WWE SmackDown Viewership Drops Below 1 Million vs. College Football
College football playoff Draws Massive Audience, SmackDown Ratings Dip
Dominant Viewership for Alabama vs. Oklahoma
The college football playoff game between Alabama and oklahoma,broadcast across both ABC and ESPN,captivated a combined 14.8 million viewers on Friday, December 20, 2025. ABC accounted for 7.7 million of those viewers, while ESPN drew an audience of 7.1 million, demonstrating the continued power of college football to deliver substantial television ratings.
The pre-game coverage also performed strongly,securing the No. 2 spot for the night among cable programs.
WWE SmackDown Experiences Viewership Decline
In contrast, WWE SmackDown on USA Network experienced a decrease in viewership. The December 19,2025,episode attracted 995,000 viewers and achieved a 0.21 rating within the key 18-49 demographic, according to Wrestlenomics.
This represents a decline from the previous week’s episode, which garnered 1.240 million viewers and a 0.26 rating in the same demographic,as reported by Programming Insider.
Despite the drop, smackdown still managed to secure the No. 3 position for the night on cable.