College football
kicks off strong for ESPN
Boise State-Virginia Tech game averages a 6.8 rating
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Sep 8, 2010
Boise State got off to a strong start to the college football season, and so did ESPN.
ESPN's coverage of the much-hyped Boise State-Virginia Tech game in primetime Monday drew strong ratings, suggesting a big year on tap for college football.
The contest, played at FedEx Field in Maryland, posted a 6.8 household rating from 8 to 11:45 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, 21 percent better than the equivalent game last year, Miami-Florida State, which averaged a 5.6.
It marked ESPN's best Labor Day college football game rating in 20 years (though that only includes six primetime games).
And it lifted ESPN to first place among all networks, broadcast or cable, albeit against very light competition.
It's a good sign for the college football season, which kicked off last week. Third-ranked Boise State proved its mettle against 10th-ranked Virginia Tech, which will give the pundits something to talk about for weeks.
Though it's not uncommon for top-25 teams to match up during the first weeks of the season, to have a game with this high of stakes in the very first weekend is unusual. Yet for the Broncos, every game this season is a must-win for a shot at No. 1.
Boise State hails from the WAC, which is not one of the six so-called BCS conferences, the ones that earn automatic BCS bowl bids, and so many believe the squad must go undefeated this season to earn a berth in the season-ending championship game.
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