network: ESPN
Point Spread: Alabama -4
Over/Under: 45
Both squads enter the final game of the season with only one loss and two of the stingiest defenses in the country, although the Bulldogs' surrendering of 48 points on Monday was the most it had relinquished all season.
Here's how the two teams compare against each other.
