(09-16-2013 04:34 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:31 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  Where are you getting the ratings for Tech-TCU? The Houston Chronicle normally doesn't post Thursday night ratings( the exception being Thanksgiving games)?

David Barron is a friend of mine. I e-mailed him at 3:18 this afternoon. He responded 12 minutes later with the info.

Yeah OK. Sorry Bit, I call BS. If true, why won't he post that on his blog?

Why would I lie when it's so easy to double check my accuracy? Feel free to e-mail David to confirm. He's got an "E-Mail Me" button at the bottom of the article.

What is crazier is the Astros drawing less than 1,000 households for one game this weekend. High school games on OTA TV in Charleston draw more than that.

(09-16-2013 04:07 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:03 PM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  TCU- Tech was also going against the NFL. The NFL just destroys ratings for every other thing on TV during their time slot. Thursday night college football is pretty much dead to the casual sports fan.

The Jets-Patriots on the NFL Network is not a good excuse. Tech-TCU was prime time on ESPN. Not ESPN2. I bet Tech-TCU did a lot better than 1.6 in DFW.

You didn't see last year's ratings. I think maybe 1 game on TH that faced NFL competition got better than a 2.1. UT/TCU was something like a 1.6 or 1.8 nationally and was the 3rd or 4th best.

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 03:51 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Games drawing better than a 1.0

Bama-A&M CBS 17.3
UCLA-Neb ABC 3.2
ND-Purdue ABC 2.9
TCU-Tech ESPN 1.6
L'vill-Kenty ESPN 1.4
Ohio St-Cal FOX 1.0

Where are you getting the ratings for Tech-TCU? The Houston Chronicle normally doesn't post Thursday night ratings( the exception being Thanksgiving games)?

http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/...-saturday/

Quote:And here are the local numbers for programs to which have access for ratings:Friday – Angels-Astros, CSNH, 0.4; Air Force-Boise State, ESPN, 0.7.

Saturday – Angels-Astros, CSNH, 0.04; Alabama-Texas A&M, Ch. 11, 17.3; UCLA-Nebraska, Ch. 13, 3.2; Tennessee-Oregon, Ch. 13, 0.9; Notre Dame-Purdue, Ch. 13, 2.9; Ohio State-California, Ch. 26, 1.0; Louisville-Kentucky, ESPN, 1.4; Nevada-Florida State, ESPN, 0.2; Vanderbilt-South Carolina, ESPN, 0.6; Wisconsin-Arizona State, ESPN, 0.6; College GameDay, ESPN, 1.4; College Football Today, Ch. 11, 4.9; A’s-Rangers, Ch. 26, 0.1; Chelsea-Everton, Ch. 2, 0.4; BMW Championship, Ch. 2, 0.8.

Interesting. Shows a couple of things:
1) People really aren't interested in potential blowouts (TN/OR, NV/FSU); and
2) People budget their time. A game matching top 10 teams sucks out the ratings on other games.

(09-16-2013 04:45 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:13 PM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:07 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:03 PM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  TCU- Tech was also going against the NFL. The NFL just destroys ratings for every other thing on TV during their time slot. Thursday night college football is pretty much dead to the casual sports fan.

The Jets-Patriots on the NFL Network is not a good excuse. Tech-TCU was prime time on ESPN. Not ESPN2.

Not sure if you are being serious or not? NFL Network was the most watched cable channel that night (actually most watched show on all of TV on Thursday) as it is every Thursday it has a game. Not saying that TCU-Tech did not do poorly in Houston, just that going against NFL games is no picnic. College football in general would be in a world of hurt if NFL games started being played on Saturday during the season. The casual sport fan is way way more interested in the NFL than they will ever be in college football.

If you're talking about ratings in Houston only, the question is what was the Jets-Patriots rating in Houston, not the national rating -- it's very likely that a New York vs. New England game has a much lower rating in Houston than nationally. Local ratings vary widely from national ratings. The Ohio State-Cal national rating (2.4) was more than twice the local rating in Houston, while the Alabama-TAMU rating in Houston was almost twice that game's national rating (9.0).

I think the poster might have been trying to backhandedly make the case that UH (where I didn't go to school btw) was at least as deserving as TCU for Big XII inclusion. And to show that the Big XII really has lost the Houston market (which is Texas' biggest market - and the fastest growing big city in the country) to the SEC.

Houston has always favored A&M over Texas (College Station is less than an hour from Houston's northern suburbs), but its gotten ridiculous how far the Big XII has fallen here. I get that Tech-TCU isn't going to outdraw A&M vs Alabama, but still I don't see much support for the Big XII here. It also hurts that Tech doesn't really draw from Houston (at least EIGHT SEC programs are closer). Baylor and TCU are private. UT has their fans and they support their team (good for them) but its not carrying the area.

The Big XII made a mistake IMHO by not taking Houston (which was reportedly blocked by UT) and ceded a the largest city in the state to another conference. The Big XII already had no real competition in the DFW metroplex from a big conference (and they have a team closeby as well - Baylor) and just doubled down there. They really didn't gain much as far as markets from TCU. Unless TCU continues to play above their weight, it might not be more than a space add for the Big XII.

You're pretty clueless for someone living in Houston. Houston has always favored Texas over Texas A&M, but it was a lot closer than the rest of the state. Look at the ratings jml keeps posting and you will see the facts. Baylor has a lot of support in Houston as well.

Good matchups draw well. Alabama/Georgia was the best rated game in Houston last year, but that doesn't mean it was an SEC market. Alabama/Auburn drew next to nothing nationally and in Houston. Good matches draw well and the SEC has had a lot of good matches in the last few years as it has had more of the top 10 than anyone else.

All is well!

UT is supreme!

Houston loves the Big 12!

(Is that you Deloss?)

(09-16-2013 03:51 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Games drawing better than a 1.0

Bama-A&M CBS 17.3
UCLA-Neb ABC 3.2
ND-Purdue ABC 2.9
TCU-Tech ESPN 1.6
L'vill-Kenty ESPN 1.4
Ohio St-Cal FOX 1.0

TTU-TCU did a 1.0 nationally among 18-49 and had over 2.2 million total viewers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09...e/202492/. This suggests a national rating of close to 1.6, which is pretty strong head to head with the NFL, but meaning that this game was no more popular in Houston than nationally.

(09-16-2013 05:06 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:34 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:31 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  Where are you getting the ratings for Tech-TCU? The Houston Chronicle normally doesn't post Thursday night ratings( the exception being Thanksgiving games)?

David Barron is a friend of mine. I e-mailed him at 3:18 this afternoon. He responded 12 minutes later with the info.

Yeah OK. Sorry Bit, I call BS. If true, why won't he post that on his blog?

Why would I lie when it's so easy to double check my accuracy? Feel free to e-mail David to confirm. He's got an "E-Mail Me" button at the bottom of the article.

Hail Cougar Red

For giggles (and since I was bored) I did just this, because I know and respect you enough as a poster that you wouldn't put it out there without having done what you said and sure enough, Barron e-mailed me back with that 1.6 rating in Houston (and I am not even a friend of his ).

Don't know why Jml didn't bother to do just that prior to his posting. As you pointed out, with the link provided, it was easy enough.

Cheers,
Neil

(09-16-2013 04:45 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  I think the poster might have been trying to backhandedly make the case that UH (where I didn't go to school btw) was at least as deserving as TCU for Big XII inclusion. And to show that the Big XII really has lost the Houston market (which is Texas' biggest market - and the fastest growing big city in the country) to the SEC.

Houston has always favored A&M over Texas (College Station is less than an hour from Houston's northern suburbs), but its gotten ridiculous how far the Big XII has fallen here. I get that Tech-TCU isn't going to outdraw A&M vs Alabama, but still I don't see much support for the Big XII here. It also hurts that Tech doesn't really draw from Houston (at least EIGHT SEC programs are closer). Baylor and TCU are private. UT has their fans and they support their team (good for them) but its not carrying the area.

The Big XII made a mistake IMHO by not taking Houston (which was reportedly blocked by UT) and ceded a the largest city in the state to another conference. The Big XII already had no real competition in the DFW metroplex from a big conference (and they have a team closeby as well - Baylor) and just doubled down there. They really didn't gain much as far as markets from TCU. Unless TCU continues to play above their weight, it might not be more than a space add for the Big XII.

1. It was definitely a slap in the face to the Big 12 because he and a few other hundred fans want to see them added to the Big 12 despite the fact that the Big 12 Texas & Oklahoma schools do not want them. Add in the fact that TV doesn't want them and they are desperate.

2. Houston is and always be a Big 12 & SEC town. Unless a Texas G5 school plays the big boys or is fighting a for a conference championship, it will always be that way. Here are the top 25 highest rated games in Houston since 2008.

2013 Bama-A&M CBS 17.3
2008 UT-Tech ABC 16.2
2009 UT-Neb ABC 15.7
2012-13 A&M-OU FOX 14.9 Cotton
2009 UT-A&M ESPN 13.8
2009 Flor-Ala CBS 12.3
2008 Tech-OU ABC 11.6
2008 UT-OU ABC 10.9
2009 Tech-UT ABC 10.9
2009 UT-OU ABC 10.8
2011 UH-USM ABC 10.6
2008 OSU-UT ABC 10.2
2012 A&M-Alabama CBS 9.6
2011 OU-UT ABC 9.5
2008 OSU-Tech ABC 9.4
2008 OU-OSU ABC 9.3
2008 Flor-Ala CBS 9.1
2009 KU-UT ABC 9
2009 UT-OSU ABC 8.9
2011 OSU-A&M ABC 8.4
2011 UT-Bay ABC 8.2
2012 Ala-Geor CBS 7.93
2011 UT-A&M ESPN 7.9
2009 Tech-Hou ESPN2 7.9
2009 UT-Mizz ABC 7.7

3. It wasn't just Texas that didn't want UH, it was Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma St as well as our TV providers. They simply do not add enough to our TV contract to warrant an invite. Why is that so hard to understand? Tech didn't want TCU but we were outvoted by other conference members who wanted a Texas school.

I just went back and searched the Houston Chronicle and they listed a total of 3 Thursday night games in 2012. Here they are:


TCU-Texas ESPN 2.2
Oregon-AZ State ESPN 0.8
Hou-SMU FSS 0.13

http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/...s-of-note/

Quote:And here are the weekend numbers for Houston:

Thursday: Houston-SMU, FSS, 0.13; Hurt Bell-Euless Trinity, CSNH, 0.11; Oregon-Arizona State, ESPN, 0.8; Celtics-Nets, TNT, 0.5.

Quote:A side note on the Thursday comparisons: Even though CSN Houston is not yet fully distributed in the Houston area, it nearly beat the UH-SMU game in households and actually led in several 25-54 and 18-49 demos. Impressive if you’re CSNH, less so if you’re UH.

So maybe it is entirely possible that David Baron has the ratings and just didn't put them in his blog. Oh well.

(09-16-2013 05:58 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:45 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:13 PM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:07 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  The Jets-Patriots on the NFL Network is not a good excuse. Tech-TCU was prime time on ESPN. Not ESPN2.

Not sure if you are being serious or not? NFL Network was the most watched cable channel that night (actually most watched show on all of TV on Thursday) as it is every Thursday it has a game. Not saying that TCU-Tech did not do poorly in Houston, just that going against NFL games is no picnic. College football in general would be in a world of hurt if NFL games started being played on Saturday during the season. The casual sport fan is way way more interested in the NFL than they will ever be in college football.

If you're talking about ratings in Houston only, the question is what was the Jets-Patriots rating in Houston, not the national rating -- it's very likely that a New York vs. New England game has a much lower rating in Houston than nationally. Local ratings vary widely from national ratings. The Ohio State-Cal national rating (2.4) was more than twice the local rating in Houston, while the Alabama-TAMU rating in Houston was almost twice that game's national rating (9.0).

I think the poster might have been trying to backhandedly make the case that UH (where I didn't go to school btw) was at least as deserving as TCU for Big XII inclusion. And to show that the Big XII really has lost the Houston market (which is Texas' biggest market - and the fastest growing big city in the country) to the SEC.

Houston has always favored A&M over Texas (College Station is less than an hour from Houston's northern suburbs), but its gotten ridiculous how far the Big XII has fallen here. I get that Tech-TCU isn't going to outdraw A&M vs Alabama, but still I don't see much support for the Big XII here. It also hurts that Tech doesn't really draw from Houston (at least EIGHT SEC programs are closer). Baylor and TCU are private. UT has their fans and they support their team (good for them) but its not carrying the area.

The Big XII made a mistake IMHO by not taking Houston (which was reportedly blocked by UT) and ceded a the largest city in the state to another conference. The Big XII already had no real competition in the DFW metroplex from a big conference (and they have a team closeby as well - Baylor) and just doubled down there. They really didn't gain much as far as markets from TCU. Unless TCU continues to play above their weight, it might not be more than a space add for the Big XII.

You're pretty clueless for someone living in Houston. Houston has always favored Texas over Texas A&M, but it was a lot closer than the rest of the state. Look at the ratings jml keeps posting and you will see the facts. Baylor has a lot of support in Houston as well.

Good matchups draw well. Alabama/Georgia was the best rated game in Houston last year, but that doesn't mean it was an SEC market. Alabama/Auburn drew next to nothing nationally and in Houston. Good matches draw well and the SEC has had a lot of good matches in the last few years as it has had more of the top 10 than anyone else.

I'm not aware of anyone who isn't an alumni of Baylor supporting the team. But then again, I don't go to Baptist Churches and I live inside the Loop instead of the burbs.

Regarding Texas and Texas A&M, I found it odd that the vast majority of my cohorts here in Houston are TAMU fans. I would think that because I'm liberal and UT has a more liberal reputation than TAMU that UT would have more support. But they don't. Part of the other problem with UT is that everyone who supports Rice and Houston hates UT and blames them (and not TAMU - perhaps unfairly) for their demotion when the SWC fell apart.

I don't know about the way it was in Texas in the past (I moved to Texas in 1997), but from my experience, TAMU predominates here now. And LSU has a LOT of fans here.

What are the Big XII matchups now? Besides UT and OU? Look, K-State and O-State have good programs, but are they really gonna move the needle if they're playing Baylor or Tech?

(09-16-2013 08:43 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  Houston is and always be a Big 12 & SEC town.

In 2012, the Top 15 Big 12 games not involving UT only averaged a 2.1 rating in Houston. These games were all on ABC or ESPN.

Compare the Top 15 2012 SEC games not involving A&M: 3.1 rating. Nearly 50% bigger.

Now that UH belongs to a conference with an ESPN contract, we'll start to get more apples to apples comparisons of how well UH does in this market. Based on the past few years, whenever we get on ESPN2 or ABC in the regular season, we normally do a lot better than 3.1.

At this point, after the A&M switch to the SEC with Aggie viewers now watching offbrand SEC games instead of offbrand Big 12 games, the only conclusion you can draw:

1A A&M games
1B Texas games
3 Houston games
4 Offbrand SEC games
5 Offbrand Big 12 games

(09-16-2013 09:14 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 05:58 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:45 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:13 PM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  Not sure if you are being serious or not? NFL Network was the most watched cable channel that night (actually most watched show on all of TV on Thursday) as it is every Thursday it has a game. Not saying that TCU-Tech did not do poorly in Houston, just that going against NFL games is no picnic. College football in general would be in a world of hurt if NFL games started being played on Saturday during the season. The casual sport fan is way way more interested in the NFL than they will ever be in college football.

If you're talking about ratings in Houston only, the question is what was the Jets-Patriots rating in Houston, not the national rating -- it's very likely that a New York vs. New England game has a much lower rating in Houston than nationally. Local ratings vary widely from national ratings. The Ohio State-Cal national rating (2.4) was more than twice the local rating in Houston, while the Alabama-TAMU rating in Houston was almost twice that game's national rating (9.0).

I think the poster might have been trying to backhandedly make the case that UH (where I didn't go to school btw) was at least as deserving as TCU for Big XII inclusion. And to show that the Big XII really has lost the Houston market (which is Texas' biggest market - and the fastest growing big city in the country) to the SEC.

Houston has always favored A&M over Texas (College Station is less than an hour from Houston's northern suburbs), but its gotten ridiculous how far the Big XII has fallen here. I get that Tech-TCU isn't going to outdraw A&M vs Alabama, but still I don't see much support for the Big XII here. It also hurts that Tech doesn't really draw from Houston (at least EIGHT SEC programs are closer). Baylor and TCU are private. UT has their fans and they support their team (good for them) but its not carrying the area.

The Big XII made a mistake IMHO by not taking Houston (which was reportedly blocked by UT) and ceded a the largest city in the state to another conference. The Big XII already had no real competition in the DFW metroplex from a big conference (and they have a team closeby as well - Baylor) and just doubled down there. They really didn't gain much as far as markets from TCU. Unless TCU continues to play above their weight, it might not be more than a space add for the Big XII.

You're pretty clueless for someone living in Houston. Houston has always favored Texas over Texas A&M, but it was a lot closer than the rest of the state. Look at the ratings jml keeps posting and you will see the facts. Baylor has a lot of support in Houston as well.

Good matchups draw well. Alabama/Georgia was the best rated game in Houston last year, but that doesn't mean it was an SEC market. Alabama/Auburn drew next to nothing nationally and in Houston. Good matches draw well and the SEC has had a lot of good matches in the last few years as it has had more of the top 10 than anyone else.

I'm not aware of anyone who isn't an alumni of Baylor supporting the team. But then again, I don't go to Baptist Churches and I live inside the Loop instead of the burbs.

Regarding Texas and Texas A&M, I found it odd that the vast majority of my cohorts here in Houston are TAMU fans. I would think that because I'm liberal and UT has a more liberal reputation than TAMU that UT would have more support. But they don't. Part of the other problem with UT is that everyone who supports Rice and Houston hates UT and blames them (and not TAMU - perhaps unfairly) for their demotion when the SWC fell apart.

I don't know about the way it was in Texas in the past (I moved to Texas in 1997), but from my experience, TAMU predominates here now. And LSU has a LOT of fans here.

What are the Big XII matchups now? Besides UT and OU? Look, K-State and O-State have good programs, but are they really gonna move the needle if they're playing Baylor or Tech?

Texas owns Dallas. Dallas-Houston feud continues.

(09-16-2013 09:26 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 08:43 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  Houston is and always be a Big 12 & SEC town.

In 2012, the Top 15 Big 12 games not involving UT only averaged a 2.1 rating in Houston. These games were all on ABC or ESPN.

Compare the Top 15 2012 SEC games not involving A&M: 3.1 rating. Nearly 50% bigger.

Now that UH belongs to a conference with an ESPN contract, we'll start to get more apples to apples comparisons of how well UH does in this market. Based on the past few years, whenever we get on ESPN2 or ABC in the regular season, we normally do a lot better than 3.1.

At this point, after the A&M switch to the SEC with Aggie viewers now watching offbrand SEC games instead of offbrand Big 12 games, the only conclusion you can draw:

1A A&M games
1B Texas games
3 Houston games
4 Offbrand SEC games
5 Offbrand Big 12 games

The Big 12 isn't worried. A&M will go back to their place as a middling power conference team. Johnny autograph and Kevin Sumlin won't be in College Station forever.

Like I said, Houstonians want to watch power football and right now a&m is the hot ticket but it won't stay that way.

(09-16-2013 09:35 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 09:14 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 05:58 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:45 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)Wedge Wrote:  If you're talking about ratings in Houston only, the question is what was the Jets-Patriots rating in Houston, not the national rating -- it's very likely that a New York vs. New England game has a much lower rating in Houston than nationally. Local ratings vary widely from national ratings. The Ohio State-Cal national rating (2.4) was more than twice the local rating in Houston, while the Alabama-TAMU rating in Houston was almost twice that game's national rating (9.0).

I think the poster might have been trying to backhandedly make the case that UH (where I didn't go to school btw) was at least as deserving as TCU for Big XII inclusion. And to show that the Big XII really has lost the Houston market (which is Texas' biggest market - and the fastest growing big city in the country) to the SEC.

Houston has always favored A&M over Texas (College Station is less than an hour from Houston's northern suburbs), but its gotten ridiculous how far the Big XII has fallen here. I get that Tech-TCU isn't going to outdraw A&M vs Alabama, but still I don't see much support for the Big XII here. It also hurts that Tech doesn't really draw from Houston (at least EIGHT SEC programs are closer). Baylor and TCU are private. UT has their fans and they support their team (good for them) but its not carrying the area.

The Big XII made a mistake IMHO by not taking Houston (which was reportedly blocked by UT) and ceded a the largest city in the state to another conference. The Big XII already had no real competition in the DFW metroplex from a big conference (and they have a team closeby as well - Baylor) and just doubled down there. They really didn't gain much as far as markets from TCU. Unless TCU continues to play above their weight, it might not be more than a space add for the Big XII.

You're pretty clueless for someone living in Houston. Houston has always favored Texas over Texas A&M, but it was a lot closer than the rest of the state. Look at the ratings jml keeps posting and you will see the facts. Baylor has a lot of support in Houston as well.

Good matchups draw well. Alabama/Georgia was the best rated game in Houston last year, but that doesn't mean it was an SEC market. Alabama/Auburn drew next to nothing nationally and in Houston. Good matches draw well and the SEC has had a lot of good matches in the last few years as it has had more of the top 10 than anyone else.

I'm not aware of anyone who isn't an alumni of Baylor supporting the team. But then again, I don't go to Baptist Churches and I live inside the Loop instead of the burbs.

Regarding Texas and Texas A&M, I found it odd that the vast majority of my cohorts here in Houston are TAMU fans. I would think that because I'm liberal and UT has a more liberal reputation than TAMU that UT would have more support. But they don't. Part of the other problem with UT is that everyone who supports Rice and Houston hates UT and blames them (and not TAMU - perhaps unfairly) for their demotion when the SWC fell apart.

I don't know about the way it was in Texas in the past (I moved to Texas in 1997), but from my experience, TAMU predominates here now. And LSU has a LOT of fans here.

What are the Big XII matchups now? Besides UT and OU? Look, K-State and O-State have good programs, but are they really gonna move the needle if they're playing Baylor or Tech?

Texas owns Dallas. Dallas-Houston feud continues.

As a former Houstonian, Dallas/Ft. Worth owns Houston. No fued except for the poor souls stuck in that humid swamp. They want to be like DFW but will can never quite reach that level. Sad thing, as former Houstonian, I still root for the Houston pro-teams.

(09-16-2013 09:14 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 05:58 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:45 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:26 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 04:13 PM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  Not sure if you are being serious or not? NFL Network was the most watched cable channel that night (actually most watched show on all of TV on Thursday) as it is every Thursday it has a game. Not saying that TCU-Tech did not do poorly in Houston, just that going against NFL games is no picnic. College football in general would be in a world of hurt if NFL games started being played on Saturday during the season. The casual sport fan is way way more interested in the NFL than they will ever be in college football.

If you're talking about ratings in Houston only, the question is what was the Jets-Patriots rating in Houston, not the national rating -- it's very likely that a New York vs. New England game has a much lower rating in Houston than nationally. Local ratings vary widely from national ratings. The Ohio State-Cal national rating (2.4) was more than twice the local rating in Houston, while the Alabama-TAMU rating in Houston was almost twice that game's national rating (9.0).

I think the poster might have been trying to backhandedly make the case that UH (where I didn't go to school btw) was at least as deserving as TCU for Big XII inclusion. And to show that the Big XII really has lost the Houston market (which is Texas' biggest market - and the fastest growing big city in the country) to the SEC.

Houston has always favored A&M over Texas (College Station is less than an hour from Houston's northern suburbs), but its gotten ridiculous how far the Big XII has fallen here. I get that Tech-TCU isn't going to outdraw A&M vs Alabama, but still I don't see much support for the Big XII here. It also hurts that Tech doesn't really draw from Houston (at least EIGHT SEC programs are closer). Baylor and TCU are private. UT has their fans and they support their team (good for them) but its not carrying the area.

The Big XII made a mistake IMHO by not taking Houston (which was reportedly blocked by UT) and ceded a the largest city in the state to another conference. The Big XII already had no real competition in the DFW metroplex from a big conference (and they have a team closeby as well - Baylor) and just doubled down there. They really didn't gain much as far as markets from TCU. Unless TCU continues to play above their weight, it might not be more than a space add for the Big XII.

You're pretty clueless for someone living in Houston. Houston has always favored Texas over Texas A&M, but it was a lot closer than the rest of the state. Look at the ratings jml keeps posting and you will see the facts. Baylor has a lot of support in Houston as well.

Good matchups draw well. Alabama/Georgia was the best rated game in Houston last year, but that doesn't mean it was an SEC market. Alabama/Auburn drew next to nothing nationally and in Houston. Good matches draw well and the SEC has had a lot of good matches in the last few years as it has had more of the top 10 than anyone else.

I'm not aware of anyone who isn't an alumni of Baylor supporting the team. But then again, I don't go to Baptist Churches and I live inside the Loop instead of the burbs.

Regarding Texas and Texas A&M, I found it odd that the vast majority of my cohorts here in Houston are TAMU fans. I would think that because I'm liberal and UT has a more liberal reputation than TAMU that UT would have more support. But they don't. Part of the other problem with UT is that everyone who supports Rice and Houston hates UT and blames them (and not TAMU - perhaps unfairly) for their demotion when the SWC fell apart.

I don't know about the way it was in Texas in the past (I moved to Texas in 1997), but from my experience, TAMU predominates here now. And LSU has a LOT of fans here.

What are the Big XII matchups now? Besides UT and OU? Look, K-State and O-State have good programs, but are they really gonna move the needle if they're playing Baylor or Tech?

Baylor has lots of alumns in Houston. LSU does as well. Neither has T-shirt fans unless they moved from Waco or Louisiana. I've got lots of Rice and UH friends and they don't "hate" UT.

There are really aren't a lot of t-shirt college fans in Houston. Its a pro sports town with lots of people who have moved from elsewhere. They'll watch good college football, but mostly watch pros.

(09-16-2013 09:26 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 08:43 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  Houston is and always be a Big 12 & SEC town.

In 2012, the Top 15 Big 12 games not involving UT only averaged a 2.1 rating in Houston. These games were all on ABC or ESPN.

Compare the Top 15 2012 SEC games not involving A&M: 3.1 rating. Nearly 50% bigger.

Now that UH belongs to a conference with an ESPN contract, we'll start to get more apples to apples comparisons of how well UH does in this market. Based on the past few years, whenever we get on ESPN2 or ABC in the regular season, we normally do a lot better than 3.1.

At this point, after the A&M switch to the SEC with Aggie viewers now watching offbrand SEC games instead of offbrand Big 12 games, the only conclusion you can draw:

1A A&M games
1B Texas games
3 Houston games
4 Offbrand SEC games
5 Offbrand Big 12 games

No, they are watching top 10 teams play. That they are in the SEC is coincidental to the ratings.

Yup, it can't possibly be that Texans like having a team in CFBs best conference.

The rationalizations in this thread are outstanding.

But we don't have to speculate.

OU/UT is the B12s big matchup

Lets see how it's ratings do and compare.

(09-17-2013 06:36 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  Yup, it can't possibly be that Texans like having a team in CFBs best conference.

The rationalizations in this thread are outstanding.

But we don't have to speculate.

OU/UT is the B12s big matchup

Lets see how it's ratings do and compare.

You want to thump your chests and look at one number. Try Alabama/Auburn last year. Look at that and you would say no one pays any attention to SEC football when the 2 time defending champion playing a well known rivalry hardly gets anyone to watch. Alabama/Georgia was the best rated game last year. Try facts for a change. People watch good football. And in Houston they watch Texas football to a good extent even when not good (look at those 2010 ratings on jml's lists). But in Houston they mostly watch the pros. Its not like Birmingham or Atlanta.

Just curious...do u know our ratings from the temple game?

And how do these ratings account for online viewing of espn 3?

(09-16-2013 09:26 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(09-16-2013 08:43 PM)jml2010 Wrote:  Houston is and always be a Big 12 & SEC town.

In 2012, the Top 15 Big 12 games not involving UT only averaged a 2.1 rating in Houston. These games were all on ABC or ESPN.

Compare the Top 15 2012 SEC games not involving A&M: 3.1 rating. Nearly 50% bigger.

Now that UH belongs to a conference with an ESPN contract, we'll start to get more apples to apples comparisons of how well UH does in this market. Based on the past few years, whenever we get on ESPN2 or ABC in the regular season, we normally do a lot better than 3.1.

At this point, after the A&M switch to the SEC with Aggie viewers now watching offbrand SEC games instead of offbrand Big 12 games, the only conclusion you can draw:

1A A&M games
1B Texas games
3 Houston games
4 Offbrand SEC games
5 Offbrand Big 12 games