New Year’s Six is drawing close, and ESPN plans to deliver its most extensive presentation to date.
What’s happening:
- ESPN has announced that this year’s New Year’s Six presentation will be its most extensive ever.
- The network is re-igniting it MegaCast production with an impressive 12 presentations so fans can fully experience Semifinal Saturday.
- New this year, ESPN2 has been added as a viewing option, along with multiple ESPN3 streams for select games.
- All the MegaCast and alternate viewing options for the New Year’s Six will be available on the ESPN App.
- The traditional telecast will air on ESPN, with up to a dozen alternate presentations featuring:
- Real-time analytics
- Statistical analysis
- Live discussion by head coaches
- Alternate camera angles
- Spanish-language television and radio commentary
- Hometown radio calls of the game paired with the ESPN telecast.
When to Watch:
- Saturday, December 29
- Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (noon) (ESPN2, ESPN3)
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic featuring No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (4 pm ET)
- Capital One Orange Bowl between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Oklahoma (8 pm)
- Tuesday, January 1 (ESPN2 and ESPN3)
- PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (1 pm)
- Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual (5 pm)
- Allstate Sugar Bowl (8:45 pm)
Fun Facts:
- ESPN will station more than 50 cameras inside AT&T Stadium (Cotton Bowl) and Hard Rock Stadium (Orange Bowl). The RefCam will also make its CFP debut. This unique camera is affixed to the bill of two referees’ hats, providing a similar view as the refs’ line of sight.
- Additional production elements will be used this year including:
- Goal Line Pylon Cams: Four cameras in each of the four pylons wired in along the two goal lines
- Line-to-Gain Pylon Cams: Wireless camera systems built into two movable pylons and repositioned throughout the game by the chain crew.
- The CFP Semifinals MegaCast will be showcased across:
- ESPN2
- ESPNEWS
- ESPN Goal Line
- ESPN Deportes
- ESPN3
- ESPN Radio
- ESPN Deportes Radio.
- SEC Network will have a presentation for the Orange Bowl.
New Year’s Six Announcers and Hosts:
- Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on Capital One Orange Bowl: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl, their fifth semifinal together and the only play-by-play commentator and analyst duo to call a CFP Semifinal in every year of the system.
- Maria Taylor on Alabama: Maria Taylor will be assigned to the Crimson Tide. This is her consecutive year working a CFP Semifinal
- Laura Rutledge on Sooners: Laura Rutledge will be assigned to the Sooners. It’s her second consecutive year working a CFP Semifinal.
- Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge at Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Sean McDonough makes his College Football Playoff television debut when the accomplished broadcaster calls the CFP Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic, joining Todd Blackledge in the booth.
- Rowe Reports on Clemson: Veteran reporter Holly Rowe will be assigned to the Tigers and will report from Arlington. This is her fifth consecutive CFP Semifinal.
- Rinaldi on Notre Dame: Veteran reporter Tom Rinaldi will be assigned to Fighting Irish and will report from Arlington. This is his fifth consecutive CFP Semifinal.