About one-third of the U.S. population is a college sports fan, but to think of that audience as a homogeneous segment would be folly.
The estimate comes from Big Chalk Analytics, a research consultancy with a CPG and retail focus, in its new report examining [perceptions of college sports](https://pages.bigchalk.co/perceptions-of-college-sports-brands-that-won-in-2025-opportunities-in-2026/?utm_source=publicity3&utm_medium=publicity3&utm_campaign=CollegeSports) — specifically the impact of brand sponsorships. For the report, consumers were surveyed to gauge overall college sports viewership and the effect of sponsorships on unaided brand recall and shopping behavior among self-reported fans.
This marks the third consecutive year Big Chalk has conducted a random-sample survey measuring sponsorship impact. This year, the survey was conducted in February 2026 among 1,457 respondents who self-identified as college sports fans. While the total number of respondents remained roughly the same as last year, fans reported watching more games overall, with the largest percentage increase among those who watched 10 or more games (35.7%, up from 26.7%). Average viewership is expected to exceed 12 events per fan across all sports this year.
According to Rick Miller, a partner at Big Chalk and leader of the firm’s marketing effectiveness practice, the team initially expected to see declining viewership and engagement. However, changes such as conference realignment, NIL deals and unlimited team transfers through the NCAA transfer portal do not appear to have affected viewership long term.
“Every time a major change is proposed to the structure of college sports, the pundits lose their minds,” Miller told Campaign. “There are many fans who are indeed bothered by these things — but overall, the growth in college sports and the continued interest, as consumers clamor for ‘real’ things to invest their time and emotions in, has offset the traditionalists looking for imminent collapse.”
Big Chalk’s survey found that 55.2% of respondents who watched at least one bowl or playoff game during the college football postseason recalled at least one brand sponsor. Notably, the top five brand sponsors of the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship tied or outperformed nearly every Super Bowl LX advertiser in terms of brand recall — trailing only the Super Bowl’s top five. That’s significant given that Super Bowl recall is typically tested one to two days after the game, whereas Big Chalk surveyed fans approximately three weeks after the CFP final.
Though 55.2% is impressive, it’s down from last season’s 59.1%, potentially due to overlap and confusion from the CFP playoffs extending into the NFL’s playoff schedule, which may have led to some misattribution among college sports fans.
“In one respect, it's an ‘all press is good press’ scenario,” Miller said. “From a pure brand awareness perspective, it may not be the end of the world — but typically brands are trying to convey a certain message and/or a call to action. This confusion suggests the specific messages are being lost or degraded.”
Still, 44% of fans reported that sponsorships positively influence their purchase decisions, with 14% saying they actually prioritize sponsors when shopping.
That effect becomes even more pronounced among certain subsegments of survey respondents. Among March Madness fans, the percentages rise to 50% and 17.4%, respectively — indicating they may be even more likely to convert than the average college sports fan.
Marketers should target subsegments that best fit their goals. “For example, fans of women's college sports over-index on prioritizing brands while shopping. March Madness viewers place a higher emphasis on college sports availability when they are choosing their streaming TV service — so there are a bunch of ways to slice and dice the data to find opportunities,” Miller said. “But the opportunity often lies outside the standard demographic cut.”