SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota teams appear to draw the viewers, and, ABC may be a better option for viewers than ESPN.

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Hero Sports said the semi final game between South Dakota State at North Dakota State University drew 1.58 million viewers. The game between the University of South Dakota at Montana State drew 1.37 million viewers.

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The 2024 semi final games on Dec. 21 outdrew the 2023 for viewership.

One 2023 semi final featured the University of Albany at SDSU televised on ESPN2 with 476,000 viewers. The other game featured NDSU at Montana with 790,000 viewers on ESPN2.

But in 2022, the semi-final game between UIW at NDSU on ESPN2 drew 1.05 million viewers while the Montana State at SDSU game on ESPN2 drew 598,000 viewers.

The NAIA reported that its football championship game drew 412,607 viewers.

According to Sports Media, the viewership for the NDSU vs SDSU game ranked sixth for all games played on Dec. 20 or Dec. 21. The top ratings earner was the Tennessee vs. Ohio State match-up with 14.7 million viewers. The USD vs. Montana State game was eighth.

SDSU and USD lost their semi final games. NDSU will play Montana State in the FCS championship on Monday, Jan. 6. The 2019 championship between NDSU and James Madison University was broadcast on ABC and drew 2.68 million viewers, according to Hero Sports.