BCS Title Game's TV Rating Hurt by Rout
By: Associated Press
Updated: January 8, 2013
The BCS title game's preliminary television rating is up from last season, but the lopsided score kept viewership down.
Alabama's 42-14 rout over Notre Dame drew a 15.7 overnight rating Monday on ESPN. That's up 14 percent from last year's game, another blowout Crimson Tide victory, 21-0 over LSU. But it's down from the 16.1 for ESPN's first BCS championship two years ago, Auburn's win over Oregon that was decided in the final seconds.
The matchup between traditional powerhouses in Alabama and Notre Dame created the potential for a record-setting audience. But once the Crimson Tide went up 28-0 by halftime, viewers had reason to skip the second half.
Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets. ESPN expected full viewership numbers later Tuesday.
