SEC Nightmare
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204527804576043870683872488.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter
Which Teams Rule the Bowl Ratings?
—Darren Everson
When Southern California is in a bowl game, TV viewers tune in. Same goes for Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame and most teams in the Big Ten. Nebraska and Oklahoma surprisingly don't move the needle, though. And a few big-name schools—including LSU, Clemson and Georgia Tech—actually move it in the wrong direction.
To figure out which teams are the most popular TV draws during the bowl season, we looked at the national viewership figures for every bowl since 1998. We then ranked each school based on whether it exceeded or fell short of its bowls' average audience size. We only looked at major-conference schools (plus Notre Dame) that have played in at least six bowls. As one might expect, the big names did well. The best was USC, which exceeded its expected audience size by 29%. The most famous example of this was its epic national-title loss to Texas in 2006, which drew 35.6 million viewers—33% more than what the title game has averaged since its inception. Notre Dame (+21%) also fared well. The Fighting Irish's last bowl game, the 2008 Hawaii Bowl, drew a whopping 42% more viewers than usual.
Not so popular, surprisingly, was LSU (-9%). The Tigers have an rabid fan base, yet the national viewership figures for LSU's four major-bowl appearances were all below par. Nebraska's effect on viewership has been flat, while former Big Eight rival Oklahoma's impact has been slightly negative (-3%). But that's nothing compared to Virginia (-18%) and NC State (-17%).
Which Teams Rule the Bowl Ratings?
—Darren Everson
When Southern California is in a bowl game, TV viewers tune in. Same goes for Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame and most teams in the Big Ten. Nebraska and Oklahoma surprisingly don't move the needle, though. And a few big-name schools—including LSU, Clemson and Georgia Tech—actually move it in the wrong direction.
To figure out which teams are the most popular TV draws during the bowl season, we looked at the national viewership figures for every bowl since 1998. We then ranked each school based on whether it exceeded or fell short of its bowls' average audience size. We only looked at major-conference schools (plus Notre Dame) that have played in at least six bowls. As one might expect, the big names did well. The best was USC, which exceeded its expected audience size by 29%. The most famous example of this was its epic national-title loss to Texas in 2006, which drew 35.6 million viewers—33% more than what the title game has averaged since its inception. Notre Dame (+21%) also fared well. The Fighting Irish's last bowl game, the 2008 Hawaii Bowl, drew a whopping 42% more viewers than usual.
Not so popular, surprisingly, was LSU (-9%). The Tigers have an rabid fan base, yet the national viewership figures for LSU's four major-bowl appearances were all below par. Nebraska's effect on viewership has been flat, while former Big Eight rival Oklahoma's impact has been slightly negative (-3%). But that's nothing compared to Virginia (-18%) and NC State (-17%).
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