The Bowl Championship Series concluded with the lowest rated National Championship Game in three years.
The All State BCS National Championship Game drew a 14.4/22 final national rating on FOX last night, the third lowest-rated BCS National Championship game in history. The 14.4 rating for LSU/Ohio State marks a 17% decline from the 17.4 rating for Florida/Ohio State last year.
Despite the decline, the game was easily the most watched program of the night, drawing 23 million viewers; the next closest program was Dance War on ABC, which drew 11 million. The 14.4 national rating makes the National Championship game the highest rated non-NFL sporting event since Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, which drew a 12.6.
Four BCS games on FOX averaged a 9.1 national rating, down 13% from a 10.5 last year. The first three BCS bowls on FOX this year failed to average an 8.0 rating, and two of the three games (the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl) finished among the five lowest rated BCS bowls of all time.
Final national ratings for the Rose Bowl on ABC are currently unavailable.
2008 BCS on FOX ratings.
7.0: Sugar, UGA/Hawaii (1/1/08, 8:30 PM); down 25% from ’07 Sugar.
7.7: Fiesta, WVU/Oklahoma (1/2/08, 8 PM); down 8% from ’07 Fiesta.
7.4: Orange, Kansas/VT (1/3/08, 8 PM); up 6% from ’07 Orange.
14.4: Nat’l Championship Game, LSU/OSU (1/7/08, 8 PM); down 17% from ’07 NC.
