Weighted average, with more weight given to this past year. So it has recency bias. Doesn't account for the day/time slot. Doesn't account for the network. So it ignores the biggest aspect of tv viewership, the national access. Doesn't account for the massive difference between regular season numbers and the post season numbers when setting their baseline average. Doesn't account for opponent (OOC vs Conference). Doesn't account for how viewership data changed this past season (now it is Nielsen + Big Data from streaming). And I'm not just blindly criticizing. My big data project is almost done. I've got 11 years of data for every single FBS game (over 8,000 games). So I know the details that they are discussing and the details of what they are leaving out. Their analysis is too simplistic given all the factors involved with college football tv viewership. Edit: Yes this is the same project that I've referenced in the past, but I added significantly to the data and added in the 2025 season. The final data cleanup should be done within a week and then I just need to visualize the data for others to be able to consume. ** Edited by HokieAl at 3/13/2026, 3:20:23 PM

I applaude the guys initial study, and always more work is always good HOWEVER, there are trends, that are obvious. I supports the narrative with the big 12 versus the ACC, (and the suprising ratings for VT). What it supports for the networks is business is business, and ratings are proven for their business. For the ACC, now you see the narrative of pushing VT away, VT (even with mediocre football) is the forth highest with Clemson, FSU and Miami, (no UNC No UVA, no Tobbaco Road) so just think with a national coach like Franklin who is media savvy, and bump in sucess, just think what happens,... billichek or Mr Jefferson cant match it. Also WV is in a tough place