First, the results of last week’s predictions.
- College football on ABC, Florida/Florida State. Prediction: 6.8. Final rating: N/A.
- Saturday Night Football on ABC, Oklahoma/Oklahoma State. Prediction: 6.8. Final rating: 5.7. The 5.7 for the Sooners’ 61-41 win last Saturday was the fifth-highest rating for a college football game this season. The game drew a 43.5 rating in Oklahoma City.
- College football on ESPN, Notre Dame/USC. Prediction: 2.2. Final rating: 2.1. The 2.1 for Notre Dame/USC marks a 16% decline from a 2.5 for the comparable Pittsburgh/West Virginia game in ’07, but a 24% increase from a 1.7 for last year’s USC/Notre Dame game, which aired in October on NBC.
- Golf on ABC, LG Skins Game. Prediction: 1.0. Final rating: N/A.
- NFL on CBS, Steelers/Patriots. Prediction: 13.3. Final rating: 15.4. The 15.4 rating for Steelers/Patriots and Broncos/Jets last Sunday marks a 12% increase from Giants/Bears in ’07.
- Sunday Night Football on NBC, Bears/Vikings. Prediction: 9.7. Final rating: 9.6. While the 9.6 rating for Bears/Vikings is not too impressive for an NFL game, it marks a 5% increase from the comparable game last year.
This week’s predictions:
- SEC on CBS, Alabama/Florida, 4 PM Saturday — This titanic matchup in the SEC Championship Game should draw an even larger rating than the 5.9 for LSU/Tennessee a year ago. The highest rated SEC Championship Game on CBS was the 2001 title game, which drew a 7.9/15. Prediction: 6.4.
- College football on ABC, Boston College/Virginia Tech, 1 PM Saturday — For the second straight year, BC and Va. Tech meet in the ACC title game. Last year, their meeting drew a 4.1 rating. Prediction: 3.8.
- College football on ABC, USC/UCLA, 4:30 PM Saturday — The ratings for this rivalry game should increase from the 3.2 it drew in ’07. Prediction: 4.1.
- Saturday Night Football on ABC, Missouri/Oklahoma, 8 PM Saturday — In a season of big ratings for Big 12 games, look for the Big 12 Championship Game to draw another large audience, though one slightly smaller than the 6.6 for last year’s title game. Prediction: 6.3.
- BCS on FOX, BCS Selection Show, 8 PM Sunday — Thanks to its post-NFL timeslot, ratings for the BCS Selection Show have skyrocketed since moving to FOX in ’06. Last year’s Selection Show drew a 7.1 rating. Prediction: 7.2.
- NFL on FOX, Cowboys/Steelers, 4:15 PM Sunday — These NFL rivals meet for the first time in four years. The Cowboys are arguably the biggest draw in all of football, while the Steelers draw mammoth numbers every Sunday in Pittsburgh. With the game having major playoff implications, expect the biggest NFL rating of the season. Prediction: 16.3.
- Sunday Night Football on NBC, Washington/Ravens, 8:15 PM Sunday — With both teams fighting for playoff spots, this Beltway battle should draw decent numbers. Prediction: 9.9.
