While 21M watch the College Football Playoff Semifinal games, 6.2M athlete followers engage on social channels. Learn more about that 30% of the broadcast audience that connect with the players on social.
The 2024-2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal features traditional powerhouses, as Texas (5 seed), Penn State (6), Ohio State (7) and Notre Dame (8) compete for the NCAA Division I National Championship. These four schools have combined for 20 National Titles in the poll era.
As the games are played on the gridiron, fans will enhance their experience with second-screen engagement on social media as they follow their favorite players.
But who are those fans? Where are they? What do they do for work? What are they interested in outside of football? What do the players’ Instagram audiences look like?
Opendorse used proprietary data and third-party insights to analyze the Instagram audiences of the student-athletes of all four CFP semifinalists. This is the tale of the social media fandom tape – spotlighting Instagram, the platform most used by student-athletes and most coveted by advertisers.
A Large Audience – 6,206,983
Total Instagram followers of rostered CFP Semifinal player accounts
A Young Audience – 67.4%
Percentage of player Instagram followers who are 18-24
Overall Instagram Baseline – 29.6%
An Affluent Audience – 74.0%
Percentage of player Instagram followers making more than $50K/year
Overall Instagram Baseline – 73.2%
Texas Longhorns Audience Deep Dive
Top Five States
Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, Colorado, North Carolina
Top Audience Profile/Cluster
Social Wanderlusters (47%) – “Passionate about travel, actively share their experiences through photos and stories, seek out new destinations and cultures”
Notable Interests
College Administration, Karate, Flooring/Carpet/Rug, Improv Comedy, Chiropractic
Notable Brands
Los Angeles Guerrillas, Dave’s Hot Chicken, PSD Underwear, MrBeast Burger
Top Job Titles
Inside Sales Representative, Software Engineer, Real Estate Broker, Real Estate Appraiser, Chief Financial Officer
Penn State Nittany Lions Audience Deep Dive
Top Five States
Pennsylvania, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee
Top Audience Profile/Cluster
Gen Z Enthusiast (34%) – “Generation Z individual characterized by a strong passion for specific interests, actively engaging with related content, and often sharing their enthusiasm online”
Notable Interests
Improv Comedy, Chiropractic, Flooring/Carpet/Rug, Dermatology, Neurology/Neurological Disorders
Notable Brands
La La Land Kind Café, Truly Beauty, Don’t Tell Comedy
Top Job Titles
Legal, Project Manager, Upper Management/Consultant, Account Executive, Real Estate Appraiser
Ohio State Buckeyes Audience Deep Dive
Top Five States
Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington
Top Audience Profile/Cluster
Trendy Influencer (45%) – “Young, fashion-forward individuals highly engaged with current trends, looking for the latest styles in clothing, accessories, beauty, and lifestyle”
Notable Interests
Daycare/Preschool, Improv Comedy, College Administration, Flooring/Carpet/Rug, Chiropractic
Notable Brands
Beauty 2 The Streetz, Boats Gone Wild, What Do You Meme
Top Job Titles
Engineer, Architecture, Project Manager, Administrative, Educator/Trainer, Writer
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Audience Deep Dive
Top Five States
Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland
Top Audience Profile/Cluster
Sports Streetwear (62%) – “Young, connected, social media power user who is part of a tight-knit community built around a time-limited chance to buy a product directly from a brand”
Notable Interests
Super Bowl, Lacrosse
Notable Brands
utrhighlightvideos, milb.com
Top Job Titles
Legal, Chief Financial Officer, Account Executive, Real Estate Appraiser, Upper Management/Consultant
All data and insights are as of January 8, 2025. Contact media.sales@opendorse.com to learn more about custom Opendorse Audience Insight Reports.
