Colorado-Oregon Had Better Ratings Than Notre Dame-Ohio State

Colorado and Oregon may have been mismatched on the field, but off the field they're great partners for what turned out to be a huge ratings win for ABC.

According to Sports TV Ratings, the Colorado-Oregon game on ABC drew 10.03 million viewers. That's more than the much-anticipated matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame on NBC, which drew 9.98 million viewers.

Nielsen ratings aren't an exact science, but it's clear that Colorado will feature more often this season due to their ability to bring in viewers. 

They have another big game scheduled for noon this Saturday on Fox against USC, a game that could surpass the viewership for last week's game against Oregon.

The effect that such a lopsided loss will have on Colorado's hype remains to be seen. Right now, they are undoubtedly the most talked-about program in college football. 

Will that last with back-to-back losses against teams with.a chance to compete for the national championship? 

It's difficult to say, but with coach Deion Sanders being such a huge personality, there's every reason to believe it can continue.

Colorado's massive ratings boost is especially interesting as the Pac-12 has all but dissolved after failing to find a lucrative enough rights deal. 

With the Buffaloes already set to leave the conference, it's likely that the Big 12 could see the Colorado boost next season.