In the thrilling second season of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, ESPN is set to deliver an unparalleled viewing experience with its renowned CFP MegaCast production.
Fans can expect more than two dozen distinct offerings across various platforms for the four quarterfinal games, taking place on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and Thursday, January 1, 2026.
The primary telecasts for all games will air on ESPN, with supplemental options available on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, and the ESPN App, allowing viewers to tailor their experience to their preferences.
ESPN’s CFP Quarterfinals Coverage Plans
A highlight of the MegaCast is the return of the beloved Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show for its fourth straight year. This energetic, sideline-focused alternate broadcast promises lively, unscripted commentary.
On New Year’s Eve, it will cover the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic featuring No. 10 Miami against No. 2 Ohio State on ESPN2, live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. On New Year’s Day, the show moves to the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential in Pasadena, California, showcasing top-seeded Indiana versus No. 9 Alabama on ESPN2.
Pat McAfee will host and provide play-by-play while moving along the sidelines, joined by his full regular crew from The Pat McAfee Show: AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, and Tone Digs (Anthony DiGuilio). Additional rotating guests will include ESPN analysts, notable personalities, and celebrities to enhance the entertainment and analysis throughout both games.
Complementing this, ACC Network will offer Field Pass with ACC Huddle for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Taylor Tannebaum will host, alongside analysts Eric Mac Lain, Eddie Royal, and Dave Clawson, with Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key serving as a guest analyst.
This team will provide live sideline insights from AT&T Stadium as Miami aims to upset Ohio State and advance.For those preferring specialized visual feeds, several alternate presentations are accessible mainly via the ESPN App:
- SkyCast: Available on ESPN2 for the Cotton, Orange, and Sugar Bowls, and on ESPNU or SEC Network for the Rose Bowl variations. This elevated camera angle positions viewers above the action, typically behind the offense, and syncs replays with the main broadcast without disrupting the overhead perspective—a classic option for tactical viewing.
- Command Center: Featured on ESPNU for the Orange and Sugar Bowls, and on ESPNEWS for the Cotton and Rose. This format offers up to four simultaneous angles, augmented by real-time statistics on players and teams.
The Rose Bowl quarterfinal will also be broadcast in high-definition 4K for superior visual quality.The main ESPN telecast commentary teams feature top talent across the matchups:
- Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential (Indiana vs. Alabama): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, and Kris Budden.
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (Miami vs. Ohio State): Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor, and Quint Kessenich.
- Capital One Orange Bowl (Oregon vs. Texas Tech): Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, and Stormy Buonantony.
- Allstate Sugar Bowl (Ole Miss vs. Georgia): Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, and Laura Rutledge.
ESPN Radio provides national coverage for all quarterfinals across over 400 stations and digital outlets including the ESPN App, ESPNRadio.com, SiriusXM, Apple Music, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. Specific radio teams include:
- Miami vs. Ohio State: Mike Couzens, Max Starks, and Morgan Uber.
- Oregon vs. Texas Tech: Wes Durham, Chase Daniel, and Tori Petry.
- Indiana vs. Alabama: Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer, and Ian Fitzsimmons.
- Ole Miss vs. Georgia: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Cole Cubelic.
Hometown audio options enhance the experience for fans of SEC teams, synced with SkyCast feeds on ESPN2 and SEC Network:
- Crimson Tide Sports Network Powered by Learfield (SEC Network – Rose Bowl): Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts, and Cory Reamer.
- Georgia Bulldog Sports Network from IMG College (ESPN2 – Sugar Bowl): Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, and D.J. Shockley.
- Ole Miss Learfield Radio Network (SEC Network – Sugar Bowl): David Kellum, Harry Harrison, and John Darnell.
Spanish-language broadcasts are available for all games on ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App, with teams including:
- Miami vs. Ohio State: Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega.
- Oregon vs. Texas Tech: Eitán Benezra and Miguel Pasquel.
- Indiana vs. Alabama: Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega.
- Ole Miss vs. Georgia: Javier Trejo Garay and Ramiro Pruneda.
College GameDay returns to Pasadena
Extensive studio coverage rounds out the programming. College GameDay will air a special Playoff edition from the Rose Bowl on January 1 (9 a.m. – noon ET), hosted by Rece Davis in his 11th season. He’ll be joined by analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban, with contributions from reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims, insider Pete Thamel, and betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin.
SEC Network provides in-depth on-site shows for games involving Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss, starting December 31 with SEC This Morning from Charlotte and The Paul Finebaum Show live from New Orleans.
On January 1, SEC Now broadcasts from Pasadena for pre-game coverage of Alabama-Indiana, followed by post-game analysis from both Pasadena and New Orleans, concluding with SEC Football Final after Ole Miss-Georgia.
The SEC Nation team—Laura Rutledge, Tim Tebow, Jordan Rodgers, Paul Finebaum, and Roman Harper—will be in New Orleans, while Dari Nowkhah, Chris Doering, and Benjamin Watson cover Pasadena. Peter Burns and Chris Doering start the week from SEC Network’s Charlotte studios.
ACC Network’s ACC Huddle travels to Arlington for pre-game coverage of Miami vs. Ohio State, hosted by Taylor Tannebaum with Eric Mac Lain, Eddie Royal, and guest Brent Key, airing at 6 p.m. before transitioning to sideline commentary during Field Pass with ACC Huddle at 7:30 p.m.
Post-game wrap-up comes via ACC Huddle Final Score with Kelsey Riggs, Tom Luginbill, Mark Richt, and Bryce Love.
Digital content includes The Wrap-Up, a post-game show hosted by Matt Simms, Sam Ravech, and Skubie Mageza from Bristol, Connecticut, streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and the ESPN App after the final game each day.
The ESPN Original series Inside The College Football Playoff on ESPN+ features Episode 2 (released December 26) recapping first-round action, with subsequent episodes providing exclusive access to quarterfinal preparations and beyond.
Central to it all, the ESPN App offers seamless access to every feed, including multiview options, integrated stats, fantasy tools, and more, ensuring fans have complete control over their Playoff experience.
