Ratings and viewership for college football’s Sugar Bowl, dating back to 1986 and 2001, respectively.
The Sugar Bowl has drawn single-digit ratings in eight of the last nine years, with the lone exception coming in 2004, when it served as the BCS National Championship Game. Since drawing a 7.0 in 2008 (the lowest Sugar Bowl rating of the BCS era), ratings have improved in each of the past two years.
Sugar Bowl Ratings Dating Back to 1986 (Viewership Since 2001)
Asterisk (*) indicates national championship game, or game that involved eventual national champion.
| Season | Date | Game | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2009-10
|
Fri., 1/1/10 | UF 51, CIN 24 | FOX |
8.5
|
15,533
|
|
2008-09
|
Fri., 1/2/09 | UTAH 31, ALA 17 | FOX |
7.8
|
13,369
|
|
2007-08
|
Tue., 1/1/08 | UGA 41, HAW 10 | FOX |
7.0
|
11,702
|
|
2006-07
|
Wed., 1/3/07 | LSU 41, ND 14 | FOX |
9.3
|
14,417
|
|
2005-06
|
Mon., 1/2/06 | WVU 38, UGA 35 | ABC |
9.0
|
13,590
|
|
2004-05
|
Mon., 1/3/05 | AUB 16, VT 13 | ABC |
9.5
|
14,198
|
|
2003-04
|
Sun., 1/4/04 | LSU 21, OK 14* | ABC |
14.8
|
23,937
|
|
2002-03
|
Wed., 1/1/03 | UGA 26, FSU 13 | ABC |
9.2
|
15,107
|
|
2001-02
|
Tue., 1/1/02 | LSU 47, ILL 34 | ABC |
8.6
|
13,058
|
|
2000-01
|
Tue., 1/2/01 | MIA 37, UF 20 | ABC |
13.0
|
19,783
|
|
1999-00
|
Tue., 1/4/00 | FSU 46, VT 29* | ABC |
17.5
|
26,962
|
|
1998-99
|
Fri., 1/1/99 | OSU 24, TAMU 14 | ABC |
11.5
|
n/a
|
|
1997-98
|
Thu., 1/1/98 | FSU 31, OSU 14 | ABC |
11.2
|
n/a
|
|
1996-97
|
Thu., 1/2/97 | UF 52, FSU 20* | ABC |
17.9
|
n/a
|
|
1995-96
|
Sun., 12/31/95 | VT 28, TEX 10 | ABC |
6.3
|
n/a
|
|
1994-95
|
Mon., 1/2/95 | FSU 23, UF 17 | ABC |
14.9
|
n/a
|
|
1993-94
|
Sat., 1/1/94 | UF 41, WVU 7 | ABC |
5.2
|
n/a
|
|
1992-93
|
Fri., 1/1/93 | ALA 34, MIA 13* | ABC |
18.2
|
n/a
|
|
1991-92
|
Wed., 1/1/92 | ND 39, UF 28 | ABC |
10.8
|
n/a
|
|
1990-91
|
Tue., 1/1/91 | TEN 23, VA 22 | ABC |
4.9
|
n/a
|
|
1989-90
|
Mon., 1/1/90 | MIA 33, ALA 25* | ABC |
7.4
|
n/a
|
|
1988-89
|
Mon., 1/2/89 | FSU 13, AUB 7 | ABC |
8.1
|
n/a
|
|
1987-88
|
Fri., 1/1/88 | AUB 16, SYR 16 | ABC |
7.9
|
n/a
|
|
1986-87
|
Thu., 1/1/87 | NEB 30, LSU 15 | ABC |
8.6
|
n/a
|
|
1985-86
|
Wed., 1/1/86 | TEN 35, MIA 7 | ABC |
6.8
|
n/a
|
(Pre-1996 ratings from “Unraveling yields inefficient matchings: evidence from post-season college football bowls,” RAND Journal of Economics)
