Ratings for the Bowl Championship Series are down double-digits and several games have approached record low ratings.
Through Thursday, ratings for the three Bowl Championship Series games on FOX were down 10%, from an 8.2 average last year to a 7.4. All three BCS broadcasts on FOX have drawn less than an 8.0 final rating, and the three games are among the five lowest rated BCS broadcasts ever.
The Orange Bowl, featuring Kansas and Virginia Tech, drew a 7.4/12 on FOX Thursday night, tied as the second lowest rated BCS broadcast of all-time. The 7.4 marks a 20% decline from the game on the comparable night in ’07, the Sugar Bowl between LSU and Notre Dame. Compared to the ’07 Orange Bowl, the 7.4 rating marks a 6% increase; keep in mind the ’07 Orange Bowl is tied as the lowest rated BCS game ever.
Final national ratings for the Rose Bowl on ABC are currently unavailable.
Lowest rated BCS games.
7.0: 2008 Sugar Bowl, Georgia/Hawaii (1/1/08, 8:30 PM FOX)
7.0: 2007 Orange Bowl, Louisville/Wake Forest (1/2/07, 8 PM FOX)
7.4: 2008 Orange Bowl, Kansas/Virginia Tech (1/3/08, 8 PM FOX)
7.4: 2005 Fiesta Bowl, Utah/Pittsburgh (1/3/05, 8 PM ABC)
7.7: 2008 Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma/West Virginia (1/2/08, 8 PM FOX)
