Michigan-Michigan State didn't get the prime-time slot.
But it sure got the eyeballs.
Saturday's rivalry game, a thrilling battle of unbeatens won by the Spartans, 37-33, was the most-watched college football game of the season, according to Michigan State associate Kevin Pauga. In a post on Twitter on Tuesday, the day weekend TV ratings typically are released, Pauga said the game was watched by an average of 9.3 million viewers.
That's a massive haul for any college football game, but particularly for an in-state showdown so regionalized. By comparison, the previous night's World Series game averaged 11.