“2025-26 College Football Playoff Commentary Teams and TV Schedule Revealed”

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff (CFP) is shaping up to be a wild ride. ESPN’s just dropped the commentary teams and the main telecast schedule for the expanded bracket.

This year, the playoff format grows to 12 teams. That means more games, more drama, and, let’s be honest, probably a few surprises.

The first round kicks off December 19, 2025. No. 9 Alabama heads to No. 8 Oklahoma for a primetime showdown.

The action keeps rolling right through to the National Championship on January 19, 2026. What a way to start the new year, right?

Expanded Playoff Format and Schedule

With 12 teams in the mix, the bracket’s got more moving parts than ever. Upsets? You can almost count on them.

The first round starts with:

• No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma — Friday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET, on ABC and ESPN.
• No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M — Saturday, Dec. 20 at noon, also on ABC and ESPN.
• No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss — 3:30 p.m., on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.
• No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon — 7:30 p.m., again on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.

ESPN networks will stream all their games on the ESPN App. TNT’s first-round games? You can catch those on truTV and HBO Max too.

Quarterfinals land on December 31 and January 1. Then, it’s off to the semifinals and, finally, the 2026 CFP National Championship.

Quarterfinals and Semifinals

ESPN’s got all four quarterfinals lined up. Here are the matchups:

• Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M/No. 10 Miami — Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET.
• Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon/No. 12 James Madison — Jan. 1, noon ET.
• Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oklahoma/No. 9 Alabama — Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ET.
• Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss/No. 11 Tulane — Jan. 1, 8 p.m. ET.

Semifinals are set for January 8 and 9. The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will host the last four teams standing.

Commentary Teams

ESPN’s bringing out the big guns this year. The top crew—Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe—will be on the call every round.

They’ll kick things off Friday night. Laura Rutledge joins them for the opener, while Molly McGrath steps in for the championship.

First Round Commentators

Here’s who’s calling the first-round games:

• Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge — No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma.
• Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Taylor McGregor — No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M.
• Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, Quint Kessenich — No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss.
• Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden, Stormy Buonantony — No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon.

Expect plenty of in-depth analysis and some behind-the-scenes stories along the way. These folks know their stuff, and they aren’t shy about sharing it.

4K Presentation and Additional Coverage

For the first time, five CFP games are getting the 4K treatment. That includes the first two games of the opening round, the Rose Bowl quarterfinal, both semifinals, and the National Championship.

This upgrade should make the action pop like never before. If you’re a fan of crisp detail, you’re in for a treat.

ESPN’s Inside The College Football Playoff is also coming back to ESPN+ on December 16. The five-part series digs deep into the playoff chase, following the top teams as they chase that elusive title.

Looking Ahead to the Championship

The 2026 CFP National Championship, presented by AT&T, lands on January 19 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. It’ll be the 12th time Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit take the booth for this game—they’ve been around since the CFP started in 2015.

Fans have a lot to look forward to. The championship wraps up a season packed with wild moments and tough matchups.

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff is shaping up to be a ride. Expect a busy schedule, sharp commentary, and some seriously slick broadcast tech.

If you want the nitty-gritty on the telecast schedule or who’ll be calling the games, the official ESPN Press Room has you covered.