It was bound to happen at some point.
Colorado lost its first game on Sept. 23, but the Buffs' bandwagon continued to grow. CU's 42-6 loss scored the largest TV audience of the season to date, at 10.03 million, according to Sports Media Watch.
Last Saturday, though, the bandwagon finally shrunk.
Colorado's 48-41 loss to No. 8 USC drew "just" 7.24 million viewers, making it the first time CU's audience has shrunk week-to-week, and also the smallest audience to watch Coach Prime's team so far this season. Colorado fell behind in the game 34-7 in the second quarter before fighting back for a respectable 48-41 final score.
Even still, the 7.24 million viewers represents the most-watched game of Week 5. Georgia's 27-20 win over Auburn drew 6.4 million, and Notre Dame's come-from-behind win over Duke attracted 5.32 million.
All five Colorado games to date rank among the eight most-watched games of September.
Most Watched CFB Games of 2023 (Through Week 5)
1. Colorado-Oregon: 10.03 million
2. Ohio State-Notre Dame: 9.98 million
3. Colorado State-Colorado: 9.3 million
4. LSU-Florida State: 9.17 million
5. Texas-Alabama: 8.76 million
6. Nebraska-Colorado: 8.73 million
7. Colorado-TCU: 7.26 million
8. USC-Colorado: 7.24 million
9. Florida State-Clemson: 6.71 million
10. Georgia-Auburn: 6.4 million
With one of the most eventful months in college football history behind them, the 3-2 Buffaloes will now move to a different phase of their schedule. Colorado will certainly play before its smallest audience to date when it visits Arizona State on Saturday in a game televised by Pac-12 Network.
Colorado then returns home to face Stanford on Friday, Oct. 13, in a game to be televised by ESPN. CU will then take Oct. 21 off before visiting UCLA on Oct. 28 in a game that has yet to be designated for a time or television network.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.