Courtesy USA Today

(December 29, 2010) While years of national kvetching hasn't scuttled college football's Bowl Championship Series, it might be about to get hit with a broadside that finally gets some attention among the powers-that-be: Lots fewer people tuning into BCS games.

The BCS' computer algorithms and tarot cards managed to produce what could prove to be a historically less-than-mediagenic lineup. In ESPN's own ongoing, scientific polling of the U.S. population's favorite college football teams, only two BCS teams — top-ranked Ohio State and 10th-ranked Wisconsin — are among America's 10 favorite teams. Oregon, in the title game, is No. 17. Which sure beats its opponent Auburn, which ranks 38th. Orange Bowl-bound Connecticut, unranked in BCS standings, stands 51st among Americans. And in TCU, the Rose Bowl gets a team ranked 65th in popularity — only 0.2% of Americans call it their favorite.

Ouch. That ESPN is inheriting all BCS games — leaving about 14 million U.S. households cut off as BCS games for the first time won't air on broadcast TV — probably won't help things. But ESPN senior vice president Artie Bulgrin notes about 95% of last year's BCS viewers have cable/satellite TV so the change will be a "tiny" factor. The bigger deal, he says: "On paper, these aren't the strongest BCS pairings."

And how, given their TV track record this season. While CBS' Auburn (vs. Alabama) was the season's highest-rated game, Oregon was in just one of ESPN's five highest-rated games and only one of ABC's five highest-rated broadcasts, and that one only aired regionally. TCU played three games on Versus that drew less than 0.3% of U.S. cable TV households. Connecticut (vs. Rutgers) played just once on ESPN and drew 1.2% of U.S. cable households — about half what ESPN averaged.

It goes on. Eyeball-grabbers like Alabama, Penn State, Texas, Nebraska and Florida are in bowls, but not BCS bowls. Meaning the BCS might need miracles to even come close to the lowest BCS' average game rating — 9.4% of U.S. households for games after the 2008 season — since the BCS went to its current five-game format.

The most persuasive argument against the BCS might be made next week — with TV remotes. Nielsen households, it's in your hands.

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