Ratings predictions: Cowboys-49ers, MLB, OU-Texas, WNBA

Ratings predictions on a busy weekend, including the marquee Cowboys-49ers Sunday Night Football game, the start of the MLB Division Series, the “Red River Rivalry” and the WNBA Finals.

Can Cowboys-49ers live up to its potential on the field, and in the ratings?

Coming off of an unusually strong outing last week for Chiefs-Jets, NBC has a good chance of repeating that success this weekend as the Cowboys face the undefeated 49ers. These tradition-rich franchises are historic rivals with a recent history of playoff matchups and high expectations for this season. If any matchup can meet or exceed the high bar set last week — nearly 25 million Nielsen-measured viewers — it is this one, at least on paper.

Games are of course not played on paper, and so far this season, the Cowboys have been too good for the networks’ own good. Dallas has been featured in three windows this season, winning by 40, 20 and 35 points respectively. (The Cowboys’ most competitive game this season, a 12-point loss to Arizona, was the secondary game of a window that featured Kansas City’s rout of Chicago in most markets.) Not coincidentally, each telecast averaged fewer viewers than last year, making the Cowboys — unthinkably — something of a ratings drag.

Oddsmakers expect a close game (the 4-0 49ers are favored by a field goal), meaning that this week will likely be a different story. Even if it is somehow another rout, viewership should at least increase over last year’s mere 15.9 million viewers for Bengals-Ravens. If the game lives up to its potential, then expect viewership to meet last year’s heights — and perhaps beyond.

NFL Sunday Night Football: Cowboys-49ers (8:20p Sun NBC). Prediction: 25.27M Nielsen-measured viewers.

The Chiefs and Jets have each been featured in three of the six most-watched NFL windows this season, including their head-to-head matchup last week. This week, the teams headline the CBS national window as Kansas City faces Minnesota and New York takes on Denver. Given the state of the Vikings and Broncos, neither of these matchups are particularly alluring. Nevertheless, expect another audience in the 22-24 million viewer range.

NFL national window: Chiefs-Vikings or Jets-Broncos (4:25p Sun CBS). Prediction: 22.12M.

Can the MLB Postseason overcome a low-profile field?

It is less-than-ideal for the Texas Rangers to open their postseason directly opposite the Texas-Oklahoma “Red River Rivalry,” but such is life in the MLB Postseason, where dodging football is simply not always possible. The bigger problem for baseball this October is a postseason field light on marquee teams. Fully half of the Division Series field — the Orioles, Twins, Rangers and Diamondbacks — is comprised of teams with little recent success. That lack of familiarity is a double-edged sword; there is the potential for compelling underdog stories, but no guarantee those stories resonate with a casual audience.

The other half is stacked with teams…