The college football bowl season got off to a decent start on ESPN over the weekend.
The first ever EagleBank Bowl, featuring Wake Forest and Navy, drew a 2.2 cable rating and 2.9 million viewers on ESPN early Saturday. The 2.2 rating is better than the ratings for 11 of last year’s bowl games.
Meanwhile, the Colorado State/Fresno State New Mexico Bowl averaged a 2.6 cable rating and 3.4 million viewers, up 30% and 42% in viewers from a 2.0 and 2.4 million for last year’s New Mexico/Nevada tilt. The game is the highest rated and most viewed in the short three-year history of the New Mexico Bowl.
On ESPN2, the first St. Petersburg Bowl between Memphis and South Florida drew a 1.3 cable rating and “nearly 1.7 million viewers.” The 1.3 rating falls short of the 1.6 ESPN2 averaged for its four bowl games in ’07.
Saturday night’s Las Vegas Bowl between Arizona and BYU drew 2.5 cable rating and 3.4 million opposite Ravens/Cowboys on NFL Network, flat in ratings and viewership from last year’s game between BYU and UCLA.
Sunday’s New Orleans Bowl was easily the biggest loser of the weekend. Opposite Panthers/Giants on NBC, Southern Miss/Troy drew a 0.8 cable rating and 1.2 million viewers on ESPN, down 50% in ratings and 26% in viewers from a 1.6 with 1.5 million for last year’s FAU/Memphis game.
Bowl game ratings thru Sunday.
2.2, 2.9 mil: EagleBank Bowl, WF/Navy (Sat., 12/20, 11 AM ESPN)
2.6, 3.4 mil: New Mexico Bowl, Colorado St./Fresno St. (Sat., 12/20, 2:30 PM ESPN)
1.3, 1.7 mil: St. Petersburg Bowl, Memphis/S. Florida (Sat., 12/20, 4:30 PM ESPN2)
2.5, 3.4 mil: Las Vegas Bowl, Arizona/BYU (Sat., 12/20, 8 PM ESPN)
0.8, 1.2 mil: New Orleans Bowl, Southern Miss/Troy (Sun., 12/21, 8:15 PM ESPN)
