Alabama-Tennessee averages 8 million viewers, is CBS's most-watched Week 8 game since 2016

No. 8 Alabama's victory over No. 20 Tennessee was the most-watched Week 8 game on CBS since 2016, the network announced Tuesday.

The Crimson Tide's 34-20 comeback victory against the Vols at Bryant-Denny Stadium averaged 8.013 million viewers and peaked at 9.790 million viewers. It was up 108% over the 2022 Week 8 game, which featured No. 7 Ole Miss taking on LSU, and 14% season-to-date from 2022.

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Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide typically draw a large viewership, and the storied rivalry with Tennessee made this Week 8 matchup a must-watch for college football fans across the nation.

The Crimson Tide-Vols matchup was the second most-watched game of the week across all networks, unsurprising considering Josh Heupel's Tennessee team jumped out to a 13-0 lead and then a 20-7 halftime lead over Saban's Crimson Tide. However, Alabama outscored the Vols 27-0 in the second half to take home the traditional victory cigars.

CBS also announced that Paramount+, its dedicated streaming service, delivered its most-streamed game of the season.

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The Ohio State-Penn State matchup was the most-watched game of Week 8, due in part because it featured two teams ranked in the top 10 of the US LBM Coaches Poll. Fox Sports announced the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions pulled in 9.955 million viewers, the network's seventh-most-watched regular season game in college football history.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Alabama-Tennessee football game averaged 8 million viewers for CBS