The SEC Championship Game was by far the highest rated college football game on Championship weekend.
Florida’s win over Alabama drew a 9.3/20 final rating on CBS Saturday, up 58% from last year’s SEC title game between LSU and Tennessee. The 9.3 is the highest rating of the season for a college football year, and the third-highest rating of the calendar year — behind only the BCS National Championship Game and the Rose Bowl in January.
The 9.3 for the SEC Championship Game was 69% higher than the next highest rated game, the Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma’s win over Missouri drew a 5.5/10 final rating on ABC Saturday night, down 17% from a 6.6 for the same match-up in ’07.
The ACC Championship Game drew its lowest ratings ever, as Virginia Tech’s victory over Boston College drew only a 2.6 final rating early Saturday afternoon. The 2.6 marks a 37% drop from a 4.1 for last year’s game, which featured the same two teams.
Finally, the MAC Championship on December 5 drew a 1.5 U.S. rating (1.7 cable rating) on ESPN2. The 1.7 cable rating is the second highest ever for a MAC telecast on ESPN or ESPN2.
Of the non-championship college football games last weekend, USC/UCLA drew a mere 2.5 final rating on ABC opposite the SEC title game. The 2.5 rating marks a 22% decline from a 3.1 for last year’s game, and a 66% decline from the 7.3 the game drew in ’06, when a trip to the National Championship Game was on the line.
Meanwhile, the Army/Navy game on CBS drew a 2.0/5 final rating, down 9% from last year and the lowest rating ever for that rivalry game.
Championship Saturday ratings.
9.3: SEC Championship: Florida/Alabama (Sat., 12/6, 4 PM CBS)
5.5: Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma/Missouri (Sat., 12/6, 8 PM ABC)
2.6: ACC Championship: Virginia Tech/Boston College (Sat., 12/6, 1 PM ABC)
1.5: MAC Championship: Buffalo/Ball State (Fri., 12/5, ESPN2)
