In Brief : Fiesta Is Tops in TV Bowl Ratings

NEW YORK —  NBC’s Fiesta Bowl telecast beat ABC’s Rose Bowl game in the overnight ratings, but the margin of victory was narrower than expected.

Notre Dame’s 34-21 victory over West Virginia in the Fiesta received a 15 rating in major markets across the country, while Michigan’s 22-14 win over Southern California in the Rose earned a 12.7.

Because the national championship was at stake in the Fiesta, it was expected to overwhelm the Rose in their head-to-head meeting on television. But apparently many viewers switched from the Fiesta to the Rose after Notre Dame took a 23-6 halftime lead.

The Michigan-Southern Cal game wasn’t decided until the Wolverines intercepted a pass in the final minute.

It was the first Rose Bowl telecast for ABC, which last summer signed a nine-year, $100 million contract with the country’s oldest bowl. NBC had shown the game for 37 straight years.

According to the overnights, the third highest-rated bowl Monday was NBC’s Orange, which received a 11.2. It was followed by CBS’ Cotton at 10.2, ABC’s Sugar at 7.6, NBC’s Hall of Fame at 7.1 and ABC’s Citrus at 6.3.