2011 BCS National Championship Game
The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was a college football bowl game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season. The finale of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host facility of the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, on January 10, 2011 (8:30 p.m. ET).
| 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| BCS Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 10, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | University of Phoenix Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Glendale, Arizona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Offense: Michael Dyer (RB, Auburn) Defense: Nick Fairley (DT, Auburn) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Auburn by 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Air Force Cadet Chorale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Bill LeMonnier (Big Ten) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Auburn University Marching Band Oregon Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 78,603 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$21.2 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Brent Musburger (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 17.8 (27.3 million viewers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Auburn Tigers from the Southeastern Conference faced the Oregon Ducks of the Pacific-10 Conference for the national championship. The Ducks were seeking to win their first national championship in school history. A 19-yard field goal by Wes Byrum, as time expired, won the game for the Tigers, with the final score 22–19. It was the Tigers' second title recognized by the University (three being unclaimed) and first since 1957.
The game was the first BCS National Championship Game not televised on network television, instead being aired on ESPN and simulcast on ESPN3, and recorded a 16.1 rating, the highest overnight rating on record for a cable television program, topping the previous high of 14.4, set by New England Patriots vs. New Orleans Saints on ESPN in 2009. This marked the second time that the national championship under the BCS system was played in Arizona. It was also the first time that the BCS National Championship was streamed to a video game console, specifically the Xbox 360.