ESPN’s expansive studio programming surrounding the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T begins this weekend leading up to the showdown between TCU and Georgia on Monday, Jan. 9. ESPN platforms will present more than 30 hours of on-site analysis and exclusive access live from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles throughout the weekend as the Bulldogs and Horned Frogs prepare for the season finale. Championship Monday’s studio coverage begins at 5 a.m. ET and will continue past the trophy raising with close to 20 hours of coverage during the day.
College GameDay Live from the CFP National Championship
ESPN’s premier pregame show College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Los Angeles ahead of the big game from 5 – 7:30 p.m. on Championship Monday. 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 Georgia great David Pollack. Reporters Jen Lada, Gene Wojciechowski and Jess Sims, along with college football insider Pete Thamel, round out the GameDay crew for the show’s Championship edition live inside SoFi Stadium.
Robert Griffin III and Tim Tebow will join the GameDay crew along with seven-time National Championship head coach Nick Saban (Alabama) while additional special guests will include Ryan Day (Ohio State), Lincoln Riley (USC) and Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford, the former Georgia All-American quarterback.
Around the Clock Coverage on Championship Monday
Championship Monday’s extensive studio coverage begins with segments on ABC’s Good Morning America, as well as ESPN’s Get Up, First Take and SportsCenter before College Football Live with Wendi Nix, Matt Barrie, Joe Tessitore and other ESPN analysts and college football insiders.
Barrie and Kevin Negandhi team up for two hours of Championship Drive (2:30 p.m., ESPN) live from Los Angeles which will feature Jesse Palmer, Dan Mullen, “Stanford Steve” Coughlin, as well as Tessitore, Davis, Pollack, Tebow, Galloway, Griffin III and Saban on the show. College GameDay kicks off at 5 p.m. ET hosted by Rece Davis heading into the Championship game. Davis returns at halftime alongside Desmond Howard and Georgia legend David Pollack.
ESPN’s main telecast will headline the signature MegaCast production with 12 different presentations of the CFP National Championship Game across ESPN platforms. Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show Presented by Mercedes-Benz, which debuted during the Semifinals, returns to the National Championship on ESPN2 anchored by Pat McAfee.
Multi-Network Weekend Coverage
ESPN’s on-site studio coverage kicked off with multi-network programming surrounding Media Days at noon ET on Saturday, Jan. 7. Barrie hosted the lead-off coverage on ESPNEWS joined by Greg McElroy, Sam Acho, Harry Douglas, Molly McGrath and Holly Rowe. Negandhi will join the ESPN team live from LA hosting SportsCenter segments live from SoFi throughout the weekend.
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will continue the Championship previews during halftime of ESPN’s Saturday NFL doubleheader games, with Davis, Howard and Pollack contributing to Sunday NFL Countdown. Path to the College Football Playoff Presented by AT&T 5G follows at 1 p.m. on ABC with Tessitore, Sam Acho and Greg McElroy diving into the triumphant seasons from the Bulldogs and Horned Frogs.
Path to the College Football Playoff Presented by AT&T 5G begins at 1 p.m. on ABC with Tessitore, Sam Acho and Greg McElroy diving into the triumphant seasons from the Bulldogs and Horned Frogs before Barrie returns on Sunday during halftime of the FCS National Championship Game on ABC (2 p.m.). The day caps off with Barrie on Championship Drive joined by a number of ESPN personalities, including McElroy, Galloway, Acho and Todd McShay.
Championship Features
SEC Network
SEC Network will be live from Southern California with comprehensive coverage of the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T as Georgia looks to defend its title. A variety of SEC Network shows featuring the network’s top talent will originate from multiple sites in Los Angeles including SEC Now, Marty & McGee, SEC Nation, The Paul Finebaum Show and SEC Football Final. Details
ESPN Digital and Social
Countdown to the College Football Playoff National Championship returns as one of many digital shows surrounding ESPN’s postseason coverage with Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. joined by Jason Fitz, Skubie Mageza and special guest Andrew Hawkins getting fans ready for the National Championship game with guests, interviews and exclusive pregame access. The hour-long show, live from SoFi Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9, is available across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the ESPN App.
ESPN+ Offers Exclusive Inside the College Football Playoff
To give fans a unique, up-close look at the College Football Playoff, ESPN+ will exclusively stream four episodes of Inside the College Football Playoff featuring Georgia, TCU, Michigan and Ohio State as the elite college football programs battle to claim the ultimate prize. Each of this year’s episodes are narrated by College GameDay’s Jess Sims. Episodes 1 and 2 are available to watch now. Episode 3 will be available Jan. 7 while next week’s finale episode will recap the National Championship. The schedule:
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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
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