After a two-year absence, the Capital One Bowl is returning to network television.
The 2013 Capital One Bowl will air on ABC January 1 at 1:00 PM ET, marking the first time the game has aired on the network since 2010. The game aired on ESPN in each of the past two seasons.
With the Capital One Bowl airing on ABC, the Outback Bowl will return to ESPN.
The move should give the Capital One Bowl a boost in ratings. In two seasons on ESPN, the game drew ratings of 3.7 (2011) and 2.9 (2012). By comparison, the previous fifteen editions of the game on ABC (1996 to 2010) drew at least a 5.0 rating.
Ratings/Viewership For the Capital One Bowl
Past decade
| Year | Date | Winner | Loser | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mon., 1/2/12 | S. Carolina | Nebraska | ESPN |
2.9
|
4,499
|
| 2011 | Sat., 1/1/11 | Alabama | Michigan St. | ESPN |
3.7
|
6,045
|
| 2010 | Fri., 1/1/10 | Penn State | LSU | ABC |
6.9
|
11,691
|
| 2009 | Thu., 1/1/09 | Georgia | Miss. State | ABC |
6.4
|
10,839
|
| 2008 | Tue., 1/1/08 | Michigan | Florida | ABC |
9.1
|
14,780
|
| 2007 | Mon., 1/1/07 | Wisconsin | Arkansas | ABC |
5.8
|
9,615
|
| 2006 | Mon., 1/2/06 | Wisconsin | Auburn | ABC |
5.2
|
7,799
|
| 2005 | Sat., 1/1/05 | Iowa | LSU | ABC |
5.5
|
8,730
|
| 2004 | Thu., 1/1/04 | Georgia | Purdue | ABC |
7.4
|
11,595
|
| 2003 | Wed., 1/1/03 | Auburn | Penn State | ABC |
5.9
|
9,451
|
| 2002 | Tue., 1/1/02 | Tennessee | Michigan | ABC |
6.5
|
10,800
|
(Information from ESPN Media Zone)
