NHL Power Rankings: Each team’s reason for hope in 2024
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
The battle atop the Power Rankings continues again this week, with the New York Rangers ousted by the Boston Bruins.
Beyond the rankings, this week we have identified a reason for hope for all 32 NHL fan bases — whether it’s a current player or group, or perhaps a savior to arrive via the 2024 draft.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors each send in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Dec. 22. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 70.27%
Next seven days: vs. TB (Jan. 6), @ COL (Jan. 8), @ ARI (Jan. 9), @ VGK (Jan. 11)
Boston has the sort of depth every NHL team wished for this Christmas. In 2024, the Bruins are hopefully going to keep making the most of it. Head coach Jim Montgomery loves adjusting his lineup based on Boston’s matchups, and with skaters like Jakub Lauko and Oskar Steen ready to step in, this gives the Bruins an advantage beyond what their top players (see: David Pastrnak & Co.) bring every night.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 71.62%
Next seven days: @ MTL (Jan. 6), vs. VAN (Jan. 8), @ STL (Jan. 11)
The Rangers will be hard-pressed to top their excellent play in 2023, but they can hope to sustain it. Backup netminder Jonathan Quick performing like the Jonathan Quick of old has been perhaps the Rangers’ greatest surprise (and asset) of the season, and the potential of having both Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil back healthy at some point will only strengthen New York’s case as a genuine Cup contender deep into the new year.
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 67.11%
Next seven days: @ NJ (Jan. 6), @ NYR (Jan. 8), @ NYI (Jan. 9), @ PIT (Jan. 11)
The Canucks have had a captivating season to date and hopes are understandably high for 2024 based on past performance. They lead the NHL in goals per game this season, have a Vezina Trophy-worthy goaltender in Thatcher Demko, a fired-up J.T. Miller leading the charge offensively and Quinn Hughes on track for a Norris Trophy. There’s no limit to where Vancouver could wind up this season.
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 67.95%
Next seven days: vs. FLA (Jan. 6), vs. BOS (Jan. 8), vs. VGK (Jan. 10)
Colorado has some stupendous top-end offensive producers like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. What the Avalanche need is more secondary scorers. The return of Artturi Lehkonen — who’s been sidelined with a neck injury since early November — will be a huge boost to Colorado’s depth and advance the Avalanche attack.
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 70.27%
Next seven days: @ ANA (Jan. 5), @ ARI (Jan. 7), vs. CBJ (Jan. 9), vs. CHI (Jan. 11)
The Jets wrapped up 2023 on a heater that included defeating some of the NHL’s top teams — some more than once! Their hopes in 2024 hinge upon more of the same. Winnipeg is already one of the league’s stingiest teams defensively and the better Connor Hellebuyck performs in net, coupled with the Jets’ surging third and fourth contributions, puts Winnipeg on a path to many more positive outcomes.
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 66.22%
Next seven days: vs. NSH (Jan. 6), @ MIN (Jan. 8), vs. MIN (Jan. 10)
Dallas might have been adrift when starting goalie Jake Oettinger was hurt — until Scott Wedgewood answered the bell. He’s given the Stars hope that not only will they continue to lead the Central Division while Oettinger recovers, but that Dallas won’t need to rush its No. 1 back, either. It’s a best-case scenario the Stars have to be loving as they resolve for an even brighter new year.
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 65.71%
Next seven days: @ WSH (Jan. 7), @ TB (Jan. 9), @ FLA (Jan. 11)
The Kings already have everything — from offense to defense to goaltending — dialed in. So just how much better will 2024 be when Viktor Arvidsson (yet to play in a game this season following back surgery) enters the chat? He’s been a strong, consistent contributor for the Kings in the past, and the hope is he will be again to level L.A. up even further.
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 65.79%
Next seven days: @ COL (Jan. 6), @ STL (Jan. 9), vs. LA (Jan. 11)
Florida might be the best team no one talks about enough — and that should all change in 2024 given how the Panthers are trending. They entered the new year on a four-game heater fueled by a red-hot Sam Reinhart (23 goals in 36 games), suddenly surging power play (with five goals in four games) and a top quality goaltender in Sergei Bobrovsky. The hope for Florida is they can stay this balanced while everyone else starts to take notice.
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 62.82%
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Jan. 6), @ COL (Jan. 10), vs. BOS (Jan. 11)
The Knights going through a recent — and rather uncharacteristic — slump could be a good thing for what’s to come in 2024. This group has stayed mostly healthy but appeared fatigued; something a turn of the calendar (and a frustrating shutout Winter Classic loss) can possibly help to cure. Vegas always finds a resiliency to surprise us all; why should this new year be any different?
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 62.50%
Next seven days: @ SJ (Jan. 6), vs. SJ (Jan. 9), @ NYI (Jan. 11)
The Leafs finally made the change it needed in net by waiving Ilya Samsonov and putting their full faith in Martin Jones to carry the load until Joseph Woll can return. The hope is with a stable No. 1 netminder the Leafs see better results from their defensive efforts in 2024 and quit squandering an advantage like boasting the league’s goal-scoring leader, Auston Matthews.
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 60.53%
Next seven days: @ WSH (Jan. 5), vs. STL (Jan. 6), vs. ANA (Jan. 11)
Carolina has been through the ringer with their goaltending situation this season (Antti Raanta struggled; Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely due to a blood clot issue) and it’s been on rookie Pyotr Kochetkov to man the crease. Well, the Hurricanes are entering 2024 with a goalie on the rise as Kochetkov went 5-1-1 to close out last year and looks well positioned to keep building on that success as a true difference-maker.
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 60.53%
Next seven days: @ VGK (Jan. 6), vs. VAN (Jan. 9), vs. TOR (Jan. 11)
The Islanders are a constant enigma — this season is no different in that respect — yet they have plenty of high hopes for 2024 based on the consistency of their top-tier players. Ilya Sorokin? Still one of the league’s best goalies. Mathew Barzal? Quieting the naysayers as a first-line star beside Bo Horvat. Special teams? On the rise. New York is impossible to pigeonhole, and there’s abounding hope in the Islanders reaching their full potential by spring.
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 58.33%
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Jan. 5), vs. VAN (Jan .6), @ TB (Jan. 11)
New Jersey has Jack Hughes. When that’s the case, there’s no reason not to feel hopeful about what the new year will bring. Hughes is averaging nearly 1.50 points per game to power the Devils offense and can be a one-man wrecking ball as needed when skaters like Timo Meier are sidelined by injury. If New Jersey is to make the most of 2024, it’ll be with Hughes at the forefront.
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 58.33%
Next seven days: vs. CAR (Jan. 5), vs. LA (Jan. 7), vs. SEA (Jan. 11)
Washington was hit by an injury bug late in 2023 that should hopefully resolve itself by early 2024. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren is doing better than expected in his recovery and Max Pacioretty (torn Achilles tendon) making his debut this week was a massive boost for the Capitals’ offense given other missing players. The healthier Washington gets, the more hope there is for a happy new year.
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 55.71%
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Jan. 6), @ CHI (Jan. 9), @ DET (Jan. 11)
The Oilers have truly turned their season around since replacing former coach Jay Woodcroft in early November. Their hopeful resolution in 2024 is to not let their momentum slide. Calvin Pickard has hopped in as a steady backup for a revamped Stuart Skinner in net, and Connor McDavid has registered a point in all but three games since coach Kris Knoblauch took over. There’s hope yet for Edmonton to be a true contender this spring.
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 57.89%
Next seven days: vs. CGY (Jan. 6), vs. PIT (Jan. 8), vs. MTL (Jan. 10)
Philadelphia is already right in the middle of this season’s playoff race — and frankly, who saw that coming? The Flyers’ hopes of staying there well into 2024 revolve around a continued buy-in to coach John Tortorella’s system, and the high-level contributions from some of the team’s youngest skaters, including Tyson Foerster and Cam York. There’s good reason to believe Philadelphia can stay in play for a postseason slot.
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 54.05%
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Jan. 7), vs. BOS (Jan. 9), vs. CGY (Jan. 11)
Arizona is a scrappy bunch that hasn’t received enough credit for their gumption — or how well they performed overall in 2023. Connor Ingram ranks among the league’s top netminders behind a forward group benefitting from consistent performances by Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse. Arizona is surprisingly deep and decidedly confident; did you see the four-goal comeback against Colorado? There’s reasonable hope in the desert for 2024 to include a playoff return for these Coyotes.
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 55.13%
Next seven days: @ DAL (Jan. 6), vs. ANA (Jan. 9)
The Predators needed some positivity to end 2023 and got in the form of 21-year-old goaltender Yaroslav Askarov earning his first NHL win. That’s a big deal for the Predators’ hopes going into 2024 — and beyond. Askarov was Nashville’s first-round pick (11th overall) in 2020; to see him succeed early on is a shot in the arm for the entire Predators’ squad. And, maybe, their winning prospects over the next few months.
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 53.75%
Next seven days: @ BOS (Jan. 6), vs. LA (Jan. 9), vs. NJ (Jan. 11)
Tampa Bay entered 2024 with the league leader in points — that would be Nikita Kucherov — tearing his way through opposing teams’ defense in a way the Lightning must hope will continue well into this season’s second half. And if the Lightning want to get real greedy, they’ll resolve to have Kucherov’s success be a rallying cry for steadier contributions from the club’s bottom-six forwards, too.
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 56.76%
Next seven days: vs. BUF (Jan. 6), @ PHI (Jan. 8), vs. VAN (Jan. 11)
Pittsburgh has been reinventing itself recently — and that’s a good thing for 2024. The Penguins have talent to spare but what they’re establishing now is a new identity centered around more than just trying to beat teams off the rush. Pittsburgh’s gone grittier, meaner and more physically imposing. The hope is that shift keeps translating into victories.
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 53.85%
Next seven days: @ ANA (Jan. 7), vs. EDM (Jan. 11)
The Red Wings gave up more goals per game in December than any team in the league. That makes their hopeful resolution for 2024 rather apparent: Stop doing that. Fortunately for the Red Wings, they are perfectly capable of righting the ship. A midseason slump is better than one in early spring, and if Detroit got that slip out of their system, then improved play by their goaltenders and a recommitment to the defensive side of the game will put the Wings back on their previous winning trajectory.
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 52.56%
Next seven days: @ BUF (Jan. 9), @ WSH (Jan. 11)
Seattle set the tone for 2024 with a resounding 3-0 win over Vegas in the Winter Classic to mark a first-ever shutout victory (courtesy of Joey Daccord) at the league’s annual outdoor showcase. And the Kraken show no signs of cooling off their nine-game point streak. What Seattle lacks in flash it makes up for in work ethic (and strong goaltending from Daccord) that can carry the Kraken up those Pacific Division standings from here.
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 51.32%
Next seven days: @ PHI (Jan. 6), @ CHI (Jan. 7), vs. OTT (Jan. 9), @ ARI (Jan. 11)
Calgary has struggled all season to find chemistry up front, but it looks like first-year coach Ryan Huska has finally found some winning combinations for 2024. Top center Nazem Kadri is excelling with Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil, Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund seem to be in a groove and Elias Lindholm has settled into a rhythm with Yegor Sharangovich. If the Flames can keep stoking those fires into the new year, maybe the energy will eventually reach slumping star Jonathan Huberdeau.
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 52.70%
Next seven days: @ CAR (Jan. 6), vs. FLA (Jan. 9), vs. NYR (Jan. 11)
The Blues shuffled things up behind the bench, saying goodbye to Craig Berube and installing Drew Bannister. He, in turn, moved the Blues forwards around in late 2023 and found some chemistry that hopefully grows stronger in 2024. St. Louis’ top line has been especially potent, and Jake Neighbours is making an impact in a second-line spot. New coach, new year … what else is in store for the Blues?
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 48.65%
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Jan. 6), vs. DAL (Jan. 8), @ DAL (Jan. 10)
Minnesota got off to a rough start in 2024 when six players, including Jared Spurgeon, Filip Gustavsson and Kirill Kaprizov were moved to injured reserve. But here’s hoping that adversity is what bonds the Wild together. Minnesota was turning a corner in December with their punishing style of play and there’s no reason the Wild can’t challenge one another to step up and stay focused while their netminder, top defenseman and top forward heal for the season’s stretch run.
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 46.15%
Next seven days: @ PIT (Jan. 6), vs. SEA (Jan. 9), vs. OTT (Jan. 11)
The Sabres are brimming with talent … that they simply didn’t get enough out of in 2023. The hope is that 2024 is when that will change. Jack Quinn is finally back — and producing — following an Achilles tendon injury, and there’s truly nowhere to go but up for Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch from here.
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 48.68%
Next seven days: vs. NYR (Jan. 6), @ PHI (Jan. 10), vs. SJ (Jan. 11)
Montreal is sticking to the plan laid out of by GM Kent Hughes that could (eventually) deliver results. It’s the Canadiens’ hope that their continued patience in developing the club’s top skaters and learning from setbacks (like how poor the penalty kill has been of late) will pay dividends at some point in 2024, and for Montreal to be a long-term contender down the road.
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 42.50%
Next seven days: vs. MIN (Jan. 6), @ WPG (Jan. 9)
Columbus selected Adam Fantilli at No. 3 overall in last year’s draft, and the hope is for 2024 to be a real proving ground for the Blue Jackets’ new top-line center. The team had to fast-track Fantilli up the lineup once Boone Jenner and Patrik Laine were injured and the 19-year-old has held his ground between Johnny Gaudreau and Justin Danforth. All Columbus can hope for is to see that development continue well into the new year.
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 41.18%
Next seven days: @ EDM (Jan. 6), @ CGY (Jan. 9), @ BUF (Jan. 11)
The Senators changed most everything about themselves in 2023 — new owner, new coach, new GM, etc. — in the hopes that 2024 will deliver better outcomes. The Senators were supposed to be Atlantic Division risers, and there’s believe that can still be the case this year with a renewed vision for the team in place.
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 36.49%
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Jan. 5), vs. DET (Jan. 7), @ NSH (Jan. 9), @ CAR (Jan. 11)
Anaheim was blunted by injuries late in 2023 (including to top skaters Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish) and the hope here is that things can’t possibly get worse come 2024. It’s unlikely the Ducks will suddenly surge up the standings even when all their ailing parties return, but at least Anaheim can be hopeful about the organization’s depth of young talent to power it through brighter years ahead.
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 31.58%
Next seven days: @ NJ (Jan. 5), vs. CGY (Jan. 7), vs. EDM (Jan. 9), @ WPG (Jan. 11)
Chicago’s one great hope for 2024 (and 2025, and 2026…) is Connor Bedard continuing to be everything they expected — and more. To watch the 18-year-old produce at nearly a point-per-game pace already on a team without much other star power is incredible. He’ll be the Blackhawks’ life force long after 2024 comes and goes.
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 26.92%
Next seven days: vs. TOR (Jan. 6), @ TOR (Jan. 9), @ MTL (Jan. 11)
San Jose ended 2023 on schedule for a draft lottery win. If all goes well in 2024, the Sharks’ hopes of landing the No. 1 overall pick (for the first time in franchise history) will come to fruition.
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki donned a No. 11 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey atop a makeshift stage Wednesday afternoon and called it the culmination of “an incredibly difficult decision.”
When Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in the middle of December — a development evaluators have spent years anticipating — 20 major league teams formally expressed interest. Eight of those clubs were granted initial meetings at the L.A. offices of Sasaki’s agency, Wasserman. Three were then named finalists in the middle of January, prompting official visits to their ballparks. And in the end, to practically nobody’s surprise, it was the Dodgers who won out.
The Dodgers had long been deemed favorites for Sasaki, so much so that many viewed the pairing as an inevitability. In the wake of that actually materializing, scouts and executives throughout the industry have privately complained about being dragged through what they perceived as a process that already had a predetermined outcome. Some have also expressed concern that the homework assignment Sasaki gave to each of the eight teams he initially met with, asking them to present their ideas for how to recapture the life of his fastball, saw them provide proprietary information without ultimately having a reasonable chance to get him.
Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, admitted he has heard some of those complaints over the past handful of days.
“I’ve tried to be an open book and as transparent as possible with all the teams in the league,” said Wolfe, who has vehemently denied claims of a predetermined deal from the onset. “I answer every phone call, I answer every question. This goes back to before the process even started. Every team I think would tell you that I told each one of them where they stood throughout the entire process, why they got a meeting, why they didn’t get a meeting, why other teams got a meeting. I tried to do my best to do that. He was only going to be able to pick one.”
Sasaki, 23, is considered one of the world’s most promising pitching prospects, with a triple-digit fastball and an otherworldly splitter. Through four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki posted a 2.10 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 505 strikeouts against just 88 walks in 394⅔ innings. But he has openly acknowledged to teams that he is not yet fully formed, and many of those who followed him in Japan believed his priority would be to go to the team that had the best chance of making him better.
Few would argue that the Dodgers don’t fit that description. Their vast resources, recent run of success and sizeable footprint in Japan made them an obvious fit for Sasaki, but it was their track record of pitching development that landed them one of the sport’s most intriguing prospects.
“His goal is to be the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young, and he definitely possesses the ability to do that,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “We’re excited to partner with him.”
Sasaki will join a star-studded rotation headlined by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, decorated Japanese countrymen who signed free agent deals totaling more than $1 billion in December 2023. The Dodgers went on to win the ensuing World Series, then doubled down on one of the sport’s richest, most talented rosters.
Over the past three months, they’ve signed starting pitcher Blake Snell for $182 million, extended utility man Tommy Edman for $74 million, given reliever Tanner Scott $72 million, brought back corner outfielder Teoscar Hernandez for $66 million, added another corner outfielder in Michael Conforto ($17 million) and struck a surprising deal with Korean middle infielder Hyeseong Kim ($12.5 million). At some point, they’ll finalize a contract with another back-end reliever in Kirby Yates and will bring back longtime ace Clayton Kershaw.
But Sasaki, who has drawn the attention of Dodgers scouts since he was throwing 100-mph fastballs in high school, was the ultimate prize.
“As I transition to the major leagues, I am deeply honored so many teams reached out to me, especially considering I haven’t achieved much in Japan,” Sasaki, speaking through an interpreter, said in front of hundreds of media members. “It makes me feel more focused than ever. I am truly grateful to all the team officials who took the time to meet with me during this process.
“I spent the past month both embracing and reflecting on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose a place purely based on where I can grow as a player the most,” Sasaki continued. “Every organization helped me in its own way, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to choose just one. I am fully aware that there are many different opinions out there. But now that I have decided to come here, I want to move forward with the belief that the decision I made is the best one, trust in those who believed in my potential and (have) conviction in the goals that I set for myself.”
Major League Baseball heard complaints from rival teams about a prearranged deal between Sasaki’s side and the Dodgers before he was posted, prompting an investigation “to ensure the protocol agreement had been followed,” a league official said in a statement. MLB found no evidence, prompting Sasaki to be included as part of the 2025 international signing class.
Because he is under 25 years old and spent less than six seasons in NPB, Sasaki was made available as an international amateur, his earnings restricted to teams’ signing-bonus pools. The Dodgers gave him $6.5 million, which constitutes the vast majority of their allotment, and will control Sasaki’s rights until he attains the six years of service time required for free agency. Sasaki said his immediate goal is to “beat the competition and make sure I do get a major league contract.”
Sasaki combined to throw barely more than 200 innings over the past two years and is expected to be handled carefully in the United States. The Dodgers won’t set a strict innings limit for him in 2025 but will deploy a traditional six-man rotation, which also makes sense with Ohtani returning as a two-way player. The Dodgers’ initial meeting with Sasaki saw them tout the way their training staff, pitching coaches and performance-science group work in harmony. In their second, they brought out Ohtani, Edman, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Sasaki’s catcher, Will Smith, in hopes of wooing him. And in the end, it was Ohtani who broke the news to the Dodgers’ front-office members, letting them know they landed Sasaki in a text before his agent could get around to calling.
Friedman described it as “pure excitement.” Many others, however, rolled their eyes at what they felt was inevitable. Wolfe denied that, saying, “I don’t believe [the Dodgers] was always the destination.” But then he went on to describe how prevalent the Dodgers are in Japan. Their games are on every morning and rebroadcast later at night. Dodgers-specific shops outfit stadiums throughout the country.
“They’re everywhere,” Wolfe said. “And I think that all the players and fans see the Dodgers every day, so it’s always in their mind because of Ohtani and Yamamoto. But when (Sasaki) came over here, he came with a very open mind.”
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Greg Wyshynski
NHL teams don’t necessarily need a goaltender that can drag them to the Stanley Cup, mostly because those types of netminders are unicorns. What they need is a goalie that can make a save at a critical time; and, perhaps most of all, not lose a game for the team in front of them.
As the NHL playoff picture comes into focus, so does the quality of every team’s most important position. Will their goaltending be the foundation for a playoff berth and postseason run? Or is it the fatal flaw in their designs on the Stanley Cup?
The NHL Bubble Watch is our monthly check-in on the Stanley Cup playoff races using playoff probabilities and points projections from Stathletes for all 32 teams. This month, we’re also giving each contending team a playoff quality goaltending rating based on the classic Consumer Reports review standards: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.
We also reveal which teams shouldn’t worry about any of this because they’re lottery-bound already.
But first, a look at the projected playoff bracket:
Ohio State‘s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship game was the most-watched game of the season. However, it was a double-digit drop in viewers from last year.
ESPN announced Wednesday that the Buckeyes’ second national championship in the CFP era averaged 22.1 million viewers. It was the most-watched, non-NFL sporting event over the past year, but a 12% drop from the 25 million who tuned in for Michigan’s 34-13 victory over Washington in 2024.
It was the third-lowest audience of the 11 CFP title games, with all three occurring in the past five years. The audience peaked at 26.1 million viewers during the second quarter (8:30 to 8:45 p.m. ET) when the score was tied at 7.
Since Alabama’s 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia in 2018, the past seven title games have had an average margin of victory of 25.4 points. Ohio State had a 31-7 lead midway through the third quarter before Notre Dame rallied to get within one possession with five minutes remaining in the fourth.
Georgia’s 65-7 rout of TCU in 2023 was the least-viewed title game (17.2 million) followed by Alabama’s 52-24 win over Ohio State in 2021 (18.7 million). The first title game in 2015 — the Buckeyes’ 42-20 victory over Oregon — remains the most-watched college football game by viewers in the CFP era, according to Nielsen at 33.9 million.
This was the first year of the 12-team field. The first round averaged 10.6 million viewers with the quarterfinals at 16.9 million. The semifinals averaged 19.2 million, a 17% decline from last year. Both semifinal games in 2024 though were played on Jan. 1. Michigan’s OT victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl drew a bigger audience (27.7 million) than the Wolverines’ win in the title game.
CFP games ended up being nine of the 10 most-viewed this season. Georgia’s OT win over Texas in the SEC championship on ABC/ESPN was sixth at 16.6 million.
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