Alabama wasn't the only winner during the 2009 college football season.
CBS Television earned its highest numbers since the network delved back into college football in 1996 as the primary broadcaster of Southeastern Conference games. Its 4.4 rating not only represented a 29 percent increase from 2008 but beat the 3.9 rating at ABC, which has contracts with every BCS conference except the SEC.
"I never thought in my wildest imagination that we would beat ABC, which has four regional games in the afternoon and then a prime-time game, which is always highly rated," CBS executive vice president Mike Aresco said. "With one game against their arsenal -- it's hard enough to beat them in the afternoon because they do regional games. It's almost inconceivable that it could happen but it did, and it's a tribute to the brand of the SEC and what CBS has done to build that brand over 15 years."
CBS averaged 6.993 million viewers last year in its 15 SEC telecasts.
Last season was the first of a 15-year contract the SEC has with CBS and ESPN, a pact that will pay the league about $205 million annually. Under terms of the agreement, each SEC team will have 11 of its 12 football games televised either by CBS, which has the first weekly pick and two doubleheaders each season, or by ESPN's family of networks.
ESPN benefited a year ago as well, averaging 2.1 million households and 2.87 million viewers per game, making it the most-viewed season for the network since 1994 and the highest-rated since 1999. ESPN2 had the best season in its history, averaging 1.1 million households and 1.5 million viewers, and its Independence Bowl telecast of Georgia and Texas A&M was its most-viewed bowl ever.
"You look at the competitiveness of the games," SEC associate commissioner Charles Bloom said, "and the numbers speak for themselves."
THE PERFECT STORM
SEC football has been competitive and entertaining for decades, but last year produced the perfect storm. Florida and Alabama spent much of the season ranked 1-2 nationally and had two of the nation's most recognized players: Crimson Tide tailback Mark Ingram, who won the Heisman Trophy, and Gators quarterback Tim Tebow.
Tebow, who won two national championships and a Heisman in his four seasons in Gainesville, is likely the most publicized player in college football history.
"We're going to lose Tim Tebow, and there is no question that will have an impact," Aresco said. "I've warned our people that the ratings have been so good the last couple of years that there might be a slight dip and it will still be terrific."
When SEC fans weren't discussing Tebow or Ingram last year after CBS telecasts, they still had plenty to chat about.
LSU's 20-13 win at Georgia on Oct. 3 was affected by an excessive-celebration penalty on Bulldogs receiver A.J. Green that the league later admitted it botched. There was more late controversy Oct. 17 when Florida toppled Arkansas, and then Alabama and Tennessee played a 12-10 thriller on Oct. 24. Florida's 41-17 throttling of Georgia on Halloween included Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes gouging at the eyes of Bulldogs tailback Washaun Ealey, and another botched call sealed Alabama's win over LSU on Nov. 7.
The officiating wasn't in question Nov. 21 when Ole Miss topped LSU 25-23; rather, the horrific clock management by Tigers coach Les Miles in the final seconds.
"You get some times where everything comes together, and we got that last year with Florida, Alabama, Tebow and Ingram, and you had close games all year that were loaded with controversy," Aresco said. "LSU-Ole Miss is not traditionally one of our strongest weeks, because that used to be Alabama-Auburn, but people were talking about that thing for a week."
Of course, they were talking several days later about the Iron Bowl, too, after Auburn nearly spoiled Alabama's perfect run.
CROWDS INTACT
While the television networks enjoyed banner years, the average attendance at SEC venues dipped from 76,844 in 2008 to 76,288 last season. There were more games televised at night because of the new contracts, but Bloom does not think that affected the slight slip.
Bloom believes attendance was down due to a decent number of quality nonconference games (Alabama-Virginia Tech, Georgia-Oklahoma State, Arkansas-Texas A&M and LSU-Washington) that did not take place on league campuses. He added that SEC facilities still had a healthy 98.1 percent capacity.
"We're very pleased that our ratings are as high with the attendance as high as it is," Bloom said. "Not only are people going to the games, but they're watching them."
With Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium being expanded to hold about 101,000, league officials expect record attendance totals in 2010.
Both the league and its television partners envision continued success. The SEC did not produce a national champion in the 11 seasons after Herschel Walker led Georgia to the 1980 crown, but eight of the past 18 NCAA champs are from the league, starting with Alabama in 1992.
The Tide's title last season followed championships by Florida in 2006 and '08 and LSU in '07, making the SEC the first league to produce four consecutive national champs.
"This isn't just one dynasty," Aresco said. "This is beyond belief. You've had Florida, LSU and Alabama, and there have been years when Auburn and Georgia were knocking on the door. It's just been a remarkable run. Will it continue? I guess it will, because it's building on itself and it's like a snowball effect.
"The recruiting continues to be first-rate, and the TV deals continue to have an impact. It's very hard to match the exposure the SEC has, and that's going to mean that the conference is going to continue to thrive."
PACKED HOUSES
Despite the SEC's new television contracts last season that resulted in more night games and more challenges for traveling fans, the league's home facilities remained full (based on tickets sold):
SCHOOL CAPACITY
Alabama 100 percent
Florida 100 percent
Georgia 100 percent
Kentucky 100 percent
LSU 100 percent
Tennessee 99 percent
Arkansas 97 percent
Mississippi State 97 percent
Auburn 96 percent
South Carolina 93 percent
Ole Miss 92 percent
Vanderbilt 88 percent
Source: SEC office