ESPN rings in the New Year with expansive MegaCast presentation of College Football Playoff Quarterfinal clashes, Dec. 31-Jan. 1

Amanda Brooks

ESPN will present more than two dozen total offerings during the quarterfinal showdowns of the second year of the expanded College Football Playoff on Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Thursday, Jan. 1, courtesy of ESPN’s signature CFP MegaCast production. The main telecast for all four games will be presented on ESPN, with additional viewing options on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App.

Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show Presents MegaCast Offerings from Arlington and Pasadena
For the fourth 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 a pair of CFP Quarterfinals. On New Year’s Eve, No. 10 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State will get the Field Pass treatment at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on ESPN2. On New Year’s Day, Field Pass will be live at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential on ESPN2, featuring top-seeded Indiana and No. 9 Alabama. Pat McAfee will anchor coverage and call the action while roaming the sidelines of both games. 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 on back-to-back bowls.

The Field Pass format will be deployed twice for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, as ACC Network presents Field Pass with ACC Huddle from Arlington. Taylor Tannebaum, Eric Mac Lain, Eddie Royal, Dave Clawson and Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key will be live from the sidelines of AT&T Stadium as Miami fights to advance to the next round of the CFP.

Additional Alternate Presentations (all available on the ESPN App):

Commentators Set for Quarterfinal Showdowns
In addition to ESPN’s multiple presentations, fans will be able to hear the call of the CFP Quarterfinals from a multitude of broadcast teams:

Studio Shows Set for Quarterfinal Round on ESPN, SEC Network and ACC Network
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot continues its Playoff run with a special edition originating from the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential on Thursday, Jan. 1 (9 a.m. – noon ET). Rece Davis leads the show in his 11th season at the helm, joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban. Reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims, college football insider Pete Thamel and college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin round out the GameDay on-air crew for the quarterfinals. ESPN will have RAM Trucks Kickoff and RAM Trucks Postgame on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day surrounding the CFP.

SEC Network will deliver comprehensive, on-site programming surrounding the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals as Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss take the field in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Coverage begins Dec. 31 with SEC This Morning Presented by Allstate live from Charlotte, followed by The Paul Finebaum Show on-site in New Orleans leading into the Sugar Bowl. On New Year’s Day, SEC Now is live from Pasadena for pre-game analysis ahead of Alabama-Indiana, and following each game, SECN will provide extensive reaction and commentary from Pasadena and New Orleans, culminating with SEC Football Final Presented by Allstate after the Ole Miss-Georgia showdown. The SEC Nation crew of Laura Rutledge, Tim Tebow, Jordan Rodgers, Paul Finebaum and Roman Harper will be live from New Orleans, with Dari Nowkhah, Chris Doering and Benjamin Watson in Pasadena. Peter Burns and Doering will kick off the week from SECN’s Charlotte studios. Full details.

ACC Network’s traveling pregame show, ACC Huddle, will be live from Arlington to preview the CFP Quarterfinal clash between No. 10 Miami and second-seeded Ohio State. Host Taylor Tannebaum will be joined by analysts Eric Mac Lain and Eddie Royal alongside guest analyst Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key as the Hurricanes look to continue their Playoff run. ACC Huddle will be live from AT&T Stadium at 6 p.m., leading into the Canes/Buckeyes battle. The quartet will then provide commentary from the sidelines alongside ACCN analyst Dave Clawson during Field Pass with ACC Huddle on ACCN beginning at 7:30 p.m. ACC Huddle Final Score featuring Kelsey Riggs Cuff, Tom Luginbill, Mark Richt and Bryce Love will wrap up the day’s action on ACCN.

Digital Programming Posts Up for the Postseason
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. 1, Jan. 9 and Jan. 19.

Episode 2 of ESPN Original Inside The College Football Playoff Recaps CFP First Round Action on ESPN+
Twelve teams, eleven games, four rounds, one National Champion. Inside the College Football Playoff returns to ESPN+ for its seventh season following the game’s top teams with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at this year’s expanded Playoff. The five-part ESPN Original series explores how we got here and captures the moment as players become legends in pursuit of college football history.

All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.

2025-26 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Schedule and Commentators

Date Time (ET) Game/Commentators Network
Wed, Dec 31 7:30 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami
TV: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor, Quint Kessenich
ESPN2 Field Pass: Pat McAfee, AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs
ACCN Field Pass: Taylor Tannebaum, Eric Mac Lain, Eddie Royal, Dave Clawson, Brent Key
Radio: Mike Couzens, Max Starks, Morgan Uber		 ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNEWS/ACC Network/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App
Thu, Jan 1 Noon Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon
TV: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, Stormy Buonantony
Radio: Wes Durham, Chase Daniel, Tori Petry		 ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App
4 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama
TV: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Kris Budden
Field Pass: Pat McAfee, AJ Hawk, Darius Butler, Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs
Radio: Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer, Ian Fitzsimmons		 ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNEWS/SEC Network/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App/4K
8 p.m. Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl:
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
TV: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Laura Rutledge
Radio: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Cole Cubelic		 ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/SEC Network/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio/ESPN App

 

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