The college football bowl season is off to a strong start in the ratings.
Excluding the Motor City Bowl, five bowl games last week saw increased viewership from last year, including increases of over 100% for the Poinsettia and Hawaii Bowls.
On Saturday, the Meineke Car Care Bowl between West Virginia and North Carolina drew a 3.9 national rating and 5.9 million viewers, up 26% in viewers from 4.7 million for last year’s tilt between Wake Forest and UConn.
The game that followed, the Champs Sports Bowl between Florida State and Wisconsin, drew a 4.5 national rating and 7.1 million viewers, making the Seminoles’ victory the highest rated, most viewed game of the bowl season so far. The 7.1 million viewers is a 51% increase over 4.7 million viewers for last year’s Boston College/Michigan State game.
The nightcap on Saturday, the Emerald Bowl featuring Miami and California, drew a 4.0 rating with 6.5 million viewers, a 40% increase in viewership from 4.6 million for Oregon State/Maryland in ’07.
Earlier in the week, the Poinsettia Bowl between TCU and Boise State drew 5.1 million viewers, up 115% from ’07, while the Hawaii Bowl between Notre Dame against Hawaii drew 4.4 million, up 119%.
Excluding the Motor City Bowl and the two inaugural bowl games that have been played this year, eight bowl games on ESPN and ESPN2 have averaged approximately 4.6 million viewers — a 44% increase over 3.2 million for the same eight bowl games in ’07.
Viewership for bowl games.
through last Saturday
2.9 mil: EagleBank, WF/Navy (Sat., 12/20, 11 AM ESPN)
3.4 mil: New Mexico, Colorado St./Fresno St. (Sat., 12/20, 2:30 PM ESPN)
1.7 mil: St. Petersburg, Memphis/S. Florida (Sat., 12/20, 4:30 PM ESPN2)
3.4 mil: Las Vegas, Arizona/BYU (Sat., 12/20, 8 PM ESPN)
1.2 mil: New Orleans, Southern Miss/Troy (Sun., 12/21, 8:15 PM ESPN)
5.1 mil: Poinsettia, TCU/Boise St. (Tue., 12/23, 8 PM ESPN)
4.4 mil: Hawaii, Notre Dame/Hawaii (Wed., 12/24, 8 PM ESPN)
N/A mil: Motor City, FAU/Central Michigan (Fri., 12/26, 7:30 PM ESPN)
5.9 mil: Meineke Car Care, Wake Forest/N. Carolina (Sat., 12/27, 12:55 PM ESPN)
7.1 mil: Champs Sports, Florida St./Wisconsin (Sat., 12/27, 4:30 PM ESPN)
6.5 mil: Emerald, California/Miami (Sat., 12/27, 8 PM ESPN)
