ESPN’s College GameDay reveals two destinations for the opening round of the College Football Playoff
ESPN’s beloved pregame program will present back-to-back live broadcasts for the CFP’s opening round. The crew will kick things off in Norman, Oklahoma, on Friday, December 19, ahead of the SEC rematch between No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma. After that, they’ll head to College Station, Texas, on Saturday, December 20, for the showdown between No. 10 Miami and No. 7 Texas A&M.
The Alabama-Sooners rematch in Norman is set as the first CFP action of the pairings, tipping off at 8:00 p.m. ET on December 19, with the Texas A&M-Miami game following at 12:00 p.m. ET on December 20. Both contests will be simulcast on ABC and ESPN.
Other first-round matchups on the Saturday slate include No. 11 Tulane visiting No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford at 3:30 p.m. ET, and No. 12 James Madison taking on No. 5 Oregon in Eugene at 7:30 p.m. ET. Those two games will be shown on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.
Two days, two locations, two live GameDay shows.
Next week, our crew heads to Norman on Friday and College Station on Saturday for the first round of the College Football Playoff! 🤩
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 10, 2025
ESPN unveils first-round CFP broadcast teams
The official College Football Playoff bracket is set, and the first-round matchups are locked in. ESPN has also announced the broadcast teams for these early games. This marks TNT’s second year providing CFP coverage, airing two first-round games under a sublicense arrangement with ESPN, which will produce the games with its own announcers and graphics. ESPN will later hold exclusive rights to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and national championship.
Here are the announcer crews for the opening round:
No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma
Date/Time: December 19, 8:00 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC, ESPN
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge
This game in Norman marks a rematch from the regular season, with No. 9 seed Alabama seeking revenge against No. 8 seed Oklahoma. Fowler and Herbstreit will call the action, while Rowe and Rutledge report from the sidelines.
No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M
Date/Time: December 20, 12:00 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC, ESPN
Announcers: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Taylor McGregor
Kicking off a CFP tripleheader at Kyle Field, Miami faces Texas A&M. The Aggies went 11-1 in the regular season, while Miami earned a 10-2 record to secure the final at-large spot. McDonough and McElroy will call the game, with McGrath and McGregor reporting from the sidelines.
No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss
Date/Time: December 20, 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, Quint Kessenich
TNT kicks off its CFP coverage with this regular-season rematch, as Ole Miss hosts Tulane. Tessitore and Palmer will handle play-by-play and commentary, with George and Kessenich on the sidelines.
No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon
Date/Time: December 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden, Stormy Buonantony
Closing the first round, James Madison travels cross-country to Eugene to take on Oregon at Autzen Stadium. Wischusen and Riddick will call the game, with Budden and Buonantony reporting from the sidelines.
— On3’s Nick Schulz contributed to this report.
