ESPN reveals commentator teams for College Football Playoff, New Year's Six bowls
With Bowl Season quickly approaching, ESPN has announced the full list of broadcast teams for the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six bowl games. The first of the New Year’s Six will take place Dec. 29.
All bowl games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, including ESPN and ABC. Counting the national championship, there will be 40 bowl games played over that stretch, meaning fans will be able to watch plenty of football with the regular season behind us.
It all wraps up with the CFP national championship in Houston on Jan. 8.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Missouri vs. Ohio State
Date/Time: Dec. 29, 8 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcasters: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Tom Luginbill
Missouri pulled off its first 10-win season since 2014 as Eli Drinkwitz organized an impressive turnaround in Columbia. That led them to a New Year’s Six appearance against 11-win Ohio State, which now faces some questions after multiple players entered the transfer portal this week.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Penn State
Date/Time: Dec. 30, noon ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcasters: Mark Jones, Louis Riddick, Quint Kessenich
Penn State only lost two games this year, but still finished third in a crowded Big Ten East and could be looking at two coordinator changes with reports swirling about Manny Diaz’s future. Still, the Nittany Lions are preparing for another New Year’s Six appearance, where they’ll face Lane Kiffin’s high-powered Ole Miss offense after a second 10-win season in three years.
Capital One Orange Bowl: Georgia vs. Florida State
Date/Time: Dec. 30, 4 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcasters: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George
Both Florida State and Georgia made strong cases for the CFP, but found themselves outside the rankings — although the conversation centered on the Seminoles. That could make for an intriguing matchup between the two teams, depending on who plays in the game and who opts out.
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Liberty vs. Oregon
Date/Time: Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcasters: Bob Wischusen, Robert Griffin III, Kris Budden
Oregon put together a strong season with both losses coming to Washington, including one in the Pac-12 Championship, and saw Bo Nix become a Heisman Trophy finalist. The Ducks drew the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion in Liberty, which pulled off a perfect 13-0 record in Jamey Chadwell’s first season at the helm.
Top 10
- 1Trending
Kyle McCord
Historically miserable night ends with self-sack
- 2
Paul Finebaum
Loss will have Bama singing R.E.M. classic
- 3New
Isaiah Bond out
Texas WR expected to miss Saturday’s game at No. 25 Vanderbilt
- 4
Golden Prime
Deion Sanders gets custom gold locker
- 5
SEC parity
Nick Saban sees big changes
College Football Playoff Semifinal — Rose Bowl Game: Michigan vs. Alabama
Date/Time: Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcasters: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge
The first CFP semifinal is sure to be an exciting one as No. 1 Michigan takes on No. 4 Alabama. Both teams pulled off victories in their conference championships and, with plenty of talent on both sides, could present a fun matchup with a spot in the national championship on the line.
College Football Playoff Semifinal — Allstate Sugar Bowl: Washington vs. Texas
Date/Time: Jan. 1, 8:45 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcasters: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Katie George
New Year’s Day will wrap up with a rematch of last year’s Alamo Bowl as Washington and Texas battle it out in the CFP semifinal. The Huskies possess one of the nation’s best offenses, led by Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr., while the Longhorns bring NFL-caliber talent on both sides of the ball to create excitement.
College Football Playoff National Championship: Winner of Rose Bowl vs. Winner of Sugar Bowl
Date/Time: Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcasters: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Molly McGrath
Everything over the last few months will culminate in the national championship at Houston’s NRG Stadium. ESPN’s top broadcast crew will be on the call as two teams vie to bring home the trophy and finish atop the college football world.
The New Year’s Six bowls and CFP semifinals are sure to be a big draw with so many fun matchups awaiting. Bowl Season will officially get underway Dec. 16, meaning there’s still some more football waiting before the long offseason begins.