Close BCS title game draws fewer viewers
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Tim Tebow speaks on ESPN before the NCAA BCS National Championship college football game between Auburn and Florida State Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
PASADENA, Calif. >> The BCS title game’s wild finish couldn’t draw in more television viewers than last year’s blowout.
Florida State’s 34-31 last-second win over Auburn on Monday was watched by an average of 25.6 million viewers on ESPN. That’s down 3 percent from the 26.4 million for Alabama’s 42-14 rout of Notre Dame in a matchup of two big-name programs. Auburn’s last-minute victory over Oregon in 2011 averaged 27.3 million viewers.
As the BCS era comes to an end, the 14.4 rating is the third-lowest for the championship game, ahead of Miami-Nebraska in 2002 and USC-Oklahoma in 2005.
Ratings represent the percentage of homes with televisions tuned to a program.
