2012-13 College Football Bowl TV Ratings: BCS, SEC, Top the Charts

Posted by | 01/09/2013 at 8:15 am

The Bowl Championship Series and games involving the Southeastern Conference earned the largest audiences during the 2012-13 bowl season.

As is always the case, the BCS National Championship Game earned the top audience of the bowl season [see chart]. Alabama’s blowout win over Notre Dame drew a 15.1 U.S. rating and 26.4 million viewers on ESPN, the largest audience for any bowl game in two years.

The Stanford/Wisconsin Rose Bowl (9.4, 17.0M) and Oregon/Kansas State Fiesta Bowl (7.4, 12.3M) ranked second and third, respectively.

Rounding out the top five were two non-BCS bowls. The Texas A&M/Oklahoma Cotton Bowl ranked fourth with a 7.2 rating and 11.9 million viewers on FOX, while the Georgia/Nebraska Capital One Bowl scored a 6.6 and 11.0 million on ABC.

Of the top ten bowl games this season, nine were either BCS bowls or games that involved an SEC team.

The Oklahoma State/Purdue Heart of Dallas Bowl was the lowest rated and least-viewed game of the bowl season, earning a 0.5 U.S. rating and 943,000 viewers on ESPNU. In a close second was the Arizona State/Navy Fight Hunger Bowl, with a 0.7 and 1.1 million on ESPN2.

2012-13 College Football Bowl TV Ratings
With comparisons to the past three seasons
* UPDATE 1/11: Ratings/viewership for the December 31 Sun Bowl on CBS added to chart.

Date Bowl Net 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10
Mon., 1/7/13 BCS Nat’l Champ. Gm.:
Alabama/Notre Dame		 ESPN
15.1 (26.4M)
14.0 (24.2M)
15.3 (27.3M)
17.2 (30.8M)
Tue., 1/1/13 Rose:
Stanford/Wisconsin		 ESPN
9.4 (17.0M)
10.2 (17.6M)
11.3 (20.6M)
13.2 (24.0M)
Thu., 1/3/13 Fiesta:
Oregon/Kansas State		 ESPN
7.4 (12.3M)
8.4 (13.7M)
6.2 (10.8M)
8.2 (13.8M)
Fri., 1/4/13 Cotton:
Texas A&M/Oklahoma		 FOX
7.2 (11.9M)
5.0 (8.4M)
5.8 (10.0M)
4.5 (7.3M)
Tue., 1/1/13 Capital One:
Georgia/Nebraska		 ABC
6.6 (11.0M)
2.9 (4.5M)
3.7 (6.0M)
6.8 (11.6M)
Wed., 1/2/13 Sugar:
Louisville/Florida		 ESPN
6.2 (10.1M)
6.1 (9.7M)
8.2 (13.6M)
8.5 (15.5M)
Tue., 1/1/13 Orange:
FSU/Northern Illinois		 ESPN
6.1 (10.6M)
4.5 (7.2M)
6.7 (10.7M)
6.8 (10.9M)
Mon., 12/31/12 Peach:
Clemson/LSU		 ESPN
4.8 (8.6M)
3.6 (6.2M)
4.3 (7.5M)
4.2 (7.5M)
Tue., 1/1/13 Outback:
South Carolina/Michigan		 ESPN
4.3 (7.6M)
5.1 (8.2M)
7.1 (12.4M)
3.5 (5.7M)
Sat., 12/29/12 Alamo:
Texas/Oregon State		 ESPN
4.1 (6.7M)
4.4 (6.9M)
2.8 (4.6M)
4.8 (7.8M)
Sat., 12/29/12 Pinstripe:
Syracuse/West Virginia		 ESPN
3.4 (5.1M)
2.1 (3.2M)
2.3 (3.5M)
no game
Fri., 12/28/12 Texas:
Texas Tech/Minnesota		 ESPN
2.9 (4.6M)
2.7 (3.9M)
2.7 (4.2M)
2.1 (3.2M)
Sat., 12/22/12 Las Vegas:
Boise State/Washington		 ESPN
2.9 (4.4M)
2.1 (3.1M)
3.3 (5.4M)
2.2 (3.5M)
Sat., 12/29/12 Buffalo Wild Wings:
Michigan State/TCU		 ESPN
2.7 (4.4M)
3.0 (4.8M)
2.2 (3.6M)
0.4 (673K)
Mon., 12/31/12 Sun:
Georgia Tech/USC		 CBS
2.7 (4.0M)
2.7 (4.1M)
3.0 (4.6M)
3.3 (5.0M)
Thu., 12/27/12 Belk:
Cincinnati/Duke		 ESPN
2.6 (3.9M)
2.2 (3.5M)
2.0 (2.9M)
3.9 (6.1M)
Fri., 12/28/12 Russell Athletic:
Virginia Tech/Rutgers		 ESPN
2.5 (3.9M)
3.3 (5.2M)
2.1 (3.3M)
3.9 (6.2M)
Sat., 12/29/12 Armed Forces:
Rice/Air Force		 ESPN
2.3 (3.3M)
1.4 (2.0M)
1.3 (1.9M)
1.6 (2.2M)
Thu., 12/27/12 Holiday:
Baylor/UCLA		 ESPN
2.0 (2.9M)
2.7 (4.3M)
3.5 (5.7M)
3.7 (6.1M)
Sat., 12/15/12 Famous Idaho Potato:
Utah State/Toledo		 ESPN
1.9 (2.8M)
1.7 (2.4M)
1.8 (2.9M)
2.1 (3.0M)
Sat., 1/5/13 BBVA Compass:
Mississippi/Pittsburgh		 ESPN
1.9 (2.7M)
1.5 (2.0M)
2.2 (3.3M)
1.6 (2.4M)
Wed., 12/26/12 Little Ceasars:
C. Michigan/W. Kentucky		 ESPN
1.8 (2.7M)
1.7 (2.5M)
1.4 (2.2M)
2.6 (3.8M)
Sat., 12/22/12 New Orleans:
UL-Lafayette/ECU		 ESPN
1.8 (2.6M)
1.6 (2.3M)
1.3 (2.1M)
0.7 (993K)
Sat., 12/15/12 New Mexico:
Arizona/Nevada		 ESPN
1.8 (2.6M)
1.5 (2.2M)
1.8 (2.8M)
2.4 (3.6M)
Mon., 12/31/12 Liberty:
Tulsa/Iowa State		 ESPN
1.7 (2.7M)
1.9 (3.0M)
3.0 (4.8M)
3.8 (6.4M)
Thu., 12/20/12 Poinsettia:
BYU/San Diego State		 ESPN
1.5 (2.2M)
2.1 (3.1M)
2.3 (3.6M)
2.4 (3.7M)
Mon., 12/24/12 Hawaii:
SMU/Fresno State		 ESPN
1.4 (2.4M)
1.4 (2.5M)
2.1 (3.7M)
1.7 (2.9M)
Tue., 1/1/13 Gator:
Northwestern/Miss. St.		 ESPN2
1.4 (2.2M)
1.9 (2.9M)
1.7 (2.8M)
3.9 (6.4M)
Mon., 12/31/12 Music City:
Vanderbilt/N.C. State		 ESPN
1.4 (2.0M)
2.7 (4.2M)
4.2 (7.1M)
1.7 (2.8M)
Sun., 1/6/13 GoDaddy.com:
Arkansas St./Kent St.		 ESPN
1.3 (1.9M)
1.2 (1.8M)
1.7 (2.6M)
2.4 (3.5M)
Thu., 12/27/12 Military:
SJSU/Bowling Green		 ESPN
1.3 (1.9M)
1.5 (2.3M)
1.5 (2.1M)
1.9 (2.8M)
Fri., 12/21/12 St. Petersburg:
UCF/Ball State		 ESPN
1.3 (1.9M)
1.5 (2.2M)
2.0 (3.0M)
1.6 (2.5M)
Fri., 12/28/12 Independence:
Ohio/UL-Monroe		 ESPN
1.3 (1.7M)
1.5 (2.5M)
1.4 (2.2M)
2.0 (3.3M)
Sat., 12/29/12 Fight Hunger:
Arizona State/Navy		 ESPN2
0.7 (1.1M)
2.3 (3.5M)
1.6 (2.5M)
4.6 (7.6M)
Tue., 1/1/13 Heart of Dallas:
Oklahoma St./Purdue		 ESPNU
0.5 (943K)
N/A
N/A
no game

CORRECTION: The original post mixed up the Northwestern/Mississippi State Gator Bowl and the Oklahoma State/Purdue Heart of Dallas Bowl.

(Bowl numbers from a variety of sources, including ESPN, Media Life Magazine, Son of the Bronx; Sun Bowl numbers from Sports Business Daily)

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