It’s show time

An interesting report on bowl games and television ratings from Sam Walker at WSJ.com . It begins:

As college football’s bowl season begins in earnest, it’s time to have a look at the latest rankings. The nation’s top team isn’t USC, it’s the Oregon Ducks. Notre Dame isn’t as strong as it seems, Texas is a big disappointment and West Virginia is a doormat.

We aren’t talking about their performances on the football field, of course. This ranking is a measure of something that’s much less obvious to the public but just as significant to these schools in the long run: how many people watch their bowl games on television.

Link via The Sports Economist.