There's Never Been A Playoff Like This: Expanded 12-Team College Football Playoff on ESPN Reaches Blockbuster Conclusion on Championship Monday, Jan. 20

· ESPN Activates Its Signature MegaCast Presentation for CFP National Championship - No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame

· Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show Continues Record Run with Title Game

· Entire National Championship Available in 4K for First Time

· Approximately 100 Cameras, 100 Microphones and Industry-Leading Innovation Captures the Action from the ATL

Closing out the most anticipated college football season in history, ESPN will once again showcase the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T using state-of-the-art technology and by deploying industry-leading innovation for the presentation of No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame on Monday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

ESPN's main telecast will headline the signature MegaCast production, as ESPN offers 11 different presentations of the CFP National Championship Game across ESPN platforms. College football's epic finale features the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish and will be available in nearly 150 countries courtesy of ESPN's linear and digital platforms.

Innovation Reigns Supreme on Main ESPN Telecast

Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be the hub of ESPN innovation on Championship Monday, including approximately 100 cameras providing every angle of college football's biggest night. State-of-the-art technology includes:

· End Zone Pylon Cams: Cameras inside all eight end zone pylons

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

· Ref Cams: Cameras connected to the chests of multiple on-field game officials

· Goal Post Cam: Providing unique angles from the back of the end zone

· Goal Line Robotic Cams: Providing clear break-the-plane visuals along the goal line

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

· Roof Cam: A 4K overhead camera with a cinematic lens that offers tighter looks of replays and has 8x Super Slow Mo capabilities

New to this year's presentation of the College Football Playoff is the integration of MindFly technology during the National Championship. ESPN will place MindFly BodyCams on three on-field officials (umpire, center judge and head linesman) to bring viewers unprecedented, decisive shots of close plays throughout the championship 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.

ESPN's camera complement will include dedicated cameras on Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman at all times, as well as unique camera placements providing views of the teams as they enter the field. The Goodyear Blimp will share aerial shots of Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

More than 100 microphones will be placed throughout the stadium, capturing the sounds of the game and atmosphere of the crowd, enhancing the game telecast.

Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit Announce 11th National Championship Together; Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath Return to Report from Sidelines for Fourth Consecutive Season

Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call their 11th straight CFP National Championship together, and their second in Atlanta, concluding their 29th college football season as a commentating team. Reporters Holly Rowe (Ohio State) and Molly McGrath (Notre Dame) will provide news and insight from the sidelines, as the duo returns to the ESPN telecast for the fourth consecutive year. Rowe reported on the ESPN Radio broadcast for the first six years of the championship. ESPN rules analyst Bill Lemonnier will also cover Championship Monday. The former Big Ten referee Lemonnier is a veteran of numerous marquee assignments, including several prestigious bowl games.

ESPN's 11th National Championship MegaCast Led by Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show

Returning in 2025, the fan favorite Field Pass will lead the MegaCast offerings from this year's National Championship on ESPN2. Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will offer entertaining, free-flowing commentary of the CFP National Championship Game, anchored by Pat McAfee, who will roam the sidelines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. McAfee will call the action from the unique vantage point, joined by AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Tone Digs, as well as a rotation of ESPN analysts, notable personalities, and celebrities throughout the game. Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show delivered the largest audience for any ESPN alternate telecast on record with 2.4 million viewers from the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential.

ESPN's MegaCast production includes a quartet of additional presentations across its linear platforms, and five more offerings available on the ESPN App.

Command Center on ESPNU features a multi-angle presentation with player and team statistics. The telecast will feature four main video feeds including the main telecast from ESPN, SkyCam and shots of each head coach throughout the telecast.

MegaCast mainstay SkyCast returns to ESPNEWS, highlighting 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 shows a replay, while never losing the look from SkyCam.

For the first time ever, the entire National Championship will be presented in 4K. In previous years, a 4K feed was offered with the SkyCam view only. The 2025 edition will be available on Comcast, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Optimum, Sling TV, Verizon and YouTube TV.

Other MegaCast options include:

· Hometown Radio (ESPN App): A Championship MegaCast staple, fans for both teams can listen to their specific team's local radio broadcast, with audio feeds synced up with ESPN's Command Center presentation.

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

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

· All-22 (ESPN App): An altcast favorite, 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.

Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy Call Second CFP Championship Together on ESPN Radio; Ian Fitzsimmons Returns to CFP Sidelines with Katie George Making Title Game Debut

Sean McDonough announces his ninth CFP National Championship on ESPN Radio, joining analyst Greg McElroy, who will call his second CFP National Championship after serving as a studio analyst at the event for several years. Lead ESPN Radio reporter Ian Fitzsimmons will return as one of ESPN Radio's sideline reporters once again, with ESPN/ABC reporter Katie George making her national championship debut. ESPN officiating analyst and former longtime SEC referee Matt Austin will also contribute to the commentary. The radio broadcast is available throughout the country on more than 400 ESPN Radio stations, the ESPN App, ESPNRadio.com, SiriusXM, Apple Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

ESPN Deportes Delivers Spanish-Language Call

The Spanish-language call of the game will be available on ESPN Deportes, with Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Katia Castorena and Ciro Procuna announcing the action.

CFP Championship Game Halftime Marching Bands on ESPN App

Returning for the 2025 edition, the halftime marching band performances at the College Football Playoff National Championship will be available on the ESPN App. The sights and sounds of the Ohio State University Marching Band and the Band of Fighting Irish will be streaming live via the All-22 view.

During halftime, ESPN will also be utilizing their in-house team and technology to display an augmented reality execution on behalf of Mercedes-Benz, which showcases the G-Wagon vehicle climbing up a mountain of rocks during the CFP National Championship. The photo-realistic graphic will be rendered in Viz Engine 5 and will air alongside other content-driven augmented reality graphics to enhance game coverage.

Penultimate Episode of ESPN Original Inside the College Football Playoff Presented by Capital One Debuts January 15 on ESPN+

Expanded to five episodes this winter, Inside the College Football Playoff Presented by Capital One has returned to ESPN+. This week, Episode 4 - titled "Taking the Lead" - premieres, highlighting Riley Leonard's leadership as it is put to the test as Notre Dame faces off against Penn State in the Orange Bowl, while Texas and Quinn Ewers take on his former Ohio State teammates in the Cotton Bowl. Episodes are also available to stream on Disney+ and will re-air on ESPN and ESPN2. The ESPN+ premiere date for the final episode is 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.

ESPN Social & Marketing Activates at the National Championship

Hype Tunnel Highlights Fan Excitement and Support

Calling all Ohio State and Notre Dame fans! ESPN invites you to share words of encouragement with your team and use #HypeTunnel HERE for a chance to be featured on the ESPN Hype Tunnel wall at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Send your favorite players and coaches messages as they take the field on Monday, Jan. 20 for the National Championship.

Big Rings Back for Year 2

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. These rings will be displayed by the winning team on the field postgame and are also available for fans to interact with as part of a special ESPN Marketing activation at Playoff Fan Central (Jan. 18-20) at the Georgia World Congress Center.

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