College Football on TV: Oregon vs. UCLA

For the fourth week of the NCAA season, the Saturday-night college football match-up only featured one top-ten team, but by the end of the weekend, two of teams were in the top ten and two of the other teams that played in prime time on Saturday were not even in the top 25.

The marquee game on Saturday night, if there was one, was between no. 9 UCLA and no. 16 Arizona on ABC. The other game, no. 13 Oregon vs. no. 18 Utah on Fox, would seem to have less firepower, but the TV ratings for the game broadcast suggested otherwise. The Oregon/Utah game drew 3.4 million total viewers and earned a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 age demographic. The UCLA/Arizona game, by comparison, only drew about 2 million total viewers and earned a .7 rating in the 18-49 group.

The outcome of the games were in contrast to their ratings, however. Oregon was destroyed by Utah 62-20, and UCLA handily beat Arizona 56-30. In the AP poll that came out the day after the games, UCLA rose to no. 7, and Utah climbed to no. 10. Arizona and Oregon both fell out of the top 25 entirely. The tumble marks the first time that Oregon has been unranked since the 2009 season.