 |
Oregon Played In Only One Of ESPN's Five
Highest-Rated Games This Season |
There may be "fewer people tuning into BCS games" this season, as the matchups "could prove to be a historically less-than-mediagenic lineup," according to Michael Hiestand of USA TODAY. The fact that ESPN is "inheriting all BCS games -- leaving about 14 million U.S. households cut off as BCS games for the first time won't air on broadcast TV -- probably won't help things." However, ESPN Senior VP/Research & Analytics Artie Bulgrin said that "about 95% of last year's BCS viewers have cable/satellite TV so the damage will be a 'tiny' factor." Bulgrin added a "bigger deal" is that, "on paper, these aren't the strongest BCS pairings." The Tostitos BCS National Championship Game features Auburn and Oregon, and while CBS' telecast of the Nov. 26 Auburn-Alabama game "was the season's highest-rated game, Oregon was in just one of ESPN's five highest-rated games and only one of ABC's five highest-rated broadcasts" (USA TODAY, 12/29).
BIG NAMES, BIG RATINGS: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Darren Everson noted the paper analyzed national viewership figures for every bowl since '98 and then "ranked each school based on whether it exceeded or fell short of its bowls' average audience size." The "big names did well ... as one might expect," and the best was USC, which exceeded its expected audience size by 28.7% (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/27).
| RANK | BEST DRAWS (# OF BOWLS) | VIEWERSHIP EFFECT |
| 1 | USC (10) | 28.7% |
| 2 | Florida State (12) | 22.6% |
| 3 | Notre Dame (7) | 20.8% |
| 4 | Miami (Fla.) (11) | 15.7% |
| 5 | Michigan (10) | 12.0% |
| RANK | WORST DRAWS (# OF BOWLS) | VIEWERSHIP EFFECT |
| 1 | Virginia (8) | -18.3% |
| 2 | N.C. State (7) | -17.0% |
| 3 | Georgia Tech (12) | -14.7% |
| 4 | LSU (10) | -8.9% |
| 5 | Clemson (10) | -7.9% |
| | | |
HIGH-PROFILE ADDITION? Outgoing Univ. of Florida football coach Urban Meyer, when asked yesterday about the "possibility of joining ESPN," said, "I think so." In Orlando, Rachel George notes Meyer was at ESPN last week "for an interview and to be part of the network's coverage" of the Boise State-Utah MAACO Las Vegas Bowl. Meyer: "What I found out is, what a place. Great people" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 12/29). Meyer said that he is "not concerned about whether he takes a job there until after" the Jan. 1 Florida-Penn State Outback Bowl, his last game as Florida coach. ESPN Communications Manager Mike Humes said Meyer's "expertise and perspective from two national titles and more than 100 wins would be a great addition." USA TODAY's Hiestand writes Meyer "is a natural for TV: famous and fresh from the game" (USA TODAY, 12/29). In Jacksonville, Michael DiRocco reports Meyer "essentially had a successful audition" during his visit to ESPN and said that he "had a good time" during his stay (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 12/29).
