This year’s Rose Bowl, held January 2 between Penn State and Utah, was the lowest in the bowl’s history.

Just 10.2 million people tuned in on Monday, underwhelming the previous low record of 13.6 million from the 2016 Stanford-Iowa game.

Other bowls and college football playoffs this year had good viewership, so what went wrong?

For one, the fact that the game was held on Monday because New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday was probably a huge factor.

College football tries to avoid conflicting with the NFL, and Monday night is always their territory.

For another, this year’s Rose Bowl wasn’t a playoff after the Big Ten’s top two teams (Michigan and Ohio) made the playoffs.

Next year the playoff shuffle starts, and the Rose Bowl will host a quarterfinal two out of every three years and a semifinal game in the third year – so viewership should rise.

But it was a dismal day for those who rely on those numbers staying high.