ESPN announcers for Playstation Fiesta Bowl, other CFB bowls

Brad Mills - USA Today Sports

by Press Release - Tue Dec 10 16:10:11 GMT-04:00 2019

ESPN’s postseason college football coverage is highlighted by the exclusive presentation of the College Football Playoff, which begins with the Semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 28. The College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will feature No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (4 p.m. ET) from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The Peach Bowl precedes the CFP Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson (8 p.m.) from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The winners will play in the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T (8 p.m.) from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Monday, Jan. 13.

All three games will air on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, with alternate telecasts available across ESPN’s other networks. ESPN Radio will broadcast all three games.

ESPN’s entire 35-game bowl slate begins Friday, Dec. 20, and adds to more than 1,000 games already carried across ESPN’s platforms this year. Each of the College Football Playoff, New Year’s Six and bowl games will be called by broadcasting teams comprised of respected voices, accomplished former players and intrepid reporters, all who have documented the 2019 regular season.

Additional production details for both the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six will be announced in the coming days

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit Call PlayStation Fiesta Bowl; Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge on Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

In the broadcasting booth, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the Fiesta Bowl, while Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge team up for the Peach Bowl. Fowler, Herbstreit and Blackledge have called a CFP Semifinal all six years of the system, with Fowler and Herbstreit working together in each of those years. McDonough is calling his second consecutive CFP Semifinal with Blackledge.

Veteran Reporters Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi in Arizona; Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge in Atlanta

ESPN will utilize reporters Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi at the Fiesta Bowl, their third and sixth CFP Semifinal, respectively. At the Peach Bowl, Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge will report, also their sixth and third, respectively. Taylor will be with Clemson, Rinaldi reports on Ohio State, while Rowe is with LSU and Rutledge has Oklahoma.

CFP Semifinal Commentators to Call the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual and Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day

Fowler, Herbstreit, Taylor and Rinaldi will head to Pasadena to call the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual between No. 6 Oregon and No. 8 Wisconsin (5 p.m.), and McDonough, Blackledge, and Rowe travel to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl featuring No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 7 Baylor (8:30 p.m.) on New Year’s Day. At the Rose Bowl, Taylor will report on the Ducks and Rinaldi on the Badgers.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Capital One Orange Bowl Complete Presentation of New Year’s Six

ESPN’s presentation of the New Year’s Six will begin with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between No. 16 Memphis and No. 10 Penn State (noon) on Saturday, Dec. 28, which will lead into the CFP Semifinals. The Capital One Orange Bowl between No. 9 Florida and No. 24 Virginia (8 p.m.) on Monday, Dec. 30, will precede the New Year’s Day bowls and follow the CFP Semifinals.

Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek and Olivia Dekker will call the Nittany Lions-Tigers matchup, with Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay and Molly McGrath on the Gators-Cavaliers.

ESPN Radio Commentators for the CFP Semifinals

Levy, Griese, McShay and McGrath will also call the CFP Semifinal at the Peach Bowl on ESPN Radio, while Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones and Ian Fitzsimmons call the Fiesta Bowl for the network. ESPN Radio will broadcast all New Year’s Six games, with complete assignments included below.

ESPN Bowl Schedule Consists of 35 Games, Many Highlights

ESPN Bowl schedule will see 35 games played in a 17-day window. Among the highlights:

ESPN Owned and Operated Bowls:

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl

Celebration Bowl

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl

TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl

Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

SoFi Hawai‘i Bowl

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl

New Mexico Bowl

Camellia Bowl

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Viva Las Vegas: Herbstreit calls the Las Vegas Bowl featuring No. 19 Boise State vs. Washington with Bob Wischusen and Molly McGrath, airing in primetime (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday, Dec. 21 on ABC

New Year’s Day:

Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy and Tom Luginbill call the Vrbo Citrus Bowl between No. 14 Michigan vs. No. 13 Alabama (1 p.m.) on ABC

Jason Benetti, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich call the Outback Bowl featuring No. 18 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Auburn (1 p.m.) on ESPN

First-Time Matchup: Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Allison Williams call the Camping World Bowl between 15 Notre Dame vs. Iowa State (noon) who are playing each other for the first time, December 28 on ABC.

Alma Mater: Ryan Leaf will make his ESPN bowl debut calling his alma mater as Washington State plays Air Force in the Cheez-It Bowl (10:15 p.m.) Friday, Dec. 27 on ESPN. Leaf teams with Clay Matvick on the call.

Multiplatform: ESPN Radio will broadcast 22 games; ESPN Deportes airs 12 games.

ESPN Carries Championship Games from Multiple Levels of College Football

ESPN has exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, including the NCAA FCS Championship game on January 11 on ABC (noon). ESPNU will televise the Division III Football Championship on December 20 (8 p.m.) and the Division II Football Championship on December 21 (3 p.m.). The NAIA Football Championship will be streamed on ESPN3, also on December 21 (7 p.m.).