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BCS Championship TV Ratings Plummet

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – When the Bowl Championship Series left network television for cable giant ESPN, a drop-off in the ratings was expected. But Monday night's BCS championship game may have been the low point for the BCS.

The all-SEC matchup between the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide drew the lowest overnight rating of any BCS championship game in the history of the BCS.

Not only that, but the Alabama-LSU rating wasn't even close, 13.8, to the previous low of 14.3 for the 2002 Rose Bowl of Miami versus Nebraska.

The BCS Championship Game ratings were down more than 14 percent from last year's Auburn Tigers versus Oregon Ducks game. The game was also down 24 percent from Alabama's last national championship game in 2010.

According to the Los Angeles Times, every BCS game saw ratings decrease in 2012.

Alabama did pull off many historical feats yesterday, including the fact that they were the first team since 1936 to win a national championship without winning its conference championship.

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