It won't be until Monday that the Seahawks-Cowboys ratings trickle in. You may have heard it's a holiday weekend. But last week's 49ers-Cowboys numbers have made it down the pipeline. The Dallas-Fort Worth rating for the game was a 28.4, which was eerily similar to their previous two Sunday games - 28.6 (Cowboys at Giants) and 28.5 (Buccaneers at Cowboys).

So here's my question: Wouldn't you think that Cowboys road games would score much higher ratings than home games, considering 63,000 folks are in Texas Stadium instead of in front of their TV sets?

For their seven road games - including two in prime time - the Cowboys are averaging a 32.3 rating. For their five home games - including one in prime time - they are averaging a slightly higher 32.6 rating.

No-brainer

The NFL sent out an e-mail Friday morning announcing that NBC had no plans to flex out of its Week 17 Sunday night game. That happens to be the Giants-Cowboys game at Texas Stadium. Well, at least the league didn't have to waste a stamp.

Here's a slam-dunk prediction: The Giants-Cowboys will be NBC's highest-rated game of the season.

bhorn@dallasnews.com

Oklahoma is OK

Is this a great country or what? Tonight's Oklahoma at Oklahoma State college Football game from Stillwater beat out Notre Dame at USC for ABC's prime time spot.

That relegates the Fighting Irish-Trojans to cable's ESPN, which just can't attract the same ratings as broadcast TV's ABC. Maybe the BCS should have thought about that before going into business exclusively with ESPN.

Oh that's right: The BCS decided more money in rights fees was more important than more eyeballs.

The last time Notre Dame and USC were both eligible to be on over-the-air TV and didn't make the cut was 1981.

The 3-D League

In a hint of things to come, NFL Network will experiment with Thursday's otherwise abysmal Chargers-Raiders game by showing it in 3-D high def in theaters in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

In trying to justify offering the Raiders, NFLN producer Mark Loomis rationalized: "I think sometimes rivalries sort of supersede what's on paper."

Responded Cris Collinsworth, who has to call the game: "Let's hope."

As for 3-D TV, you may recall that last season, Fox Sports Southwest offered a Clippers-Mavericks game in 3-D hi def for a select crowd at a Dallas theater. 3-D is the next great TV innovation.

So let's review: Why will anyone want to buy NFL season tickets so they can battle traffic and the weather, not to mention pay $5 for a hot dog, when they can watch a game in the comfort of their home?

Talkin' baseball

San Diego Padres television has interviewed at least two candidates for its vacant play-by-play seat, and Rangers radio's Victor Rojas is one of them. The other is Dave Sims, who works Mariners TV games and includes various ESPN gigs on his r?sum?.

If Rojas gets the job, it's a no-brainer. He has to go no matter how much he says he and his family love living here. It's quite a leap to go from No. 2 radio voice to lead TV voice even if you have to live in San Diego.

The Padres' job opened when Matt Vasgersian decided to flee San Diego to host the studio show on the fledgling MLB Network, whose opening day is Jan. 1. MLB Network is scheduled at 5 p.m. in more than 50 million homes. Yes, that means on its very first day, MLB Network will be available in about 10 million more homes than NFL Network.

Maybe Bud Selig is smarter than you probably think.

After a one-hour studio show, MLB Network will offer the first television replay of New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen's 1956 perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Money, money, money

Have an extra $3 million sitting around the house? It looks like NBC has eight 30-second Super Bowl advertising spots left to sell for the upcoming Super Bowl. If you want more than one, you might get a deal. Don't feel too bad for NBC. It already has sold 59 30-second spots.

65-21 = 6.6

The most amazing statistic related to the Oklahoma-Texas Tech game may be the national television rating on ABC. OK, it might be the second-most amazing statistic after the 65-21 final score.

Despite the fact that the game was never really competitive, it is the third-highest rated game of the college Football season. Lopsided games usually lose viewers by the droves as the game drags on. But OU-Tech remained relatively stable from start to finish.

Coincidentally, all of the top games have been broadcast in ABC's Saturday prime-time slot. Tech-Oklahoma scored a 6.6 rating, which falls behind only the Tech-Texas game (7.5) on Nov. 2 and the Ohio State-USC (7.0) game on Sept. 11.

Dickie V says he'll tone it down, well almost

In a conference call, ESPN's Dick Vitale said he plans on doing lighter lifting during the college basketball season. In the wake of last season's vocal cord surgery, Vitale, 69, wants to save his voice.

Out are doubleheaders and animated game-day conversations.

"I know I'm in the last chapter," Vitale said. "I know time is running out. I want to enjoy it as much as I can. I'm going to listen to my doctors."