College football’s opening weekend highlights the holiday weekend’s ratings forecast. Also on tap, Red Sox-Yankees and NASCAR.
Last Week’s Results
— Mayweather-McGregor. Prediction: 4.2M buys; result: not official yet.
— NFL: 49ers-Vikings. Prediction: 4.2; rating: 4.5.
— NFL: Chargers-Rams. Prediction: 2.5; rating: 1.4.
— CFB: Stanford-Rice. Prediction: 0.6; rating: 0.4.
— LLWS Championship. Prediction: 1.8; rating: 1.6.
— BIG3 Championship. Prediction: 0.6; rating: 0.5.
This Week’s Predictions (All times ET)
CFB: #1 Alabama-#3 FSU (8 PM Sat ABC)
- In one of the biggest opening weekend games ever, two of college football’s blue-chip programs square off on ABC’s Saturday Night Football. Alabama-FSU would be a strong matchup under almost any circumstances, but especially when the teams are ranked in the top three. Last year, Notre Dame-Texas delivered college football’s highest opening weekend rating since 2005 — a 6.4. That game aired unopposed on a Sunday night. Despite airing on a weaker night and facing actual competition, Alabama-FSU should set a new mark. Prediction: 7.0.
CFB: #11 Michigan-#17 Florida (3:30 PM Sat ABC)
- A bit further down the marquee is another top 25 matchup of college football bluebloods. Good numbers are to be expected, but last year’s LSU-Wisconsin game at Lambeau Field set a high enough bar — 4.6 — that ratings could very well drop. Prediction: 4.5.
CFB: #22 West Virginia-#21 Virginia Tech (7:30 PM Sun ABC)
- Last year, Notre Dame-Texas proved that the Sunday of Labor Day weekend can generate huge college football numbers. This year, West Virginia and Virginia Tech will provide a caveat — that matchups matter. That ratings will plummet from last year’s 6.4 goes without saying. The real question is, how low will the numbers go for a regional matchup of unspectacular teams? Prediction: 3.0.
CFB: Texas A&M-UCLA (7:30 PM Sun FOX)
- When these teams met in week one last year, their Saturday afternoon matchup had a 1.9 rating on CBS. Airing in a less competitive Sunday night window, it stands to reason that this year’s game will do better. Even so, do not expect particularly impressive numbers. Prediction: 2.3.
CFB: #25 Tennessee-Georgia Tech (8 PM Mon ESPN)
- College football’s opening weekend concludes with an uninspiring matchup. Tennessee had its moments last year, but it has been years since the Vols were truly relevant. Georgia Tech has never had much of a profile. This game may be lucky to reach even half of last year’s 4.8 for Mississippi-FSU. Prediction: 2.3.
MLB: Red Sox-Yankees (8 PM Sun ESPN)
- The Red Sox and Yankees are back on Sunday Night Baseball this weekend, coming off a 1.7 rating for their meeting last month – the highest for SNB outside of Opening Night since 2014. With college football offering a middling Sunday night slate, expect the rivals to deliver another strong performance this week. Prediction: 1.6.
NASCAR: Darlington (6 PM Sun NBCSN)
- Last year’s Southern 500 had a 2.8 rating opposite Notre Dame-Texas, the worst result for the race since 2000. This year’s race faces lighter competition, but a scheduling shift from NBC to NBCSN virtually guarantees lower numbers. Prediction: 2.1.
