2.2 Million Tune in for Montana State's ESPN College GameDay Episode
11/23/2022 10:26:00 AM | Football
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana State University's ESPN's College GameDay episode was an unforgettable and unique experience for countless Bobcat fans across the state and the nation.
The numbers prove it too.
The Montana State University episode of ESPN's College GameDay garnered 2,198,000 viewers and was a 9% increase from last year's week 12 show, per ESPN's public relations Twitter account. According to data from ustvdb.com, this was 6% viewership increase from the previous week's show, which aired in Austin, Texas for the Texas-TCU matchup.
?? @CollegeGameDay continues to climb to its best season ever with the show's 1st trip to Montana for Week 12
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) November 22, 2022
?? 2.198M viewers
?? Up 9% from '21's Week 12
?? 2.884M final-hour viewers
More: https://t.co/ExFpHu7o26 pic.twitter.com/FC6EYlIBmi
On-site, the episode at Montana State made more history as well. The negative-5 degree temperature at filming made it the coldest College GameDay episode in history, according to host Rece Davis. Despite the cold, thousands of fans showed up well before the three-hour show began airing at 7 a.m. for the once-in-a-lifetime event. Appearances from professional rodeo clown Flint Rasmussen, Montana State football head coach Brent Vigen and celebrity guest picker Nick Faldo, a former English professional golfer-turned Montana resident, gave the nation an eclectic, yet memorable, picture of Bozeman.
The views from Bozeman are BREATHTAKING ?? pic.twitter.com/pWCDoe9afG
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 19, 2022
The episode also marked the return of longtime host Lee Corso, who stepped away from the show over the past few weeks. Corso donned the head of Montana State mascot Champ the Bobcat in the grand finale of the show — correctly predicting the winner of the 121st edition of the Brawl of the Wild rivalry series.
This drone shot of the headgear pick from Montana State is AMAZING ?? pic.twitter.com/vOKaCS084U
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 19, 2022
Additionally, the Montana State rodeo team got a lot of airtime and recognition from the cast. Prior to the show, cast member Pat McAfee drove 40 minutes outside Bozeman to the rodeo team's practice arena, where head coach Kyle Whitaker and the team put McAfee through the ringer.
Pat in Bozeman is comedy ???? pic.twitter.com/TfbGsZRO0r
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 19, 2022
Earlier in the week, the rodeo team escorted the College GameDay bus through downtown and onto campus, giving the welcome party more Montana flair. As soon as the set construction was completed at Dyche Field, Montana State students camped out to reserve their spots.
Bus arrival @montanastate style!
— Julie McKay (@McKay_Julie) November 17, 2022
Safe to say they’re ready for @CollegeGameDay! pic.twitter.com/taU43u7LQC
“Man..Montana is rather fantastic.” - @PatMcAfeeShow
— Alex Eschelman (@alexeschelman) November 19, 2022
The people are ready for @CollegeGameDay! pic.twitter.com/Whe3kldMf4
As if hosting ESPN's CollegeGameday wasn't exciting enough for Bobcat fans, the game delivered too.
In a sign of things to come, Montana State engineered a six-play, game-opening touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead. Montana would tie things up on their first drive, yet the Bobcats rattled off 41-straight points to put the Grizzlies in the rear-view mirror for good. A record-setting crowd of 22,307 fans witnessed the Bobcats not only take back the Great Divide Trophy, but also claim a share of the Big Sky Conference title in the 55-21 rout.
Big Sky Champions has a nice ring to it ??#GoCatsGo | #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/M12yW4GHtV
— Montana State Football (@MSUBobcats_FB) November 19, 2022
The Bobcats are seeded fourth in the 2022 FCS Playoffs. Montana State will host the winner of North Dakota and Weber State on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. MT. Playoff tickets are on sale now at msubobcats.info/2022PlayoffTickets.
