ESPN's Signature MegaCast Presentation of College Football Playoff Semifinal Showdowns Set for Thursday and Friday, Jan. 9-10

ESPN will telecast more than a dozen total offerings throughout the College Football Playoff Semifinals on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 9-10. The penultimate round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff will be presented with the main telecast on ESPN, with additional viewing options on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App.

ESPN's top commentary team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe alongside NFL Live and SEC Nation host Laura Rutledge are on the call for the Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic featuring No. 8 Ohio State and No. 5 Texas. Kickoff from Arlington's AT&T Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 10. The Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl gets semifinal action started from Hard Rock Stadium with No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 6 Penn State on Thursday, Jan. 9. Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath and Katie George will meet up on the mic from Miami Gardens at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show Boasts MegaCast Broadcasts from Both Semifinals

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 both Playoff Semifinals on ESPN2. Pat McAfee will anchor coverage and call the action while roaming the sidelines. 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 Miami Gardens and Arlington.

Ahead of the Orange Bowl and McAfee's Field Pass, The Pat McAfee Show will hit the road to present Thursday's show live from Hard Rock Stadium to kick off the Semis. The show is simulcast from noon-2 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN on YouTube and ESPN+, with the final hour or so beginning at 2 p.m. airing on ESPN+ and The Pat McAfee Show channel on YouTube presented by ESPN.

Technology at the Forefront of CFP Semifinals MegaCast

The College Football Playoff Semifinals MegaCast kicks off with ESPN airing the traditional telecast, which features the network's innovative technology combined with unique vantage points, providing fans with a state-of-the-art presentation. More than 50 cameras will be deployed inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Featured in at least one of the Playoff Semifinals will be:

· Eight End Zone Pylon Cams: Cameras inside all eight endzone pylons

· Line-to-Gain Pylon: Wireless pylons on both sidelines at the first down line

· Ref Cams: Camera connected to multiple referees' chests

· Goal Post Cam: Great looks from the back of the endzone

· Goal Line Robotic Cams: Perfect look down the goal line

· Wireless Handheld Cam: Sony Fx3 on Ronin Gimbal for on-field celebrations following scoring plays

New to this year's presentation of the College Football Playoff is the integration of MindFly technology during both Playoff Semifinals. ESPN will place MindFly BodyCams on three referees (umpire, center judge and head linesman) to bring viewers unprecedented, decisive shots of close plays throughout the semis 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 (ESPNU): 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 (ESPNEWS): 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.

· All-22 (ESPN App): Watch the game the same way players and coaches study film, with a vantage point high above the field of play. The angle allows for the 22 players on the field to be seen at all times, providing the ability to distinguish how plays develop while listening to the ESPN Radio call.

Commentators Set for Semifinal Showdowns

In addition to ESPN's multiple presentations, fans will be able to hear the call of the CFP Semifinals from a multitude of broadcast teams:

· ESPN Radio (ESPN App): The broadcast for both semifinals is available throughout the country on more than 400 ESPN Radio stations, the ESPN App, ESPNRadio.com, SiriusXM, Apple Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

o Notre Dame/Penn State: Dave Pasch, Roddy Jones, Kris Budden, Taylor McGregor

o Ohio State/Texas: Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer, Ian Fitzsimmons, Quint Kessenich

· Hometown Radio (SEC Network and ESPN App): Fans for all four teams can listen to their specific team's local radio broadcast, with audio feeds synced up with ESPN's SkyCast presentation.

o Notre Dame (ESPN App): Notre Dame Football Radio Network - Tony Simeone and Ryan Harris

o Penn State (ESPN App): Penn State Sports Network - Steve Jones, Jack Ham and Brian Tripp

o Ohio State (ESPN App): Ohio State Sports Network Powered by LEARFIELD - Paul Keels, Jim Lachey, Matt Andrews and Skip Mosic

o Texas (SEC Network): Longhorn Radio Network Powered by LEARFIELD - Craig Way, Roger Wallace and Will Matthews

· Spanish Showcases (ESPN Deportes/ESPN App): Both Playoff Semifinals include Spanish-language calls featuring Ciro Procuna, Ramiro Pruneda and Sebastian M. Christensen calling the Capital One Orange Bowl, and Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega and Carlos Nava teaming up for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

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 Penn State Blue Band, the Longhorn Band, the Ohio State University Marching Band, and the Band of Fighting Irish will be streaming live from their respective College Football Playoff Semifinals via the All-22 view.

Studio Shows Set for Semifinals on ESPN and SEC Network

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot continues its Playoff run with special editions originating from both Playoff Semifinals at 6 p.m. preceding game action. 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. College football insider Pete Thamel and college football betting analyst 'Stanford Steve' Coughlin round out the GameDay on-air crew for the semis. ESPN2 will feature College Football Live at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9 and 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan 10, and the Ram Trucks Pregame at 7 p.m. and the Mercedes-Benz Halftime Report will provide studio programming in primetime for both Playoff Semifinals.

SEC Network will showcase studio programming from the Lone Star State supporting the Longhorns' Playoff Semifinal appearance. All SEC Network programming surrounding the Playoff Semifinal from the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is presented by Allstate. On Thursday, Jan. 9, SEC Now will feature coverage from the joint press conference from Arlington from 1:30-3 p.m. At 3 p.m., The Paul Finebaum Show will cover the semifinal round build-up from Texas Live! in Arlington, with additional insight throughout the evening on SEC Now.

SEC This Morning will go live from SEC Network's Charlotte studios on Friday, Jan. 10, with Peter Burns and Chris Doering from 8-11 a.m. on SEC Network and SiriusXM SEC Radio, Channel 374. The Paul Finebaum Show will start at 3 p.m. for an abbreviated, 3-hour show from the Miller Lite Deck at AT&T Stadium. SEC Nation with Laura Rutledge, Marty Smith, Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Tim Tebow and Jordan Rodgers will take over at 6 p.m. and take viewers into kickoff between Ohio State and Texas. Post-game SEC Football Final will wrap up the action from Arlington.

Digital Programming Posts Up for the Postseason

Countdown to the CFP Semifinals Presented by AT&T will be an hour-long preview show leading into the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, featuring Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. The trio will be live from the sidelines of Hard Rock Stadium on digital platforms (YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App) beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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. 10 and Jan. 20. The Kickoff, featuring Gary Striewski and Randy Scott, finishes up the college football season with its remaining episode on Jan. 17 at 11 a.m.

Third Episode of ESPN Original Inside the College Football Playoff Presented by Capital One Debuts January 7 on ESPN+

Expanded to five episodes this winter with an hourlong season premiere, Inside the College Football Playoff Presented by Capital One returns to ESPN+. Episode 3 - titled "Bittersweet" - chronicles teams returning to action in the Playoff Quarterfinals. Four historic bowl games showcased CFP greatness: Penn State dominated Boise State, ASU's Cam Skattebo gave a valiant effort in a loss to Texas, and Ryan Day's redemption tour continued. In the wake of the New Orleans tragedy, Notre Dame and Georgia competed in a bittersweet Allstate Sugar Bowl. Episodes are also available to stream on Disney+ and will re-air on ESPN and ESPN2. Upcoming ESPN+ premiere dates for the final two episodes are 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 Platforms

Thu, Jan 9

7:30 p.m. Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Penn State TV: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Katie George Field Pass: Pat McAfee, AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs Radio: Dave Pasch, Roddy Jones, Kris Budden, Taylor McGregor Deportes: Ciro Procuna, Ramiro Pruneda, Sebastian M. Christensen ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNEWS/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App

Fri, Jan 10

7:30 p.m. Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Texas TV: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge Field Pass: Pat McAfee, AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs Radio: Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer, Ian Fitzsimmons, Quint Kessenich Deportes: Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Carlos Nava ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNEWS/SEC Network/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App

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