First, the results of last week’s predictions:
— NFL regular season, Jets-Cowboys. Prediction: 5.3; final rating: 4.3.
— NFL regular season, Broncos-Steelers. Prediction: 15.5; final rating: 14.5.
— NFL regular season, Cardinals-Eagles. Prediction: 11.5; final rating: 10.5.
— New Orleans Bowl, Arkansas St.-La. Tech. Prediction: 1.5; final rating: 0.9.
— UFC on FOX 17. Prediction: 1.6; final rating: 1.6.
This week’s predictions (all times Eastern):
NBA regular season, Cavaliers-Warriors (5 p.m. Friday, ABC). After playing in the highest rated NBA Finals since 1998, expect the Cavaliers and Warriors to threaten the league’s highest regular season rating over the same span. The current mark is a 7.3 for Heat-Lakers on Christmas Day 2004, the first head-to-head meeting between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. While Friday’s game will be hard-pressed to match that number, it should still rank a relatively close second. Prediction: 6.6.
NBA regular season, Clippers-Lakers (10:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN). The Lakers have played on Christmas Day every year since the 1998-99 lockout, but never in those years have they had such a poor timeslot. Ratings are unlikely to match last year’s Laker game on the holiday, a matchup with the Bulls that aired in primetime (2.0). Even so, intrigue surrounding Kobe Bryant’s final holiday appearance should keep the numbers above Warriors-Clippers in the same late night window last year (1.7). Prediction: 1.9.
NFL regular season, mostly Packers-Cardinals (4:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX). While the Cardinals have not always been a big draw this season, the Packers should more than make up for that. Look for this matchup of NFC playoff teams to eclipse last year’s 15.2 for coverage featuring Colts-Cowboys on CBS. Prediction: 15.6.
NFL regular season, Giants-Vikings (8:30 p.m. Sunday, NBC). The Giants might be out of playoff contention by Sunday night and will be missing the services of suspended WR Odell Beckham Jr. Needless to say, do not expect blockbuster numbers for their SNF matchup against the Vikings. Last year’s Seahawks-Cardinals matchup had an 11.5. Prediction: 10.4.
Orange Bowl, Oklahoma-Clemson (4 p.m. New Year’s Eve, ESPN). There has been much handwringing about the College Football Playoff moving to New Year’s Eve, but the games should still do well. Ratings for the Oklahoma-Clemson undercard should decline substantially from Oregon-FSU in last year’s Rose Bowl (14.8), but still rank as the highest for the Orange Bowl since 2006 (12.3). Prediction: 10.2.
Cotton Bowl, Michigan State-Alabama (8 p.m. New Year’s Eve, ESPN). The Big Ten and SEC dominated the college football ratings in 2015, with Michigan State and Alabama in particular accounting for seven of the top ten games. Their Cotton Bowl matchup is unlikely to match Ohio State-Alabama last year (15.2) but should still put up blockbuster numbers for cable. Prediction: 12.3.
Fiesta Bowl, Notre Dame-Ohio State (1 p.m. New Year’s Day, ESPN). A made-for-TV matchup should lift Fiesta Bowl ratings well above last year’s 4.6, which was the lowest for the game in at least 30 years. However, competition from Michigan-Florida in the Citrus Bowl will keep the numbers from rising too high. Prediction: 6.7.
Rose Bowl, Stanford-Iowa (5 p.m. New Year’s Day, ESPN). After big numbers for last year’s playoff game, the Rose Bowl will plummet back to Earth this year. The game’s lowest rating ever was a 9.4 for Stanford-Wisconsin in 2013; expect a new mark this year. Prediction: 8.8.
NHL regular season, Canadiens-Bruins (1 p.m. New Year’s Day, NBC). A strong performance for Maple Leafs-Red Wings two years ago showed that Canadian teams are not necessarily a drag on Winter Classic ratings. With the Canadiens-Bruins rivalry a strong draw this side of the border, expect the NHL’s annual outdoor showcase to bounce back from last year’s 1.9. Prediction: 2.3.
Paulsen is the founder of Sports Media Watch and a contributor for Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @Paulsen_SMW .