Even though the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers put on an offensive show in Oregon's 45-38 win in the Rose Bowl, ESPN's numbers compared to last season's TCU-Wisconsin game were down. The Rose Bowl overnight rating was 9.9, which was down 15% from last season's game. The top areas according to a tweet from ESPN's Josh Krulewitz were Milwaukee, Portland, Birmingham, Columbus and Seattle.
The Ducks defeated the Badgers behind quarterback Darron Thomas who threw for 268 yards, three touchdowns and one interception and D'Anthony Thomas who rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on only two carries, including a 91-yard scamper to end the second quarter.
But the offensive explosion couldn't overcome the ratings set by a 21-19 TCU win last season in a more defense-oriented ball game.
Maybe the state of Texas had something to do with it. The Ducks and Badgers put on a show. Those that missed it, missed out. Expect an e-mail from ESPN's higher-ups.