Texas' Rose Bowl Victory Over USC Posts Record Numbers For ABC

ABC's eye-popping 22.7 overnight Nielsen for last night’s Rose Bowl proves that college football’s championship system, despite being the target of continuous complaints, still has the cachet to remain one of sports’ biggest draws. The final rating will surpass the ‘01 Orange Bowl as the highest ever for a BCS game. While retiring ABC exec Loren Matthews warns that “buzz and momentum” are at risk with a new format next year that will see the title game played about a week after the other BCS games, we’re sure Fox, which takes over rights to most BCS games, would disagree.

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