The Las Vegas Bowl was the highlight of a solid opening day of the college football bowl season.
The Utah/BYU Las Vegas Bowl drew a 2.4 overnight rating on ABC Saturday afternoon, up 50% from Utah/Colorado State last year (1.6), up a tick from USC/Fresno State in 2013 (2.3) and the highest mark for the game since 2012 — when Boise State/Washington drew a 3.0 on ESPN.
The 2.4 overnight was the highest of the day for a bowl game, with the inaugural Celebration Bowl between North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State ranking second (1.9).
Shifting to cable, the Arizona/New Mexico New Mexico Bowl had a 1.4 overnight on ESPN — up a tick from Utah State/UTEP last year (1.3) but down 26% from Colorado State/Washington State in 2013 (1.9). The Appalachian State/Ohio Camellia Bowl also drew a 1.4, up 133% from last year’s inaugural Bowling Green/South Alabama game, which faced NFL competition (0.6).
The Arkansas State/Louisiana Tech New Orleans Bowl rounded out the action with a mere 0.95 overnight, down 41% from UL-Lafayette/Nevada last year (1.6) and down 32% from UL-Lafayette/Tulane in 2013 (1.4). The Bulldogs’ win aired in primetime opposite the Jets/Cowboys NFL game on NFL Network (4.8). Last year’s game aired in an early morning timeslot, and the 2013 edition aired in primetime sans NFL competition.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
