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ESPN Rings in the New Year with Signature MegaCast Presentation of College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Clashes, Dec. 31-Jan. 1
ESPN will present more than two dozen total offerings during the first ever quarterfinal showdowns of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff on Tuesday, Dec. 31 and Wednesday, Jan. 1, courtesy of ESPN's signature CFP MegaCast production. The main telecast for all four games will be presented on ESPN, with additional viewing options on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App.
Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show Presents MegaCast Offering from Pasadena
For the third consecutive season, the MegaCast fan favorite Field Pass returns to the College Football Playoff. Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will offer entertaining, free-flowing commentary of the CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential on ESPN2, featuring top-seeded Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State. Pat McAfee will anchor coverage and call the action while roaming the sidelines of the Rose Bowl. He will be joined by a rotation of ESPN analysts, notable personalities, and celebrities throughout the game. His regular The Pat McAfee Show crew of AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Tone Digs are set to join McAfee from "The Granddaddy of Them All."
New to this year's presentation of the College Football Playoff is the integration of MindFly technology during Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. ESPN will place MindFly BodyCams on three referees (umpire, center judge and head linesman) to bring viewers unprecedented, decisive shots of close plays throughout these two CFP quarterfinals and will be showcased as a part of AT&T's "Connected Cam" sponsorship. The wearable-camera technology uses an AI-stabilized POV camera with built-in microphone.
Additional Alternate Presentations (all available on the ESPN App):
· Command Center (ESPN2 - Fiesta, Peach, Sugar/ESPNU - Rose): A multi-angle presentation, which includes up to four different vantage points at any one time, with real-time player and team statistics supplementing the game action.
· SkyCast (ESPNU - Fiesta, Peach, Sugar/ESPNEWS - Rose): The popular view from above the action and behind the offense on most plays. This unique angle has long been one of ESPN's alternate viewing options and is readily available on multiple games every week. Replays will be shown every time the main telecast presents a replay, while never losing the look from SkyCam.
o For the first time, Vrbo will present the SkyCast offering for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. This AltCast will bring to life Vrbo's "no host" thematic and will also include a QR Code to drive fans to enter for a chance to win four (4) Tickets to the 2025 CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 20, as well as $15,000 OneKeyCash.
CFP Marching Bands on ESPN App
For the fourth consecutive year, the halftime marching band performances at the College Football Playoff will be available on the ESPN App. The sights and sounds of the Blue Thunder Marching Band, the Penn State Blue Band, the Sun Devil Marching Band, the Longhorn Band, the Oregon Marching Band, the Ohio State University Marching Band, the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band and the Band of Fighting Irish will be streaming live from their respective College Football Playoff Quarterfinals via the All-22 view.
Commentators Set for Quarterfinal Showdowns
In addition to ESPN's multiple presentations, fans will be able to hear the call of the CFP Quarterfinals from a multitude of broadcast teams:
· Main Telecast (ESPN): ESPN's top commentary team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe alongside Stormy Buonantony are on the call for the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential. Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden and Tom Luginbill will announce the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Kicking off New Year's Day CFP action are Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George and Taylor McGregor on the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, while Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath and Laura Rutledge close out the night at the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
· ESPN Radio (ESPN App): The broadcast for all four quarterfinals is available throughout the country on more than 400 ESPN Radio stations, the ESPN App, ESPNRadio.com, SiriusXM, Apple Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.
o Penn State/Boise State: Mike Couzens, Max Starks, Lauren Sisler
o Texas/Arizona State: Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Paul Carcaterra
o Ohio State/Oregon: Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer, Ian Fitzsimmons
o Notre Dame/Georgia: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic
· Hometown Audio (SEC Network): Texas and Georgia fans can listen to the local radio broadcast of Texas and Georgia's quarterfinals, with their audio feed synced up with ESPN's SkyCast presentation on SEC Network. This MegaCast feed is made possible in conjunction with the Longhorn Radio Network Powered by LEARFIELD and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network from IMG College, featuring Craig Way, Roger Wallace, and Will Matthews for the Longhorns, and Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, and D.J. Shockley for the Bulldogs.
· Spanish Showcases (ESPN Deportes/ESPN App): All four quarterfinals include Spanish-language calls featuring Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega (Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential), Eitan Benezra and Alex Pombo (Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl), and Javier Trejo Garay and Miquel Pasquel (Allstate Sugar Bowl).
Studio Shows Set for Quarterfinal Round on ESPN and SEC Network
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot continues its Playoff run with a special edition originating from the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential on Wednesday, Jan. 1 (10 a.m. - 1 p.m.). Rece Davis leads the show in his 10th season at the helm, joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban. Reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims, college football insider Pete Thamel and college football betting analyst 'Stanford Steve' Coughlin round out the GameDay on-air crew for the quarterfinals. ESPN will feature studio wraps all day on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day surrounding the CFP.
SEC Network will also have on-site studio programming for the CFP Quarterfinals featuring Texas and Georgia, with all shows presented by Allstate. On Monday, Dec. 30, SEC This Morning hosted by Peter Burns and Chris Doering will be live from SEC Network's Charlotte studios from 9 a.m. - noon, with real-time coverage of CFP Quarterfinal Media Days ahead of Texas/Arizona State and Notre Dame/Georgia. The Paul Finebaum Show will be live from New Orleans from 3-7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, with an abbreviated show Wednesday surrounding SEC teams in the quarterfinals.
Dari Nowkhah, Chris Doering and Benjamin Watson will have viewers covered from Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, while Laura Rutledge, Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Tim Tebow and Jordan Rodgers post up in New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl. SEC Now will have perspective from both sets from 7-8 p.m. on New Year's Eve, while the trio of Nowkhah, Doering and Watson will be live starting at noon on New Year's Day from Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. SEC Nation featuring Rutledge, Marty Smith, Finebaum, Harper, Tebow and Rodgers kicks off at 7 p.m. from the Caesars Superdome, and the crew of Smith, Harper and Tebow will cover halftime. SEC Football Final is set to wrap up the action at the end of the evening from the Big Easy.
Digital Programming Posts Up for the Postseason
Matt Simms, Sam Ravech and Skubie Mageza will host a post-game digital show called The Wrap-Up, at the conclusion of each round. Live from Bristol, Conn. studios, the trio will follow the last game of the day and break down all the action. Available to stream live on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App, the show will be live on Jan. 1, Jan. 10 and Jan. 20. The Kickoff, featuring Gary Striewski and Randy Scott, finishes up the college football season with two remaining episodes on Dec. 27 and Jan. 17 at 11 a.m.
Second Episode of ESPN Original Inside the College Football Playoff Presented by Capital One Drops December 27 on ESPN+ (Watch Trailer)
Expanded to five episodes this winter with an hourlong season premiere, Inside the College Football Playoff Presented by Capital One returns to ESPN+. Episode 1 gave fans the chance to re-live the incredible journeys of this year's top teams and explore how college football evolved to this exciting new era. Episode 2 - Bring It Home, debuting Friday, Dec. 27, takes viewers on campus for the CFP First Round, as fans experience the excitement of a home atmosphere with postseason implications. Episodes are also available to stream on Disney+ and will re-air on ESPN and ESPN2. Upcoming ESPN+ premiere dates for the final three episodes are Tuesday, Jan. 7, Wednesday, Jan. 15 and Friday, Jan. 24.
ESPN and TSN Team Up to Bring CFP to Big Screen
ESPN has extended its theatrical distribution agreement with Theater Sports Network (TSN) to present all 11 College Football Playoff (CFP) games. To find your local listings, visit TheaterSportsNetwork.com. In addition, Cosm locations in Los Angeles and Dallas will also offer immersive viewing experiences of games throughout this year's College Football Playoff.
The exclusive home of the CFP since the event debuted in 2015, ESPN expanded its current package through the 2025-26 season and extended its rights agreement through the 2031-32 season, adding all four games of the new CFP First Round each year to ESPN's existing New Year's Six games (now Playoff Quarterfinals and Playoff Semifinals) and the CFP National Championship.
Date Time (ET) Game/Commentators Platform
Tue, Dec 31 7:30 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State
TV: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden, Tom Luginbill
Radio: Mike Couzens, Max Starks, Lauren Sisler ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/
ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App
Wed, Jan 1 1 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Arizona State
TV: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, Taylor McGregor
Radio: Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Paul Carcaterra ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/
SEC Network/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App
5 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game
Presented by Prudential: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Oregon
TV: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Stormy Buonantony
Field Pass: Pat McAfee, AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs
Radio: Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer, Ian Fitzsimmons ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/
ESPNEWS/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App
8:45 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia
TV: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Laura Rutledge
Radio: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/
SEC Network/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App
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