It's a big year for football on television _ ratings are up for both NFL and college games.

With the economy rocky, tuning into games offers football fans cheap entertainment. And TV executives say some intriguing story lines haven't hurt ratings, either.

For instance, Brett Favre's decision to play for the Minnesota Vikings has led to a couple of highly rated matchups against the team he once led, the Green Bay Packers.

In the college ranks, ratings for the powerhouse SEC on CBS are up 39 percent from last year. Notre Dame also is attracting more viewers for its home games on NBC.