Two years after scoring a 10.0 rating, the Notre Dame/USC rivalry could not even hit the 2.0 mark this year.
The Notre Dame/USC college football game drew a 1.5 overnight rating on FOX Saturday afternoon, down 32% from Notre Dame/Stanford last year, which aired in primetime (2.2). There was no comparable afternoon telecast on the network.
The 1.5 overnight is the lowest for any game between the rivals since at least 2008 — and likely further back. Two years ago, when Notre Dame’s win over USC clinched an appearance in the national title game, the game drew a 10.0 overnight on ABC.
In addition, the 1.5 is the second-lowest of the season for any Notre Dame game, ahead of only the season opener against Rice on NBC (1.4). Every other game had at least a 2.0 overnight.
The uncompetitive nature of the game — USC won by 35 points — and heavy competition from the other networks were the primary factors in the low rating. The game was no match for Florida/Florida State on ESPN (4.1), the Egg Bowl on CBS (3.3) or even ABC’s regional action (2.3).
In other weekend action, FOX drew a higher overnight for Arizona/Arizona State the previous day. The Wildcats’ win drew a 1.6 overnight, up 14% from Washington State/Washington last year (1.4).
Over on Fox Sports 1, Saturday’s Kansas/Kansas State game drew a mere 0.1 overnight during the crowded mid-afternoon window. Overnights were not available for the network’s other games, including TCU/Texas on Thanksgiving night.
(Wknd. overnights from Sports Business Daily)
