- Nearly 40 hours of studio programming set to preview and analyze the CFP Semifinals and remaining Bowl Season slate
- College GameDay Built by The Home Depot to originate from the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential with special editions on Saturday and Monday
ESPN’s expansive studio programming surrounding the 2023-24 College Football Playoff Semifinals kicks off on Saturday, Dec. 30, with a special edition of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot live from Pasadena, Calif., and continues through the end of the semifinals with ESPN, SEC Network and Longhorn Network coverage live from the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. ESPN platforms will present nearly 40 hours of on-site analysis and insight during the final run to the National Championship.
ESPN will have live pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage throughout the week from ESPN sets in Pasadena. Ram Trucks College Football Pregame will be live beginning on Friday, Dec. 29, at 7 p.m. ET and will continue coverage through the New Year’s six bowl games and semifinals on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
ESPN will present 10 offerings of each College Football Playoff Semifinal on New Year’s Day, courtesy of the network’s signature CFP MegaCast production. In total, more than three dozen different presentations of the six preeminent bowls will be available, peaking with the CFP Semifinals as the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential presents No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Alabama (5 p.m. ET) and the Allstate Sugar Bowl showcases No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas (8:45 p.m.).
For the second straight season, the MegaCast fan favorite Field Pass returns on ESPN2. Pat McAfee will lead Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show from the sidelines of the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential, along with AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Anthony DiGuilio, Connor Campbell and Ty Schmit. In New Orleans, ESPN personalities Cole Cubelic and Harry Douglas will team up for Field Pass with a pair of Texas Exes, ESPN analyst Sam Acho and former Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy for the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
College GameDay Live from the Rose Bowl
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Pasadena with two special editions of the show ahead of the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential. The premier pregame show will kick things off on Saturday, Dec. 30, from 9 a.m. – noon previewing all the remaining bowl games of the postseason, and will continue Monday, Jan. 1, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Rece Davis – an Alabama alumnus – leads the show, joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Michigan Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver Desmond Howard, and Pat McAfee. Reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims, along with college football insider Pete Thamel and college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin. ESPN college football analyst Joey Galloway will also join the GameDay crew during the Rose Bowl shows.
The four CFP Semifinal head coaches – Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Nick Saban (Alabama), Kalen DeBoer (Washington) and Steve Sarkisian (Texas), will join during Saturday’s GameDay ahead of the penultimate matchups.
College GameDay Features (Saturday, Dec. 30):
- Keep Showing Up– For as long as he could remember, Washington’s Zion Tupuola-Fetui’s biggest fan was his father. From pregame speeches to motivational texts, Zion’s dad always wanted one thing – a strip-sack fumble. Just days after his life unexpectedly changed, Zion found the perfect way to honor his late father one night at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Jen Lada
- Gravedigger – On fourth-and-31, against their rival and with their season on the line, Alabama pulled off a play for the ages that will surely go down in Crimson Tide lore. A look at how the play they call “gravedigger” went down from those who lived it and by those who were there to see the Tide save their season. John Fornaro
- The Maturation of Quinn Ewers – Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers rededicated himself before this season began, putting behind him the distractions and focusing on what he could do to live up to his potential and achieve a lifelong dream – to lead his beloved Longhorns to a national championship. Andrea Adelson
- Small Town, Big Dreams – Michigan running back Blake Corum and his 24 rushing touchdowns have been a steadying force for the Wolverines during an uncertain season. As he prepares to lead his team against Alabama on college football’s biggest stage at the Rose Bowl, it is the lessons and memories forged 3,000 miles away in his tiny hometown of Marshall, Va., that Corum continues to lean on. Marty Smith
- Seminole Fuel – The Florida State Seminoles enter the Orange Bowl undefeated but not unbothered. After being left out of the College Football Playoff, Ryan McGee explains why the ‘Noles, despite feeling snubbed, heartbroken and angry, might just have the fuel to show the entire college football world what they are missing.
College GameDay Features (Monday, Jan. 1):
- Jim Harbaugh Conversation – Michigan’s head coach sits down to talk through the Wolverines’ controversial season, addressing the challenges of being suspended for six games, and his Rose Bowl memories from when he was growing up in Ann Arbor. Marty Smith
- Follow the Leader – After struggling against Texas in Alabama’s only loss of the season, quarterback Jalen Milroe lost his starting spot for one game. But since reclaiming the role, he has thrived as an unquestioned leader of the Tide, leading Alabama to the playoff with an unwavering commitment to his teammates. Ryan McGee
- Sark’s Heart – Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reflects on the test of a lifetime – a serious heart condition he never knew he had before it was diagnosed in 2020, that made him a “ticking time bomb.” Andrea Adelson
- The Penix Path – Michael Penix Jr.’s college football journey started in 2018 and has seen plenty of highs and crushing lows. After a fresh start in the Pacific Northwest, the Washington QB reflects on the twists and turns of his path and the people that helped him navigate his way through it all. Jen Lada
SEC Network
SEC Network is slated to present nearly three dozen hours of wall-to-wall studio analysis and in-game reaction surrounding the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential and SEC football teams participating in the postseason. On New Year’s Day alone, SEC Network will spotlight more than a dozen hours of live programming, as Alabama makes its eighth College Football Playoff appearance and looks to land in Houston for the grand finale of college football, the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T. The network’s comprehensive studio coverage kicked off Thursday, including several live editions of SEC Now over the days leading up to kickoff, as well as multi-day reporting of press conferences and media days from SEC Network sets at SECN’s Charlotte headquarters, multiple locations surrounding Rose Bowl Stadium, and the Sheraton Grand LA. More details here.
Longhorn Network
Texas GameDay Presented by St. David’s HealthCare and Texas GameDay Final Presented by Postmates will be live from the Caesars Superdome to showcase the Longhorns’ debut appearance in the College Football Playoff. Pre-game, halftime and post-game studio coverage will be available on Longhorn Network and ESPN3.
Inside the College Football Playoff Returns on ESPN+
To help get fans ready for the upcoming College Football Playoff, ESPN+ will exclusively stream four episodes of Inside the College Football Playoff, featuring an inside look at Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama as they battle to claim the ultimate prize – a national championship. Each episode will be narrated by College GameDay’s Jess Sims. Episode 1 debuted December 22 with the series continuing past the National Championship. The full schedule:
- Episode 1 – December 22: Look back at each team’s incredible journey to reach this year’s College Football Playoff.
- Episode 2 – December 29: Go behind-the-scenes as Alabama, Texas, Washington, and Michigan prepare for the 2024 CFP semifinals.
- Episode 3 – January 5: Michigan takes on Alabama in the Rose Bowl before Washington and Texas battle in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.
- Episode 4 – January 12: A look back at the National Championship preparation as the two final teams fight for a chance at football immortality.
New Year’s Six and CFP Semifinal Game and Studio Programming
| Date | Time (ET) | Programming | Platform |
| Fri, Dec 29 | 7 p.m. | Ram Trucks College Football Pregame | ESPN |
| 8 p.m. | Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic | ESPN | |
| Halftime* | Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Halftime | ESPN | |
| Sat, Dec 30 | 9 a.m. | College GameDay Built by The Home Depot | ESPN, ESPNU |
| 11:30 a.m. | SEC Now: Rose Bowl Media Day | SEC Network | |
| Noon | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | ESPN | |
| Halftime* | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Halftime | ESPN | |
| 3:40 p.m.* | Ram Trucks Postgame | ESPN | |
| 3:50 p.m.* | Ram Trucks College Football Pregame | ESPN | |
| 4 p.m. | Capital One Orange Bowl | ESPN | |
| Halftime* | Capital One Orange Bowl Halftime | ESPN | |
| 11 p.m.* | SEC Now | SEC Network | |
| Sun, Dec 31 | 11:30 a.m. | SEC Now: Rose Bowl Coaches’ Press Conferences | SEC Network |
| 6 p.m. | SEC Now | SEC Network | |
| Mon, Jan 1 | 8 a.m. | SEC This Morning | SEC Network |
| 10 a.m. | College GameDay Built by The Home Depot | ESPN, ESPNU | |
| 11 a.m. | Rose Parade Presented by Honda | ABC | |
| 11 a.m. | SEC Nation Presented by Dr Pepper | SEC Network | |
| 1 p.m. | Vrbo Fiesta Bowl | ESPN, ESPNU | |
| 1 p.m. | Command Center: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl | ESPNU | |
| Halftime* | Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Halftime | ESPN, ESPNU | |
| 3:30 p.m. | College Football Scoreboard | ESPN2 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | SEC Nation Presented by Dr Pepper | SEC Network | |
| 4:50 p.m. | Ram Trucks College Football Pregame | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews | |
| 5 p.m. | College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential |
ESPN | |
| 5 p.m. | Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show: CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential |
ESPN2 | |
| 5 p.m. | Command Center: CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential |
ESPNU | |
| 5 p.m. | ESPN Deportes Game Coverage | ESPN App | |
| 5 p.m. | Alabama Radio: CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential |
SEC Network | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Texas GameDay Presented by St. David’s HealthCare | Longhorn Network | |
| Halftime* | Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential Halftime | ESPN | |
| 8:30 p.m. | Ram Trucks College Football Pregame | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU | |
| 8:30 p.m. | SEC Football Final Presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors | SEC Network | |
| 8:45 p.m. | College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl | ESPN | |
| 8:45 p.m. | Field Pass: CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl | ESPN2 | |
| 8:45 p.m. | Command Center: CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl | ESPNU | |
| 8:45 p.m. | ESPN Deportes Game Coverage | ESPN App | |
| 8:45 p.m. | Texas Radio: CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl | Longhorn Network | |
| Halftime* | Allstate Sugar Bowl Halftime | ESPN | |
| Tue, Jan 2 | 12:20 a.m.* | Texas GameDay Final Presented by Postmates | Longhorn Network |
| 12:30 a.m. | SEC Football Final Presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors | SEC Network | |
| 2:00 p.m. | College Football Live | ESPN2 |
*All post-game and halftime timing is approximate
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