Fox kicked off its Bowl Championship Series coverage with the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s evening, and it lifted the network to a win despite strong competition from NBC.

Fox averaged a 4.7 adults 18-49 rating and 11 share, according to Nielsen overnights, just ahead of NBC’s 4.3/10 for a night of original programming.

The Sugar Bowl, in which Georgia romped past undefeated Hawaii 41-10, began at 8 p.m. and lasted past 11, so ratings are approximate. Fast nationals measure primetime timeslot and not actual program data.

The game peaked with a 5.7 from 9 to 10 p.m., against strong competition from NBC’s “Biggest Loser.” That show averaged a 5.1 for the second hour of a two-hour season premiere, coming two weeks after a highly rated fourth-season ender.

“Loser’s” 4.3 average over two hours was up 39 percent from its season four premiere and marked its best debut to date.

BCS games will continue the next two nights, culminating in the BCS championship between LSU and Ohio State on Jan. 7.

The other networks trailed well behind Fox and NBC for the night. ABC placed third at 2.2/5, followed by CBS in fourth at 1.9/4, Univision fifth at 0.8/2 and CW sixth at 0.5/1.
 
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 4.1 for its first hour of Sugar Bowl coverage, followed by NBC with a 3.6 for its first hour of “Loser.” ABC was third with a 3.2 for the end of its Rose Bowl coverage and an episode of summer hidden camera series “Just for Laughs” (2.6), CBS fourth with a 2.3 for a repeat of “NCIS,” Univision fifth with a 0.9 for the first hour of its re-airing of the “Latin Grammy Awards” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “Crowned.”
 
Fox led again at 9 p.m. with a 5.7 for its Sugar Bowl coverage, with NBC second with a 5.1 for its second half of “Loser.” ABC and CBS tied for third at 1.7, ABC for an hour of “According to Jim” and CBS for a repeat of “The Unit,” with Univision fifth with a 0.9 for its second hour of the “Latin Grammys” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a “One Tree Hill” rerun.
 
At 10 p.m. Fox and NBC tied for the lead at 4.2, Fox for the Sugar Bowl and NBC for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” ABC was third with a 1.8 for a repeat of “Boston Legal,” CBS fourth with a 1.6 for “48 Hours Mystery” and Univision fifth with a 0.7 for its last hour of the “Latin Grammys.”
 
Among households, Fox finished No. 1 for the night with a 7.1 average overnight rating and an 11 share. NBC was second at 6.7/11, CBS third at 5.5/9, ABC fourth at 4.0/6, Univision fifth at 1.1/2 and CW sixth at 1.0/2.