Ratings for TV up over 2014
The major-college football season kicked off Thursday night, and a lot more people were watching than a year ago.
ESPN’s doubleheader — North Carolina vs. South Carolina at 5 p.m. Central, followed by TCU at Minnesota at 8 p.m. — earned 40 percent and 27 percent overnight rating increases compared to the Thursday night openers in 2014.
Additionally, Jim Harbaugh’s first game as coach of the Michigan Wolverines — a loss at Utah that aired on Fox Sports 1 — was thought to have generated a large audience, but those numbers were not available Friday.
South Carolina’s 17-13 victory over North Carolina received a 2.1 overnight rating, 40 percent better than Boise State vs. Ole Miss on Aug. 28, 2014.
Second-ranked TCU’s 23-17 win over Minnesota had a 1.9 rating, 27 percent better than Boise State-Ole Miss a year ago when ESPN had just one game on that opening night.
The all-Carolinas game earned the fifth-best ESPN Thursday night rating of all time. Surprisingly, a Vanderbilt at South Carolina game on Aug. 30, 2012, remains the leader with a 2.6.
One last preseason poll: College football started this week, but we have one last preseason poll — or index — to consider.
ESPN Stats & Info laid down odds for which teams have the best chance to go undefeated.
The defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes were given a 32.4 percent chance to finish the season without a loss.
Baylor has the next-best odds of any team in the country. The Bears have an 11.8 percent chance of going undefeated, followed by Boise State (11.1) and TCU (10.7).