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Commentator Teams Announced for Inaugural 12-Team College Football Playoff on ESPN, ABC and TNT Sports
With the selection of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, ESPN has announced the commentator pairings for the primary telecasts throughout the full bracket. The expanded Playoff kicks off with the first-ever CFP First Round game - No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame on campus in South Bend, Ind. - on Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. The CFP First Round Presented by Allstate continues Saturday, Dec. 21, as TNT Sports and Max will showcase games at noon (No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State) and 4 p.m. (No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas), while ABC and ESPN will feature the third game of Saturday's tripleheader at 8 p.m. (No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State). ESPN commentator teams will call every game of the Playoff.
Following the First Round, ESPN will present all four Playoff Quarterfinals, the two Playoff Semifinals and the 2025 CFP National Championship, slated for Monday, Jan. 20 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
ESPN's top commentary team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will call a TV game in every round of the expanded CFP, including No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, the first-ever quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game, and culminating with the National Championship. The trio will once again be joined by Molly McGrath for the title game. The Championship Game in Atlanta will be the 11th for Fowler and Herbstreit, who have called every CFP together since the event's inception in 2015.
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and McGrath will call a first round (No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame), quarterfinal (Allstate Sugar Bowl) and semifinal game on TV together, with reporters Laura Rutledge and Katie George each receiving a semifinal assignment yet to be determined.
The ESPN crews that will call the First Round matchups on TNT Sports include Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich - No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, and Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor - No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas.
George will team up with her regular broadcast partners Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer for the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, while Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Kris Budden round out the featured commentary teams with an assignment at the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
Additional details, including MegaCast plans, ESPN Radio commentators and surround studio programming, will be announced at a later date.
Inaugural CFP Bracket Challenge Presented by AT&T
For the first time ever, the College Football Playoff Bracket Challenge Presented by AT&T will give fans the chance to compete with friends, family and others by filling out CFP brackets as part of the expanded Playoff. Fans who pick the National Champion will be automatically entered into a random drawing to win $50,000 in total prizes. The College Football Playoff Bracket Challenge Presented by AT&T is open now on ESPN.com, ESPN App, and ESPN Fantasy App. Fans can complete and enter brackets until shortly before the first round kicks off on Dec. 20.
ESPN Original Inside the College Football Playoff Returns to ESPN+ on December 17 (Watch Trailer)
Expanded to five episodes this winter with an hourlong season premiere, Inside the College Football Playoff returns to ESPN+. Featuring behind-the-scenes access, as well as insights and commentary from Paul Finebaum, Rece Davis, Tim Tebow, Laura Rutledge, Booger McFarland, Heather Dinich, Greg McElroy, and Roman Harper, the ESPN Original series' sixth season offers an inside look at the inaugural 12-team CFP as teams battle for the ultimate prize - a national championship.
The ESPN+ premiere schedule is detailed below. Episodes will also be available to stream on Disney+ and will re-air on ESPN and ESPN2 (dates to be determined).
· Episode 1 - December 17: The stage is set for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Re-live the incredible journeys of this year's top teams and explore how college football evolved to this exciting new era.
· Episode 2 - December 27: Experience the excitement of an atmosphere unlike any other as the CFP First Round games take place on-campus for each of the four home teams.
· Episode 3 - January 7: All-access moments take you inside the preparations as the top four conference champions play their first game of the CFP in the Quarterfinals.
· Episode 4 - January 15: The path through the Playoff only gets harder as the stakes get higher with the four remaining teams battling for their place in the CFP National Championship.
· Episode 5 - January 24: Exclusive access provides a fresh look at the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. Tim Tebow reflects on the significance as players become legends.
Big Rings Return for Second Season
ESPN is bringing back its Big Rings initiative for the second year at the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, celebrating the expanded 12-team playoff format with a dynamic new design. This year's rings feature a dozen crest stones for each playoff team, 133 stones each representing an FBS team, except for the National Champion, who is represented by the diamond in the center.
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. In May, ESPN announced a five-year agreement with TNT Sports to sublicense select CFP games beginning this postseason.
Date Time (ET) Game/Commentators Platform
Fri, Dec 20 8 p.m. CFP First Round Game: No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath ABC/ESPN
Sat, Dec 21 Noon CFP First Round Game: No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State
Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich TNT/Max
4 p.m. CFP First Round Game: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas
Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor TNT/Max
8 p.m. CFP First Round Game: No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe ABC/ESPN
Tue, Dec 31 7:30 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State/No. 11 SMU
Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden ESPN
Wed, Jan 1 1 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas/No. 12 Clemson
Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George ESPN
5 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game
Presented by Prudential: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe ESPN
8:45 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 10 Indiana
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath ESPN
Thu, Jan 9 7:30 p.m. Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl: Winner of Allstate Sugar Bowl vs. Winner of Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Commentators TBD ESPN
Fri, Jan 10 7:30 p.m. Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic:
Winner of Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential vs. Winner of Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Commentators TBD ESPN
Mon, Jan 20 7:30 p.m. CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T (Atlanta, Ga.)
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Molly McGrath ESPN
About ESPN
ESPN, the world's leading multiplatform sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, the leading sports app, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, leading social and digital platforms, ESPN.com, ESPN Audio, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The CFP Selection Committee ranks the top 25 teams at the end of the season. For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the 12 playoff participants consist of the five highest ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest ranked teams. The four highest ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye. The schools seeded five through eight will host those seeded nine through 12 in first-round games. The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games - the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. This year's quarterfinals will take place on December 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be January 9-10, 2025. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 20, 2025, at Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.
About TNT Sports
TNT Sports is a global leader in the delivery of premium sports content. The TNT Sports U.S. portfolio includes expansive, multi-platform partnerships with the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, National Hockey League, United States Soccer Federation, Mountain West and, starting in 2025, Unrivaled, NASCAR, Roland-Garros, the Big 12 and the BIG EAST. Owned and operated platforms are highlighted by Bleacher Report, the #1 digital destination for young sports fans, along with House of Highlights, HighlightHER, Golf Digest, and a full suite of digital and social portfolio brands. Additionally, TNT Sports co-manages NBA Digital - comprised of NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE Pass, the NBA App and NBAGLEAGUE.com - as well as NCAA.com and NCAA March Madness Live. TNT Sports in Europe and the Republic of Ireland includes partnerships with the NBA, Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UFC, WWE and more, as well as much-loved brands Eurosport, Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) and multi-sport programming and content on discovery+ and Discovery's free-to-air TV networks.
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