ESPN
Earlier this month, as popular ESPN personality Pat McAfee and ESPN executives got in another proxy war-of-words, a report about the issue mentioned that McAfee had the backing of the three top execs at the company: ESPN’s president of content Burke Magnus; ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro; and Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Based on recent ratings for the Pat McAfee co-hosted College Gameday, it’s perhaps easy to see why the network higher-ups are loyal to the former Indianapolis Colts punter, as the staple college football pregame show has seen a boom in ratings over the last season.
Viewership of College Gameday is exploding and Pat McAfee’s kicking contest is getting the credit
According to reporter Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, ESPN College GameDay’s viewership was up 28% through Week 8, which follows “its most-watched season ever in 2024.”
McCarthy says that McAfee — particularly his kicking contest, in which a local student get a chance to kick a field goal to win hundreds of thousands of dollars — “is a huge reason why.”
ONE KICK ONLY TYLER
$500,000 TO YOU & $250,000 TO CHARITY
TAKE THE LAP KID
YOU MURDERED THAT FOOTBALL
TYLER IS AN ABSOLUTE DAWG #CollegeGameDay https://t.co/RUzZ1q7nWd pic.twitter.com/Zz2x1X6nJz
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 25, 2025
ESPN College GameDay’s viewership was up 28% through Week 8.
And that’s off its most-watched season ever in 2024.
This is a huge reason why. Pat McAfee’s weekly field goal kicking contest is one of the best segments, hands down, on sports TV.
Congrats to Tyler. https://t.co/GYMBmaaGKB
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) October 25, 2025