Capital One Bowl Shines in TV Ratings and Attendance

The 2007-08 bowl season was an outstanding one on all fronts for the Capital One Bowl, solidifying the New Years� Day game�s stronghold as one of college football�s premier postseason events. This year�s contest between Michigan and Florida has been widely-held as the finest game to be played in the �07-08 postseason and the television and attendance numbers reflect those sentiments.

In the recently-released television ratings, the 2008 Capital One Bowl was the highest-rated non-Bowl Championship Series game by a landslide and was the third-highest rated game overall, trailing only the BCS National Championship game (14.40) and the Rose Bowl (11.11). The 9.13 rating achieved by the game was the bowl�s highest since 1998 and was over a point higher than the Tostitos Fiesta, FedEx Orange and Allstate Sugar bowls.

Of the five BCS games and the Capital One Bowl, only two saw a positive percentage change in its ratings from last year as the FedEx Orange rose six percent while the Capital One improved 57 percent, second-best among all bowls. No other non-BCS bowl had a rating higher than 5.09 and the highest among those bowls (Chick-fil-A Bowl) had less than half of the more-than 10 million household impressions generated by the Capital One Bowl in 2007-08.

The high ratings are no aberration, however, as the Capital One Bowl has averaged a 7.7 rating over the course of the last 25 years.

“The BCS games and the Capital One Bowl traditionally lead the television ratings,� said FCSports Executive Director Steve Hogan, �but to have so many viewers share such an amazing game and see a class act like Lloyd Carr finish his career on a high note, was truly special. Add the recent successful vote for a major renovation of the stadium to the mix and this has been one unbelievable year here in Orlando.�

Attendance for the game also was at its best in recent years and one of the best of all time in Orlando. Florida Citrus Sports sold out this year�s game in a record 13 hours after announcing the teams chosen by its Selection Committee. The final game-day tally was 69,748, with over 4,000 of those seats being over the stadium�s normal capacity including temporary bleachers which were added and sold out within the 13-hour time frame. It was the eighth-highest attended game in the bowl�s rich 62-year history.

Also of note, Orlando�s other bowl game � the Champs Sports Bowl � ranked seventh among non-BCS bowls with a television rating of 3.69, giving Florida Citrus Sports two of the nation�s top-12 rated games. The rating was a 23 percent improvement over last year�s contest. The game between Boston College and Michigan State also posted its highest attendance (46,554) since coming to Orlando and the third-highest in the game�s 18 years overall.