ESPN Brings Extensive On-Site Studio Programming to the College Football Playoff Semifinals and Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential

• Over 30 hours of studio programming set to preview and analyze the CFP Semis and remaining bowl games
• College GameDay Built by The Home Depot to originate from the Peach Bowl and Rose Bowl

ESPN’s expansive studio programming surrounding the College Football Playoff semifinals kicked off on Thursday, Dec. 29, with live coverage from ESPN and SEC Network sets at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta continuing through the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential in Pasadena, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 2. ESPN platforms will present more than 30 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 Atlanta. Ram Trucks College Football Pregame will be live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium beginning Friday, Dec. 30, with Kevin Negandhi anchoring the day’s wraps, joined throughout the afternoon by analysts Joey Galloway and Jesse Palmer. Ram Trucks College Football Pregame returns on Saturday, Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m., hosted by Rece Davis with analysts Desmond Howard and David Pollack leading into the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Davis, Howard and Pollack will be joined by Kirk Herbstreit for the halftime show before the trio regroups for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Pregame Show.

A talented quartet of ESPN college football reporters will be covering each CFP semifinal team with Holly Rowe (Ohio State) and Laura Rutledge (Georgia) live from Atlanta all week, and Tiffany Blackmon (TCU) and Molly McGrath (Michigan) on site in Glendale, Ariz., providing in-depth coverage and exclusive storylines from the four playoff teams.

 ESPN will present nine offerings of each College Football Playoff Semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 31, courtesy of the network’s signature CFP MegaCast production. In total, more than three dozen different presentations will be available across the New Year’s Six, including the MegaCast fan favorite Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show Presented by Mercedes-Benz anchored by Pat McAfee on ESPN2.

College GameDay Live from the Peach Bowl

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Atlanta ahead of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, Dec. 31. Rece Davis leads the show in his eighth season as host and is joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Pat McAfee and David Pollack. Reporters Jen Lada, Gene Wojciechowski and newcomer Jess Sims, along with college football insider Pete Thamel, round out the GameDay crew for the three-hour premier pregame show inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Negandhi, Galloway and Palmer will join the GameDay crew on set in Atlanta along with CFP Semis head coaches who will join throughout the show.

The College GameDay cast has several CFP semifinal ties, with Heisman Trophy-winning Michigan wide receiver Howard, former Ohio State quarterback Herbstreit and recent Hall of Fame inductee and Georgia great Pollack behind the CGD desk.

The College GameDay crew will also be live on Jan. 2, from the 109th Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, previewing the many games at 10 a.m. from Pasadena, site of the Utah/Penn State showdown (5 p.m., ESPN). In addition to College GameDay, ESPN will produce the 134th Rose Parade presented by Honda. SportsCenter anchors Hannah Storm and Sage Steele will host from Pasadena, joined by five-time Olympic medalist John Naber, on Jan. 2, at 11 a.m. on ABC.

College GameDay Features:

• Meechie And Michigan – Before he was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2020, Dametrius ‘Meechie’ Walker was a highly recruited high school defensive end who had attracted the close attention of his home-state dream team: Michigan. His cancer prevented him from ever playing for the Wolverines, but it didn’t prevent that Michigan team from embracing Meechie as one of its own. (Reporter: Gene Wojciechowski)
• Like Father, Like Son – People around Ohio State just call him Junior. They refer to his father as Senior. That’s what happens when you share your name with an NFL Hall Of Famer. Marty Smith sits down with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Sr. to discuss growing up in the Harrison house and carrying the weight of a shared name and football legacy.
• An Unexpected Legacy – It’s been a long and winding journey for UGA quarterback and Georgia native Stetson Bennett. And while the 25-year-old says he hasn’t given much thought to his legacy, his Bulldog teammates have after watching it grow season by season, moment by moment. (Jen Lada)
• Bluffs Tough – Born and raised in the blue-collar, railroad town of Council Bluffs, Iowa, where summer workouts included picking up hay bales on his uncle’s property, Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan has a grit instilled in him that resonates with anyone watching the TCU quarterback. (Wojciechowski) 

SEC Network
SEC Network will present nearly 36 hours of wall-to-wall studio analysis and in-game reaction surrounding the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and SEC football teams participating in the postseason. On Saturday, Dec. 31 alone, SEC Network will spotlight more than a dozen hours of live programming, as Georgia takes the first step towards defending its title in the grand finale of college football, the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T. Details.

ACC Network
ACC Network will be live from Miami for expanded coverage of the Capital One Orange Bowl with more than 10 hours of dedicated programming Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30. Coverage will include its signature shows ACC PM and ACC Huddle in advance of the matchup featuring ACC Champion and No. 7 Clemson playing No. 6 Tennessee (Dec. 30, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Details.

ESPN Digital and Social

Countdown to the College Football Playoff is one of many digital shows surrounding ESPN’s postseason coverage with Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas, Jason Fitz, Kelsey Riggs, Skubie Mageza and Gary Striewski recapping the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and gearing up for the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. The hour-long show, live from Mercedes Benz Stadium at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31, is available across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the ESPN App.

ESPN+ Offers Exclusive Inside the College Football Playoff
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 Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU as the elite college football programs battle to claim the ultimate prize – a national championship. Each of this year’s episodes will be narrated by College GameDay’s Jess Sims. Episode 1 debuted December 24 with the series continuing past the National Championship. The schedule:

• Episode 1 – December 24: Go behind the scenes as top-ranked Georgia hopes to turn practice into perfection when they face Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, while Jim Harbaugh prepares Michigan for battle in the Fiesta Bowl against an overlooked TCU team.
• Episode 2 – January 4: Re-live all the drama of the College Football Playoff semifinal games with exclusive access both on and off the field.
• Episode 3 – January 7: Four teams enter, two remain. Go behind-the-scenes as both schools prepare for their chance at College Football’s ultimate prize. The National Championship is set.
• Episode 4 – January 14: A king is crowned for the 2022-23 college football season. Exclusive game access reveals the moments not seen during the big game.

*All halftime timing is approximate

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Media contacts:
ESPN CFB: Amanda Brooks at 704-973-5042; [email protected] & @BrooksAD
College GameDay: Julie McKay at 860-766-4416; [email protected] & @McKay_Julie