September 10th, 2013 at 10:08 PM ^
Please come back...
September 10th, 2013 at 10:26 PM ^
Just think about the numbers for Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame in 2015!
But seriously, it was a good game between marquee teams. I'd be amazed if anyone outside of South Bend thinks it is a good idea to keep Purdue on the schedule and rotate UM out.
September 11th, 2013 at 7:22 AM ^
Well, considering their team's BCS bowl chances took a major hit after last Saturday, they may have a different perspective on this than we do.
September 10th, 2013 at 10:39 PM ^
could we please change this title to something factually accurate?
September 11th, 2013 at 1:12 AM ^
the article linked does not say what your title says.
reading comprehension is not your strength.
September 11th, 2013 at 8:46 AM ^
The OP might be correct. But seems unlikely, given the way their headline is structured -- if it were their highest-rated regular-season game ever, they would have said that.
... Heads off to internet to try to find answers for two questions:
[1] What is highest rated regular-season game in television history?
[2] What is highest-rated regular-season game in ESPN history?
September 11th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
Q1 is easy, first result of first search: LINK
UTL II = 8.65 million, 5.3 rating
~
- 1993 Florida State v. Notre Dame = 22 million, 16.0 rating
- 2006 Michigan v. Ohio = 21 million, 13.0 raing
- 2011 Lousiana State v. Alabama = 20 million, 11.5 rating
- 2009 Florida v. Alabama = 18 million, 11.1 rating
- 2012 Southern Cal v. Notre Dame = 16 million, 9.4 rating
So not even top ten for Q1.
Another tidbit from that link: ABC broadcast four ND regular-season games in 2012 averaging, wait for it, 8.84 million, 5.3 rating.
As for Q2, I'll work on it, but I can't say I really give a damn. If you count "ESPN on ABC" broadcasts, then the answer is #5 on the list above. But no, they don't count.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:10 AM ^
It's an apples/oranges comparison though, because we're talking about a game in September compared to the games in your list (which all took place in November IIRC). I'd be curious to know how it compares to other September broadcasts.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:37 AM ^
Yes, I know -- I just wanted to put the numbers into perspective. Interesting, though, that it appears there is a halfway decent chance that, reading-comprehension issues aside, the OP is correct (see my "Q2" comment below for link), if only because pretty much all major games in the past have ended up on the networks.
Last year's top September games both featured Michigan, but with ratings somewhat below UTL II:
- Michigan v. Alabama = 7.9 million, 4.8 rating
- Michigan v. Notre Dame = 6.4 million, 4.0 rating
September 11th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^
This all I'm going to do for Q2, since this thread will soon be gone from the front page...
UTL II blew away the highest-rated game on ESPN for all of last year, South Carolina v. Louisiana State = 6 million, 3.7 rating. [LINK]
So it is conceivable that UTL II is ESPN's highest-rated regular-season game ever.
September 11th, 2013 at 10:06 AM ^
The fact is clear - ND did in fact chicken out by ending the series with Michigan while preserving it with inferior MSU and Purdue. You'll note how ESPN, out of political correctness and to not offend MSU and Purdue fans, consistently fails to correctly frame Hoke's "chickened out" comment. ESPN says Hoke's comment refers to ND ending the series to honor its 5 ACC games commitment, when in fact Hoke's comment had nothing to do with that, and everything to do with that, of the three Big Ten series in place, ND chose to end the one with the only team regulary kicking its ass and, with how programs and recruiting are trending (lol MSU and Purdue) would continue to kick Irish ass for the foreseeable future.
But at some point we all need to step off ND's jock and just let it go. Domers will be domers and they'll give themselves 95% of the credit for the high ratings last weekend because to them ND is such an intergalactic brand and Michigan to them is just a regional brand in a mediocre conference. Well, we happen to have a pretty solid brand here too, but the more you all lament the end of the series, the more you feed into Domer Nation's perception that Michigan needs ND a lot more than ND needs Michigan.
They are chicken shits, we can laugh about it, but fuck em, we're Michigan fergodsakes we'll kill ratings just as well without them.
September 11th, 2013 at 11:04 AM ^
Swarbrick will call Brandon once NBC starts their complaints. Can't justify re-upping that contract when 2/3 of the schedule is Puke, Wake Forest, Syracuse, and Temple.