Wont be highly rated because it's on ESPN. Believe it or not there's a LOT of people out there who still don't have Cable.
I think the numbers are around 20-25% but, that is quite significant and the number is probably growing. I know just over 50% of households have cable, and that would mean around another 30% have some other form of pay TV. But, while ESPN is popular I'm sure there are some pay TV packages without it. I don't have cable right now, but of course I'm not going to miss Alabama games one way or the other.
The ratings talk was all anti-BCS propaganda and the people saying it knew it as well. They were trying to build momentum for a push towards a playoff and they pointed at ratings of a cable program vs broadcast as "evidence" and they were being deliberately misleading. ESPN was plenty happy with the ratings.