Tennessee and Clemson combined for some massive viewership numbers during the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl.
According to ESPN public relations on Twitter, the Vols and Tigers combined for an impressive 8.6 million viewers across ESPN and ESPNU.
The 8.6 million viewership number also makes the 2022 Orange Bowl the most-watched non-playoff Orange Bowl since the 2017 matchup between Wisconsin and Miami.
Friday's @OrangeBowl between @Vol_Football & @ClemsonFB 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 on ESPN & ESPNU
🏈 8.6M viewers
🏈 Most-watched non-semi Orange Bowl since 2017
🏈 Best standalone NY6 game since 2017
🏈 Up double digits over 2019, 2020 and 2021 pic.twitter.com/soJZVW2eeE— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) December 31, 2022
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Head coach Josh Heupel and the Volunteers are no strangers to attracting viewership throughout the season.
Tennessee began the season with an impressive 4.5 million viewership number in week two during an overtime thriller against the Pittsburgh Panthers, which was good for the second most-viewed game across all networks that week.
Two weeks later, with ESPN’s College GameDay in town for the Florida game, the Vols and Gators drew over 5.5 million viewers on CBS, making that game the most-watched Tennessee-Florida matchup in 13 years.
Jumping to the Alabama game in mid-October, Tennessee once again set viewership records as the Vols and Crimson Tide drew over 11.5 million viewers for the last-second SEC thriller. The three-point contest in Knoxville peaked at nearly 17 million viewers.
With two undefeated rivals going up against each other, the ratings were sure to deliver for the game between No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia in Athens… And they did. The Vols and Bulldogs drew more than 13 million viewers for that game.
There are a lot of takeaways from this season, both on and off the field. But one of the more obvious takeaways from the 2022 season was just how much of a draw Tennessee can be and still is. Yes, Tennessee did have an electric offense that anybody watching could be entertained by. And, yes, Tennessee did also have some crucial storybook moments that stemmed from massive losing streaks against rivals to overcome. But when all of that is combined with the Tennessee brand, it is certainly a recipe for success.
Josh Heupel on the significance of the Orange Bowl win: "We're just getting started in what we're developing here. Our brand was on a primetime stage tonight and everybody got to see how we compete."
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) December 31, 2022
