The College Football Playoff semifinal games will feature No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss on Jan. 8 and No. 5 Oregon vs No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 9, with each game shown on ESPN.
On Saturday, the ESPN broadcaster assignments for the CFP semifinals were revealed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
According to Jackson, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the Fiesta Bowl between Miami and Ole Miss for ESPN on Thursday in Glendale, AZ, while Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will call the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana for ESPN on Friday in Atlanta, GA.
ESPN assigned Fowler and Herbstreit to Thursday’s UM- Mississippi national semifinal in Glendale and McDonough and McElroy to Friday’s Oregon-Indiana semifinal in Atlanta
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) January 3, 2026
It might come as a surprise to some that Fowler and Herbstreit won’t have the Oregon-Indiana call, with that game viewed more like the main event and featuring superstar quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Dante Moore (Oregon), who will each be in the conversation for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
However, a lot of college football fans would rather hear McDonough and McElroy on the top broadcasts anyway. McDonough was superb on the Ole Miss-Georgia call for ESPN in the CFP quarterfinals.
The decision to put Fowler and Herbstreit on the Thursday game could also relate to Herbstreit having Prime Video duties for a playoff game during NFL Wild-Card Weekend on Saturday or Sunday. Herbstreit is quite used to a crazy traveling schedule, but it certainly makes sense to give him another day to work with if given the choice.
Fowler and Herbstreit will have the College Football Playoff National Championship call for ESPN on Jan. 19.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.