When it comes to the landscape of college football in today’s day and age, one of the most important numbers to track doesn’t have to do with a team’s success on the field, but rather the number of eyeballs they garner off of it.
In the world of conference realignment, the idea of TV ratings has become ever more important. With teams like Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, followed by USC and UCLA fleeing the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, the game has changed. You now have a program like the Oregon Ducks that could be on the precipice of finding a new conference to play in as well as pieces continue to move about the chess board in the next few years.
The main factor in a potential move, though, is determining what value the Ducks bring to the table. Eugene is not a large market, and while Oregon may not offer the same glamour that Los Angeles brings with the Trojans and Bruins, it’s become clear that when the Ducks are on, people tune in.
We saw that earlier this week when going over the ratings in the Pac-12, taking a look at which school led the way. Spoiler alert, it was Oregon over both USC and UCLA.
So where do the Ducks stand when it comes to a national playing field? Let’s take a look: