Commentator teams announced for inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff

With the selection of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, ESPN has announced the commentator pairings for the primary telecasts throughout the full bracket. The expanded Playoff kicks off with the first-ever CFP First Round game – No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame on campus in South Bend, Ind. – on Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. The CFP First Round Presented by Allstate continues Saturday, Dec. 21, as TNT Sports and Max will showcase games at noon (No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State) and 4 p.m. (No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas), while ABC and ESPN will feature the third game of Saturday’s tripleheader at 8 p.m. (No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State). ESPN commentator teams will call every game of the Playoff.

Following the First Round, ESPN will present all four Playoff Quarterfinals, the two Playoff Semifinals and the 2025 CFP National Championship, slated for Monday, Jan. 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

ESPN’s top commentary team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will call a TV game in every round of the expanded CFP, including No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, the first-ever quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game, and culminating with the National Championship. The trio will once again be joined by Molly McGrath for the title game. The Championship Game in Atlanta will be the 11th for Fowler and Herbstreit, who have called every CFP together since the event’s inception in 2015.

Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and McGrath will call a first round (No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame), quarterfinal (Allstate Sugar Bowl) and semifinal game on TV together, with reporters Laura Rutledge and Katie George each receiving a semifinal assignment yet to be determined.

The ESPN crews that will call the First Round matchups on TNT Sports include Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich – No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, and Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor – No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas.

George will team up with her regular broadcast partners Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer for the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, while Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Kris Budden round out the featured commentary teams with an assignment at the Playoff Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

Additional details, including MegaCast plans, ESPN Radio commentators and surround studio programming, will be announced at a later date.

Inaugural CFP Bracket Challenge Presented by AT&T
For the first time ever, the College Football Playoff Bracket Challenge Presented by AT&T will give fans the chance to compete with friends, family and others by filling out CFP brackets as part of the expanded Playoff. Fans who pick the National Champion will be automatically entered into a random drawing to win $50,000 in total prizes. The College Football Playoff Bracket Challenge Presented by AT&T is open now on ESPN.com, ESPN App, and ESPN Fantasy App. Fans can complete and enter brackets until shortly before the first round kicks off on Dec. 20.

ESPN Original Inside the College Football Playoff Returns to ESPN+ on December 17 (Watch Trailer)
Expanded to five episodes this winter with an hourlong season premiere, Inside the College Football Playoff returns to ESPN+. Featuring behind-the-scenes access, as well as insights and commentary from Paul Finebaum, Rece Davis, Tim Tebow, Laura Rutledge, Booger McFarland, Heather Dinich, Greg McElroy, and Roman Harper, the ESPN Original series’ sixth season offers an inside look at the inaugural 12-team CFP as teams battle for the ultimate prize – a national championship.

The ESPN+ premiere schedule is detailed below. Episodes will also be available to stream on Disney+ and will re-air on ESPN and ESPN2 (dates to be determined).

• Episode 1 – December 17: The stage is set for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Re-live the incredible journeys of this year’s top teams and explore how college football evolved to this exciting new era.
• Episode 2 – December 27: Experience the excitement of an atmosphere unlike any other as the CFP First Round games take place on-campus for each of the four home teams.
• Episode 3 – January 7: All-access moments take you inside the preparations as the top four conference champions play their first game of the CFP in the Quarterfinals.
• Episode 4 – January 15: The path through the Playoff only gets harder as the stakes get higher with the four remaining teams battling for their place in the CFP National Championship.
• Episode 5 – January 24: Exclusive access provides a fresh look at the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. Tim Tebow reflects on the significance as players become legends.

Big Rings Return for Second Season

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.

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. In May, ESPN announced a five-year agreement with TNT Sports to sublicense select CFP games beginning this postseason.