The two biggest brands in college football, the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan, faced off in Pasadena, with a spot in the national championship at stake, and huge television ratings were expected.

But the Rose Bowl numbers turned out to be even higher than originally expected. ESPN said he drew a staggering 27.2 million viewers during the broadcast, and that number peaked at 32.8 million.

This marked the biggest college football viewership since the 2018 National Championship, the highest non-NFL sporting event to be broadcast on television since 2018, and one of the top 10 in cable viewership of all time.

The 32.8 million peak is the highest of any semifinal match to date.

The game was watched by 27.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched semifinal game since the first playoff game in college football history in 2015, when Alabama lost to Ohio State.

The next Sugar Bowl game between Washington and Texas drew 18.4 million viewers, but peaked at just 24.5 million viewers.

The next big thing in the ratings will be the national championship game, which will not include an SEC team for the first time since 2015, when Ohio State faced Oregon State.