Below is a cleaned-up, human-edited summary of television ratings from the BCS era. Figures are national household TV ratings (Nielsen), with listed attendance for context when available. Numbers are presented as historically reported. For full on-field outcomes from these seasons, see our BCS results over the years.
2007–08 Bowl Season
BCS Games
- BCS National Championship (LSU vs. Ohio State) — 17.40, Att. 79,651
- Rose (USC vs. Illinois) — 11.11, Att. 93,923
- Fiesta (West Virginia vs. Oklahoma) — 7.70, Att. 70,016
- Orange (Kansas vs. Virginia Tech) — 7.40, Att. 74,111
- Sugar (Georgia vs. Hawaii) — 7.00, Att. 74,383
Other Bowls (sample)
- Capital One (Michigan vs. Florida) — 9.13, Att. 69,748
- Chick-fil-A (Auburn vs. Clemson) — 5.09, Att. 74,413
- Holiday (Texas vs. Arizona State) — 4.38, Att. 64,020
- Outback (Tennessee vs. Wisconsin) — 3.37, Att. 60,121
- Alamo (Penn State vs. Texas A&M) — 2.67, Att. 66,166
- Insight (Oklahoma State vs. Indiana) — 0.40, Att. 48,892
(Additional bowls from this season also increased year-over-year in several cases.)
2006–07 Bowl Season
BCS Games
- BCS National Championship (Florida vs. Ohio State) — 17.40, Att. 93,852
- Rose (USC vs. Michigan) — 13.94, Att. 93,852
- Sugar (Notre Dame vs. LSU) — 9.29, Att. 77,781
- Fiesta (Boise State vs. Oklahoma) — 8.40, Att. 73,719
- Orange (Louisville vs. Wake Forest) — 6.98, Att. 74,470
Other Bowls (sample)
- Alamo (Texas vs. Iowa) — 5.99, Att. 65,875
- Outback (Tennessee vs. Penn State) — 4.36, Att. 65,601
- Holiday (Texas A&M vs. California) — 4.11, Att. 62,395
- Insight (Texas Tech vs. Minnesota) — 0.93, Att. 48,391
2005–06 Bowl Season
BCS Games
- Rose – BCS Title (USC vs. Texas) — 21.7, Att. 93,986 (highest BCS rating on record)
- Fiesta (Ohio State vs. Notre Dame) — 12.9, Att. 76,196
- Orange (Penn State vs. Florida State) — 12.3, Att. 77,773
- Sugar (Georgia vs. West Virginia) — 9.0, Att. 74,458
Notes from the season
- The USC–Texas classic delivered the highest BCS game rating ever and the highest college football rating since 1987.
- BCS bowl telecasts averaged a ~29.6% ratings increase season-over-season; overall bowl ratings rose ~15%; 16 bowls improved year-over-year.
2004–05 Bowl Season
BCS Games
- Orange (USC vs. Oklahoma) — 13.7, Att. 77,912
- Rose (Michigan vs. Texas) — 12.4, Att. 93,468
- Sugar (Auburn vs. Virginia Tech) — 9.5, Att. 77,349
- Fiesta (Utah vs. Pittsburgh) — 7.4, Att. 73,519
(Additional non-BCS bowls ranged roughly from ~0.6 to ~5.5.)
2003–04 Bowl Season
BCS Games
- Sugar (Oklahoma vs. LSU) — 14.5, Att. 79,342
- Rose (USC vs. Michigan) — 14.4, Att. 93,849
- Orange (Miami vs. Florida State) — 9.7, Att. 76,739
- Fiesta (Ohio State vs. Kansas State) — 8.7, Att. 73,425
(Other major non-BCS bowls ranged ~1.2–8.0.)
2002–03 Bowl Season
Context: In 2002–03 there were 105.4M U.S. TV households; a rating point equaled ~1% of TV homes.
BCS Games
- Fiesta – BCS Title (Ohio State vs. Miami) — 17.2 (ABC)
- Rose (Oklahoma vs. Washington State) — 11.3 (ABC)
- Orange (USC vs. Iowa) — 9.7 (ABC)
- Sugar (Florida State vs. Georgia) — 9.2 (ABC)
Notes:
- The Fiesta Bowl set a then-record for a BCS title game and was the top-rated TV program during the first week of 2003.
- Rose, Sugar, and Orange Bowls ticked up vs. comparable prior-year telecasts.
BCS Bowl All-Time TV Ratings (Select, 1998–2006)
(Highest to lower; * indicates BCS National Championship Game)
- Rose 2006 – Texas vs. USC — 21.7*
- Orange 2001 – Florida State vs. Oklahoma — 17.8*
- Sugar 2000 – Florida State vs. Virginia Tech — 17.5*
- Fiesta 2003 – Ohio State vs. Miami — 17.2* (tie)
- Fiesta 1999 – Florida State vs. Tennessee — 17.2* (tie)
- Sugar 2004 – LSU vs. Oklahoma — 14.5*
- Rose 2004 – Michigan vs. USC — 14.4
- Rose 2000 – Wisconsin vs. Stanford — 14.1
- Rose 2001 – Washington vs. Purdue — 14.0
- Rose 2002 – Miami vs. Nebraska — 13.9*
- Orange 2005 – USC vs. Oklahoma — 13.7*
- Rose 1999 – Wisconsin vs. UCLA — 13.3
- Sugar 2001 – Miami vs. Florida — 12.9 (tie)
- Fiesta 2006 – Ohio State vs. Notre Dame — 12.9 (tie)
- Rose 2005 – Texas vs. Michigan — 12.4
- Orange 2006 – Penn State vs. Florida State — 12.3
- Sugar 1999 – Ohio State vs. Texas A&M — 11.5
- Fiesta 2002 – Oregon vs. Colorado — 11.3 (tie)
- Orange 2000 – Michigan vs. Alabama — 11.3 (tie)
- Rose 2003 – Oklahoma vs. Washington State — 11.3 (tie)
- Fiesta 2001 – Oregon State vs. Notre Dame — 10.7
- Orange 2003 – USC vs. Iowa — 9.7 (tie)
- Orange 2004 – Miami vs. Florida State — 9.7 (tie)
- Fiesta 2000 – Nebraska vs. Tennessee — 9.5 (tie)
- Sugar 2005 – Auburn vs. Virginia Tech — 9.5 (tie)
- Orange 2002 – Florida vs. Maryland — 9.5 (tie)
- Sugar 2003 – Florida State vs. Georgia — 9.2
- Sugar 2006 – West Virginia vs. Georgia — 9.0
- Fiesta 2004 – Ohio State vs. Kansas State — 8.7
- Sugar 2002 – LSU vs. Illinois — 8.6
- Orange 1999 – Florida vs. Syracuse — 8.4
- Fiesta 2005 – Utah vs. Pittsburgh — 7.4
What These Numbers Say
- Marquee matchups move the needle. Games featuring unbeaten teams, dynastic programs, or Heisman winners consistently draw the highest ratings.
- Time slot and broadcast network matter. Prime-time broadcast windows on major networks typically outperform cable telecasts.
The 2005 Rose Bowl remains the gold standard. Texas–USC set the benchmark for modern college football TV audiences. For how these trends helped shape scheduling, broadcasting strategy, and the evolution of the postseason, see our future of media and postseason.
