The 2010-11 college football season got off to a slower start than last year.
ESPN drew a 1.6 U.S. rating and 2.510 million viewers for Southern Miss/South Carolina on Thursday night, down 24% in ratings and 23% in viewership from South Carolina/N.C. State last year (2.1, 3.263 mil), but up 7% and 4%, respectively, from N.C. State/South Carolina in ’08 (1.5, 2.401 mil).
To put the numbers in perspective, ESPN attracted substantially larger audiences for NFL preseason games this summer — including a 3.6 and 5.729 million for Colts/Packers exactly one week earlier.
If the NFL seems like an unfair comparison, consider that a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on ESPN2 drew similar numbers last Sunday (1.5, 2.328 mil).
Of course, college football remains a very powerful draw on ESPN/ESPN2, even if Thursday’s opener was not exactly a blockbuster. Last season, ESPN had its most-viewed regular season since 1994 and its most-viewed bowl season ever. The season included the second-most viewed non-NFL telecast ever on ESPN — USC/Ohio State on September 12 (10.586 mil).
Ratings and viewership for Thursday’s USC/Hawaii nightcap were unavailable.
