The Russell Athletic Bowl earned solid numbers on ESPN, but could not quite match last year.
The Clemson/Oklahoma Russell Athletic Bowl drew 4.9 million viewers on ESPN Monday evening, down 15% from Louisville/Miami last year (5.7M) but up 24% from Virginia Tech/Rutgers in 2012 (3.9M). Ratings for the game were not immediately available.
The Tigers’ blowout win ranks fifth in viewership out of the last eight editions of the game (previously the Champs Sports Bowl). The top four each involved Florida State or Miami.
Entering the New Year’s Six, the Russell Athletic Bowl was one of eight bowl games to have a double-digit drop in viewership compared to last year. Nine other games had a double-digit increase, however, and five were inaugural bowls for which no year-over-year comparison was possible.
(Mon. numbers from ShowBuzz Daily)
