Heading into the National Championship Game, ratings are up for the Bowl Championship Series.
Through Monday’s Fiesta Bowl, four BCS bowls have averaged an 8.8 rating on FOX and ABC, up 6% from an 8.3 through the same four bowls last year. The 8.8 is the highest average rating for the non-National Championship BCS bowls since 2007, but the second-lowest average ever.
So far this year, three of the four BCS bowl games have drawn higher ratings than the same games in ’08, with the lone exception being the Orange Bowl — which drew a record low 5.4 rating, down 23% from last year. The Fiesta Bowl saw the biggest increase, as the 10.4 rating for Texas/Ohio State was up 35% from last year.
The highest rated game was the Rose Bowl, which drew an 11.7 rating on New Year’s Day. Excluding National Championship games, the Rose Bowl has been the highest rated BCS bowl every year since the inception of the BCS in ’99.
BCS bowl ratings.
11.7: Rose, USC/Penn St. (Thu., 1/1/09, 5 PM ABC)
5.4: Orange, Va. Tech/Cincinnati (Thu., 1/1/09, 8:30 PM FOX)
7.8: Sugar, Utah/Alabama (Fri., 1/2/09, 8 PM FOX)
10.4: Fiesta, Texas/Ohio St. (Mon., 1/5/09, 8 PM FOX)
