The ABC/ESPN conglomerate recently made a billion dollar deal with the SEC to lock up a large part of that conference's TV rights through 2014. They also may be getting ready to jump back into the BCS Championship Bowl Series.
Right now ABC is enjoying a ratings jump of 33% for their Primetime College Football on Saturday nights. They can thank the Texas-Texas Tech game for boosting those ratings.
Last Saturday's game averaged 8,590,000 households, which made it the fifth most-viewed regular season game in the networks history. It is the most viewed game in two years, since the USC-Notre Dame game of 2006.
ABC/ESPN is bullish on the 2008 Longhorns TV ratings.
The game also led ABC to first place in the ratings, both overall and the key 18-34 male demographic. The primetime Saturday night game is now averaging a 4.8 rating and 5,444,000 households this season, up from a 3.6 rating and 4,100,000 households last year.
The USC-Ohio State contest was the highest rated game this year up until Saturday. The Texas-OU contest is easily the highest-rated daytime contest pulling in over 6,000,000 households.