Several Rose Bowl viewers found themselves confused by the game's commentary, only to realize that they were watching Pat McAfee's altcast. Screen grab: ESPN

For the second time in as many weeks, viewers found themselves frustrated with ESPN’s presentation of the College Football Playoff.

Only this time, it had nothing to do with Kirk Herbstreit. In fact, one could argue that when it comes to ESPN’s top college football analyst, absence only made the heart grow founder.

As viewers tuned into the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Rose Bowl matchup between Oregon and Ohio State on Wednesday, many found themselves confused by the broadcast’s casual nature. Where was Herbstreit? Why were the announcers cussing? And who was the lead voice with the noticeable Pittsburgh accent?

“I know TV has gone down the drain (especially after watching CNN NYE broadcast last night), but holy cow I’ve heard ‘shit’ & ‘ass’ more in this Rose Bowl Broadcast than I hear in a week from my teenager!” a post on ESPN’s Reddit page titled “Rose Bowl commentators horrible” read. “Is it that hard to show some decorum for the game’s most prestigious Bowl?”

“These guys wouldn’t shut the F***U*,” another poster replied. “Please tell me this isn’t commentating of the future.”

“Like listening to 12 year old boys with the stupidest accent in America,” added another. “Don’t they speak English in Pittsburgh?”

If you haven’t caught on by now, these viewers weren’t watching ESPN’s main Rose Bowl broadcast, which featured the traditional top team of Chris Fowler and Herbstreit, but rather the Pat McAfee-led Field Pass altcast on ESPN 2. As it turns out, this was a fairly common mistake, with several viewers on social media — including longtime Michigan writer John U. Bacon — admitting that they either watched the altcast by accident or thought it was ESPN’s primary feed.

While it’s easy to understand how one could mistakenly tune into an altcast — especially considering their prevalence these days — the fact that so many seemed to do it in this particular instance likely isn’t a coincidence. In fact, it’s actually understandable considering that those who wanted to watch the Rose Bowl from the start were forced to tune into ESPN2, as ESPN continued to broadcast Texas’ overtime win over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl before switching over to Pasadena midway through the first quarter.

While the ESPN2 broadcast initially began with the feed featuring Fowler and Herbstreit, it abruptly flipped to the McAfee altcast mid-play once ESPN switched its own broadcast over. Apparently, many viewers didn’t notice — or did and didn’t realize what was happening — creating a chaotic viewing experience for “The Grandaddy of Them All.”

[Reddit]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.