TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo's dramatic 48-46 six-overtime victory over Pittsburgh in the 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit's Ford Field on Dec. 26 was watched by 2.56 million viewers on ESPN. Toledo rallied from a 30-20 deficit to tie the game in regulation and went on to win it in the sixth overtime, which made the contest the longest bowl game in NCAA history.
The 2.56 million viewers for Toledo-Pitt game is the largest number ever to watch the Rockets in a bowl game and the second-most of any game in school history. The contest also had nearly one million more viwers than the next highest bowl game featuring a Mid-American Conference school.
In addition, according to media monitoring service TV Eyes, 870 television and radio stations from around the country featured highlights or mentions of the contest on the day of the game and the following day. Among the national programs featuring highlights were ABC's Good Morning America, CNN and Fox News. The game also received considerable attention on social media, with congratulatory posts from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
Over the past two seasons, Toledo has played 17 football games on national television, seven in 2024 and a school-record 10 in 2023.