While “America’s Next Top Model” takes its annual between-seasons hiatus, the CW has found a very capable space filler.

The third season of “Beauty and the Geek,” the Ashton Kutcher-produced reality show matching brainy guys and pretty girls, debuted last night to solid ratings among the adults 18-34 that the network targets and “Model” often dominates.

A special two-hour “Geek” averaged a 2.9 18-34 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, tying a series high set with season two’s premiere. The show also hit series highs in women 18-34 (3.5) and women 18-49 (2.7).

The show took second place in its two-hour timeslot in 18-34s and was first in women 18-34. Among total viewers, its 4.9 million was slightly lower than season two’s 4.95 million premiere.

That gives a big boost to the CW’s midseason, when it’s without its highest-rated show in “Model,” which returns this spring. The network needed a program that wouldn’t completely collapse in the same Wednesday 8 p.m. timeslot. With those numbers, “Geek” could become the network’s No. 2 show behind “Model” in 18-34s.

That will give it a strong platform to advertise midseason programming like the upcoming Pussycat Dolls reality series.

Meanwhile, college football led Fox to a first-place finish for second time in three nights among 18-49s with a 4.9 average rating and a 13 share. CBS was second at 3.2/8, NBC third at 3.0/8, ABC fourth at 2.5/7, CW fifth at 2.2/6 and Univision sixth at 1.7/4.

As a reminder, fast nationals measure timeslot data and not actual program data, and the Sugar Bowl lasted well past 11 p.m. Fox’s true performance won’t be clear until final ratings are released later today.
 
Fox led each hour of the night, beginning with a 4.1 rating at 8 p.m. for football pregame and the first portion of the game between LSU and Notre Dame. CBS was second with a 2.9 for an hour of “The King of Queens,” ABC third with a 2.6 for the premiere of “According to Jim” and Univision fourth with a 2.4 for “La Fea Mas Bella.” That left NBC fifth with a 2.3 for “Friday Night Lights” in its new timeslot premiere and CW sixth with a 2.0 for its first hour of “Beauty and the Geek.”
 
At 9 p.m. Fox led again with a 5.1 for football. CBS and NBC tied for second that hour at 3.5, CBS for a repeat of “Criminal Minds” and NBC for “Deal or No Deal.” That left ABC fourth with a 2.9 average for the could-be-better, could-be-worse premieres of “Knights of Prosperity” (3.0) and “In Case of Emergency” (2.7), CW fifth with a 2.5 for another hour of “Geek,” and Univision sixth with a 1.6 for “Mundo de Fieras.”
 
Fox continued to grow during the 10 p.m. hour with a 5.4 among 18-49s for football. NBC was second with a 3.3 for “Medium,” CBS third with a 3.2 for a repeat of “CSI: NY,” ABC fourth with a 2.1 for “Primetime” and Univision fifth with a 1.2 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
 
Among households, Fox led with a 9.0 rating and a 14 share. CBS finished second at 6.9/11, NBC third at 5.9/9, ABC fourth at 4.1/6, CW fifth at 3.0/5 and Univision sixth at 2.1/3.