Close BCS title game draws fewer viewers
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tim Tebow speaks on ESPN before the NCAA BCS National Championship college football game between Auburn and Florida State Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tim Tebow speaks on ESPN before the NCAA BCS National Championship college football game between Auburn and Florida State Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
PASADENA, Calif. >> The BCS title game’s wild finish couldn’t draw in more television viewers than last year’s blowout.
Florida State’s 34-31 last-second win over Auburn on Monday was watched by an average of 25.6 million viewers on ESPN. That’s down 3 percent from the 26.4 million for Alabama’s 42-14 rout of Notre Dame in a matchup of two big-name programs. Auburn’s last-minute victory over Oregon in 2011 averaged 27.3 million viewers.
As the BCS era comes to an end, the 14.4 rating is the third-lowest for the championship game, ahead of Miami-Nebraska in 2002 and USC-Oklahoma in 2005.
Ratings represent the percentage of homes with televisions tuned to a program.
