Wednesday, January 4, 2012

12,000 Empty Seats for Sugar Bowl Game

As expected, the first BCS Bowl ever to feature neither a Top 10 team nor a conference champion, faltered mightily where it matters the most--attendance and TV ratings.  According to attendance figures, the Sugar Bowl, in fact, was not one of the top four bowls as it is expected to be.  Four lower tier bowls have already surpassed it:

Chick-fil-a ................ 72,919
Meineke Car Care  ... 68,395
Champs Sports ........ 68,305
Alamo Bowl .............. 65,256
Sugar Bowl ...............64,512

Last night's matchup between Michigan and Virginia Tech drew less than both Boise State Fiesta Bowls (2007 and 2010), which attracted 70,000+ fans. 

The television ratings were a 6.3 share for the Sugar Bowl.  That's down 10% from last year.  Serves them right.