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ESPN College GameDay announces Brian Bosworth, Johnny Manziel as guest pickers for CFP shows

by: Alex Byington12/18/25_AlexByington

ESPN College GameDay announced its celebrity guest pickers for its dueling live shows on Friday and Saturday in Norman and College Station, respectively, for this weekend’s opening round of the 2025 College Football Playoffs.

Hall of Fame Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth will be GameDay’s celebrity guest picker for Friday’s show in Norman ahead that night’s first-round matchup between No. 9 Alabama and the eighth-seeded Sooners, while Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel will be the guest picker Saturday in College Station ahead of the first-round showdown between No. 10 Miami and No. 7 Aggies.

The 2025 College Football Playoffs will officially kickoff at 8 pm ET Friday night from Norman, while the Saturday’s first-round games begin with the 12 noon ET kick in College Station, with both games simulcast on ABC and ESPN. Saturday’s Playoff slate will be continue with No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss at 3:30 pm ET in Oxford, Miss., and No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon at 7:30 pm ET in Eugene, Ore., with both games simulcast on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.

College Football Playoff: ESPN announces broadcast teams for first-round CFP games

The College Football Playoff bracket is officially set, and the matchups are in place for the first round. ESPN has also announced the broadcast teams for the first-round games.

This year marks the second for TNT’s coverage of the CFP. The network will air two first-round matchups as part of a sublicense deal with ESPN, which will produce the games with its announcers and graphics packages. ESPN will then become the exclusive home of the quarterfinals, semifinals and national championship.

Here are the broadcasters for the first-round College Football Playoff games:

No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma

Date/Time: Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC, ESPN
Broadcasters: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge

A College Football Playoff game is coming to Norman in a rematch of this year’s regular season game. No. 9 seed Alabama will look to avenge its loss to No. 8 Oklahoma, and ESPN’s lead team will be on the call. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be in the booth with Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge as sideline reporters.

No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M

Date/Time: Dec. 20, Noon ET
Channel: ABC, ESPN
Broadcasters: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, Taylor McGregor

ESPN and ABC will start off a tripleheader of College Football Playoff action at Kyle Field as Miami takes on Texas A&M. The Aggies went 11-1 during the regular season while the Hurricanes went 10-2 and jumped into the bracket Sunday as the last team in the field. Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will have the call as Molly McGrath and Taylor McGregor cover the sidelines.

No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss

Date/Time: Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Broadcasters: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, Quint Kessenich

TNT’s first College Football Playoff game of the year will feature another regular-season rematch. Ole Miss dominated Tulane earlier this season and the Green Wave will once again visit the new-look Rebels. Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer will have the call along with sideline reporters Katie George and Quint Kessenich.

No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon

Date/Time: Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Broadcasters: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden, Stormy Buonantony

Closing out the first round, James Madison will make the cross-country trek to Eugene to take on Oregon at Autzen Stadium. The Dukes are the second Group of 6 representative in the field after winning the Sun Belt, setting up the matchup against the 11-1 Ducks. Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick will be in the booth along with sideline reporters Kris Budden and Stormy Buonantony.

— On3’s Nick Schulz contributed to this report.