We’re a little more than a week away from a first-round game in the College Football Playoff at Beaver Stadium, so here’s a primer about what you’ll see in terms of media coverage and some of what to expect (or not) inside the stadium on Dec. 21.
• The matchup: No. 6 Penn State (11-2) vs. No. 11 SMU (11-2)
• Date, time, place: Noon, Dec. 21, Beaver Stadium
• TV/Streaming: TNT/Max
• Audio: Radio, satellite radio, GoPSUsports.com
It’s the fifth noon game of the season for Penn State (this time it’s not Fox’s fault for those of you who blame them regarding midday kickoffs, which are a wonderful thing) and it could be the least-watched of the four first-round playoff games.
Although ESPN and Disney owns the rights to all games in the playoff, it worked a deal with TNT via Warner Brothers. Discovery to broadcast the Saturday afternoon games, which largely go head-to-head against NFL games this season.
It’s a good deal for TNT to get quality content, better than anything else it would’ve shown at the time, but the games seem unlikely to draw ratings and viewership numbers comparable to the games Friday night (Indiana-Notre Dame) and Saturday night (Tennessee-Ohio State).
ESPN kept the night games for itself, and those will air on ABC and ESPN.
The noon kick for SMU-Penn State will overlap with a good portion of the Houston Texans-Kansas City Chiefs game that begins at 1 p.m. and airs on NBC and Peacock.
For Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers fans, Dec. 21 is a good TV watching day. The Penn State playoff game begins the day at noon and Steelers-Ravens follows at 4:30 p.m. on Fox.
ESPN talent will work all the college playoff games. For the Penn State game, that’s Mark Jones on play-by-play, Roddy Jones as the analyst in the booth and Quint Kessenich reporting from the sidelines.
It’s been 356 days since Mark Jones and Kessenich last worked a Penn State game. They were on the call for the Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss last season. It’s the first Penn State game for Roddy Jones, a former Georgia Tech running back.
Expect the branding inside Beaver Stadium to be a little different for the playoff game. It may not translate to TV, but the event is a College Football Playoff game being conducted at Penn State, not exclusively a Penn State home game in the playoffs, and the subtle difference matters.
It’s likely that CFP partners might get ad space and mentions at times. And it’s not clear if some of the usual Penn State sponsors inside the stadium will have a role. It makes sense for the CFP logo and imagery to be prominent and it would not be a surprise for some on-field logos for the playoff to be present. So, the last game at home this season might look a little different from any other previous game at Beaver Stadium.
Plus, with construction coming in the offseason — some work starting as soon as next month — Beaver Stadium will be configured differently and look a little different the next two seasons during construction. Then, when the renovations are ready for a full season in 2027-28, the old erector set could look significantly different.
The always tight Beaver Stadium sidelines might be a little roomier. While the game will attract national and Texas-based media members, the typical swarm of hangers on, former letterman and everything from self-declared VIPs to actual VIPs who end up alongside working media members on the field might not be as prominent on the sidelines for a change.
That’s a good thing for those who are working, allowing them to do their jobs and perhaps limiting the clutter down there.
Now, there will be more media members, for sure — it’ll be one of four major college football games that matter next weekend — but the typical mix of folks who want to be seen, folks fulfilling some fantasy and alumni and recruits will not be in the mix.
Finally, expect Penn State to make the most of the playoff game as a recruiting event. While the playoff game will limit what recruits can do and how Penn State can treat them, it’s a safe bet that some important prospective players will still be on site. They just might not be on the field or as visible as they would be for a normal Penn State home game.
Other First-Round Playoff Games
Dec. 20: No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, 8 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath as the on-air team covering the matchup for bragging rights in the Hoosier state, and beyond. Notre Dame apparently requested a Friday night game, though the Irish might’ve preferred a different opponent. In terms of perception, at least, they’ll be expected to win and if they do not the team that beat them is right next door. To me, there’s an argument for Notre Dame to have been left out, but maybe the Irish will prove me wrong.
Dec. 21: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, 4 p.m. (TNT/Max)
Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor will work as the on-air team for another game that might struggle in terms of ratings and viewership. That Steelers-Ravens game will be compelling competition, and Clemson, the conference champion who got in with the lowest-possible seed, will have to work to keep it close early — and throughout.
Dec. 21: No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, 8 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe have on-air duties for what the broadcast partner considers the best game of the weekend. Ohio State fans must be thrilled about not playing at noon (they did so a half dozen times this season). Meanwhile, Tennessee and Southeastern Conference fans are probably rankled that this game is being played in the north instead of UT serving as the home team. Still, ABC must be happy to have OSU to drive ratings and viewership. The best subplot here is that this is the Buckeyes’ first home game since some fans were booing coach Ryan Day and the team when losing to Michigan. Herbstreit, the former Buckeyes QB, who moved away from Columbus years ago after people were critical of his work, said on ESPN’s playoff preview show that fans could get restless if things to not go well against Tennessee early.
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