The South Carolina/Clemson rivalry was the top draw on ESPN over the long weekend. In other news, ABC had gains for a Friday college football doubleheader, and overnights remained flat for the Bayou Classic on NBC.
- South Carolina/Clemson Tops Weekend Slate on ESPN/ESPN2: Saturday’s South Carolina/Clemson college football game drew a 1.7 overnight rating, leading the way among games on ESPN over the holiday weekend. Rounding out the top five were Oklahoma State/Oklahoma (1.6) and Georgia/Georgia Tech (1.5) on Saturday, Arizona State/Arizona on Friday night (1.3), and TCU/Texas on Thanksgiving (1.1). On the opposite end of the spectrum, Saturday’s Wisconsin/Penn State game on ESPN2 earned a 0.1 overnight — easily the lowest of the weekend on ESPN/ESPN2. (Weekend numbers from the Houston Chronicle)
- ABC’s Friday Games Up: Friday’s Nebraska/Iowa college football game drew a 2.6 overnight rating on ABC, up 18% from the same matchup last year (2.2), and up a tick from West Virginia/Pittsburgh in 2010 (2.5). The 2.6 is the best for any Black Friday game on ABC since 2008. Later in the day, West Virginia/Iowa State drew a 1.8 overnight — up 20% from Boston College/Miami last year (1.5), and up 13% from Colorado/Nebraska in 2010 (1.6). (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
- Overnight Ratings Flat For Bayou Classic: The Grambling/Southern Bayou Classic college football game drew a 0.7 overnight rating on NBC Saturday afternoon, even with last year (0.7) and down a tick from 2010 (0.8). The game has failed to draw at least 1% of metered market homes each year since 2006. (Weekend numbers from Sports Business Daily)
