Ratings predictions for this weekend’s sporting events, including Week 14 of the NFL season, the Army/Navy game, the Heisman Trophy Presentation, and college basketball action.
First, the results of last week’s predictions
| Sport | Game/Event | Net |
Prediction
|
Rating
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Steelers/Ravens | NBC |
12.3
|
13.4
|
| NBC drew a 13.4 final rating for last Sunday’s Steelers/Ravens game, up 7% from last year and up 40% from 2008. | ||||
| NFL | Cowboys/Colts (76%), ATL/TB (9%), CAR/SEA (8%) or STL/AZ (5%) | FOX |
15.8
|
16.3
|
| The Week 14 NFL national window earned a 16.3 final rating on FOX last Sunday afternoon, down 2% from last year, up 6% from 2008, and tied as the second-highest NFL rating of the season. | ||||
| NFL | Washington/Giants (51%), CHI/DET (18%), NO/CIN (13%) or SF/GB (9%) | FOX |
9.5
|
9.8
|
| The first game of last Sunday’s doubleheader on FOX drew a 9.8 final rating, up 10% from last year, and the second-highest rating of the season for the early doubleheader game on any network. | ||||
| NFL | Raiders/Chargers, CLE/MIA, BUF/MIN, JAX/TEN or DEN/KC | CBS |
9.0
|
8.6
|
| The 8.6 final rating for last week’s NFL singleheader on CBS marks a 14% decline from last year, and is tied as the lowest rating of the season for the singleheader window. | ||||
| College Football | Big 12 Championship Game (#9 OK/#13 NEB) | ABC |
6.3
|
5.3
|
| ABC drew a 5.3 final rating for the final Big 12 Championship Game last Saturday, down 29% from last year, down 4% from 2008, and the fifth-lowest rating in the history of the event. | ||||
| College Football | #2 Oregon/Oregon State | ABC |
5.5
|
4.2
|
| Oregon’s win over Oregon State last Saturday drew a 4.2 final rating on ABC, up 91% from last year. | ||||
| College Football | Rutgers/#24 West Virginia | ABC |
2.4
|
1.8
|
| Last Saturday’s Rutgers/West Virginia game drew a 1.8 final rating on ABC, down 62% from last year, and the second-lowest rating of the season for college football on ABC. | ||||
| College Football | SEC Championship Game (#1 AUB/#19 SC) | CBS |
6.0
|
6.0
|
| CBS earned a 6.0 final rating for last week’s SEC Championship Game, down 46% from last year, down 36% from 2008, but the third-highest rating for the event since 2001. | ||||
| College Football | ACC Championship Game (#21 FSU/#15 VT) | ESPN |
2.2
|
1.8
|
| The ACC Championship Game drew a 1.8 U.S. rating on ESPN last Saturday night, up 13% from last year, but the second-lowest rating in the history of the event. | ||||
| College BB | #11 Kentucky/North Carolina | CBS |
1.5
|
1.7
|
| CBS drew a 1.7 final rating for Kentucky/North Carolina last Saturday afternoon, up 13% from the same matchup last year. | ||||
| College BB | #1 Duke/Butler | ESPN |
1.3
|
0.8
|
| The Duke/Butler National Championship Game rematch drew a 0.8 U.S. rating on ESPN last Saturday afternoon. | ||||
This week’s predictions:
| Sport | Game/Event | Day/Time | Net | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Eagles/Cowboys | 8:20 PM Sunday | NBC |
13.0
|
| Three of the last four NFL telecasts to feature the Cowboys either nationally or as the primary game of a regional window have had declines in ratings, including their most recent Sunday Night Football appearance. Look for a reversal of that trend for Sunday’s battle between the Cowboys and the NFC East co-leading Eagles. Last year’s Week 14 Eagles/Giants game drew a 12.7. | ||||
| NFL | Patriots/Bears, MIA/NYJ, KC/SD, or DEN/AZ | 4:15 PM Sunday | CBS |
16.4
|
| The Week 14 NFL national window features the Patriots against the Bears in a battle of high profile, big market division leaders. Could a new NFL season-high be on the horizon? At the very least, expect a big increase from last year’s Week 14 window (14.7). | ||||
| NFL | Bengals/Steelers, OAK/JAX or CLE/BUF | 1 PM Sunday | CBS |
8.2
|
| Look for ratings to decline for the first game CBS’ Week 14 doubleheader. Two of the three games on the docket feature teams with 2-10 records (the Bengals and Bills). Last year’s window drew a 9.7. | ||||
| NFL | Giants/Vikings (49%), GB/DET (12%), STL/NO (12%), ATL/CAR (9%), SEA/SF (9%), TB/WSH (8%) | 1 or 4 PM Sunday | FOX |
12.1
|
| Despite his team’s sub-.500 record, Vikings QB Brett Favre continues to attract attention. With some drama over whether Favre will continue his record streak of consecutive NFL starts, and with the Vikings facing the big market, NFC East co-leading Giants, expect strong numbers for the Week 14 singleheader on FOX. Last year’s window drew a 10.6. | ||||
| College Football | Army/Navy | 2:30 PM Saturday | CBS |
3.5
|
| The college football regular season ends with Saturday’s Army/Navy game on CBS. Moving the game to the weekend after Championship Saturday proved successful last year, as ratings hit a ten-year high (3.7). For some perspective, the game had drawn less than a 2.5 rating in each of the three previous years. Expect another strong rating this year. | ||||
| College Football | Heisman Trophy Presentation | 8 PM Saturday | ESPN |
3.7
|
| Last year’s Heisman Trophy Presentation drew a 3.5 U.S. rating, the highest in at least ten years. The feeding frenzy surrounding Auburn QB Cam Newton should result in even bigger numbers for this year’s event. | ||||
| College BB | Saint Louis/Duke | 12 PM Saturday | CBS |
1.0
|
| Do not expect CBS to draw very high ratings for Saturday’s Saint Louis/Duke game. Last year’s Kentucky/Indiana matchup drew a 1.4. | ||||
