Split-Site Coverage of National Semifinals from Pasadena, Calif., and New Orleans; Four Set Locations, More Than 50 Announcers at College Football Playoff National Championship in North Texas

ESPN will provide its most comprehensive coverage ever for post-season college football when it erects full sets in Pasadena, Calif., and New Orleans, and airs from four set locations in North Texas, sites of the first-ever College Football Playoff National Semifinals and the College Football Playoff National Championship, respectively. Twenty-seven ESPN announcers will be on hand between the two semifinals – The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual and the Allstate Sugar Bowl – and more than 50 in Ft. Worth and Dallas for the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T when the ESPN networks’ college football studio shows, sports talk shows, national ESPN Radio programs and SportsCenter converge on Texas for a full week of programming January 5-12.

The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual from Pasadena, Calif.
Host Rece Davis will anchor ESPN’s studio coverage from inside The Rose Bowl beginning December 29 through New Year’s Day and will be joined by analysts Mack Brown, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Danny Kanell and David Pollack, and reporters Samantha Ponder, Tom Rinaldi and Gene Wojciechowski. In addition, SportsCenter will be live on site with anchors John Anderson, Neil Everett, Jay Harris, Stan Verrett and Sara Walsh. On New Year’s Eve, Pasadena will serve as the host for Championship Drive (11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. ET) leading into the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (12:30 p.m. on ESPN). The next day, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will hit air on ESPN 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. with contributions from both semifinal sites.

Allstate Sugar Bowl from New Orleans
In New Orleans, starting December 29 through New Year’s Day, host John Saunders will anchor ESPN’s set presence with analysts Butch Davis, Joey Galloway, Lou Holtz, Mark May, Robert Smith and Tim Tebow, and reporters Kaylee Hartung and Marty Smith from outside Manning’s Restaurant (519 Fulton Street, New Orleans) before moving to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for pre-game, halftime and post-game hits.

On December 30 and 31, the entire 11 p.m. SportsCenter will be live from outside Manning’s Restaurant, while the post-Sugar Bowl SportsCenter will be live from the floor of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, with all three shows anchored by Matt Barrie, John Buccigross and Steve Levy.

SEC Network’s SEC Nation will also be live in New Orleans, airing twice on New Years’ Day from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (10 a.m.–noon and 7:30-8:30p.m.), host Joe Tessitore and analysts Paul Finebaum, Marcus Spears and Tim Tebow. For the second show, Finebaum will be in Charlotte preparing for SEC Network’s Finebaum Film Room: Allstate Sugar Bowl Live, an alternate production during ESPN’s presentation of the Sugar Bowl at 8:30 p.m. Finebaum will be joined by Greg McElroy and Booger McFarlane to discuss the game live and take viewer calls. Following the game, SEC Now will be live from outside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

ESPN National Semifinals Studio Programming Schedule:

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T from North Texas
Beginning January 5, 2015, ESPN will provide a full week of coverage across programs culminating with wall-to-wall programming across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 on Monday, Jan. 12, day of the national championship.

Rece Davis will serve as the lead studio host for all of ESPN’s College Football Playoff coverage from Ft. Worth’s Sundance Square and be joined by hosts Chris Cotter, John Saunders and Joe Tessitore. Analysts on hand include Todd Blackledge, Mack Brown, Lee Corso, Butch Davis, Joey Galloway, Brian Griese, Kirk Herbstreit, Lou Holtz, Desmond Howard, Danny Kanell, Mark May, Todd McShay, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack, Tim Tebow and George Whitfield with reporters Brett McMurphy, Sam Ponder, Tom Rinaldi and Gene Wojciechowski. Several current head football coaches will also join ESPN’s coverage throughout the week.

In addition to College Football Live, Championship Drive: Countdown to Kickoff and College GameDay, SportsCenter will be live from Sundance Square January 5-9 and 11. The show will move to the Dallas Convention Center January 10 and inside AT&T Stadium on January 12. SportsCenter anchors on-site will include John Anderson, Linda Cohn, Jay Crawford, Lindsay Czarniak, Steve Levy, David Lloyd, Kevin Negandi, Hannah Storm, Sara Walsh and Bram Weinstein. ESPN2 programs First Take, His & Hers and SportsNation will be live from Gilley’s in Downtown Dallas (1135 South Lamar Street, Dallas) January 5-9 and again on January 12 with Cari Champion, Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith, Jemele Hill, Michael Smith, Michelle Beadle and Marcellus Wiley. A special edition of First Take will air following the championship from a set outside of AT&T Stadium.

ESPNU
ESPN’s 24-hour college sports network will begin its College Football Playoff National Championship coverage on Tuesday, Jan. 6, with CFB Daily: The Experts at 1 p.m. The three-hour show will take an in-depth look at the two teams and dissect how they match up. Coverage continues with Road to the College Football Playoff at 6 and 6:30 that night with a special 30-minute look at each participating team’s season. The following day, ESPNU Film Room: CFB National Championship airs at 6 p.m.

ESPNU’s coverage from Dallas commences Saturday, Jan. 10, with both teams’ press conferences live beginning at 9:30 a.m. A special CFB Daily: Championship Experts will air Sunday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. and Kenny Mayne will host ESPNU Championship Drive Tailgate at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12, counting down the top moments of the year and previewing the title game.

ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio will have comprehensive coverage of the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, including 48 hours of onsite programming from Sundance Square in Ft Worth, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 7, through Friday, Jan. 9, with daily live editions of Mike & Mike (6-10 a.m.), The Herd with Colin Cowherd (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) and SVP & Russillo (1-4 p.m.). The shows will also be live onsite Monday, Jan. 12. Additional details here.

Sports Talk Programs
The Sports Reporters (8:30-9 a.m. on ESPN2) and Colin’s Football Show (9-10 a.m. on ESPN2) will originate from Sundance Square on Sunday, Jan. 11. Later that night, a special four-hour Championship Drive: Countdown to Kickoff, show will air from the set 8 p.m.-midnight and be hosted by Joe Tessitore with analysts Kanell, Galloway, Palmer, and others.

Full National Championship Studio Programming Schedule:

Media Contact: Keri Potts, ESPN PR, [email protected] or 860-839-3438