It turns out that while Americans are football crazy, they're not crazy.
FOX: The first-ever PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, in which UCLA was never close to nationally-ranked Oregon, could only manage a dismal 1.4 rating in 18-49s (although given the West Coast focus of the game, that could come up in final national ratings). On a night when hardly anyone was watching network TV, though, that was enough to tie CBS for the lead.
CBS: A GIFTED MAN, CSI NY and BLUE BLOODS were all down, with none scoring above a 1.6, but that still won every timeslot except 8PM.
NBC: One hopes that whatever advertiser deal NBC made to put GAME OF YOUR LIFE on their air and disrupt the run of Grimm was worth it, because the TV-movie did a genuinely pitiful 0.5 rating. That lowered DATELINE to a 1.0.
ABC: EXTREME MAKEOVER was down at 8PM and even at 9PM, then a Beyonce interview on 20/20 (plus the hit Dateline took) provided a marginal benefit at 10PM.
CW: No one cared about NIKITA's midseason finale at 8PM, as the show fell to a 0.5. SUPERNATURAL recovered at 9PM to a 0.7, which is OK by CW standards.
