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.
Listened to Pat McAfee by accident for a while. Wow.
I’ll take Chris Fowler any day.— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) January 2, 2025
@espn What is the matter with you for letting Pat McAfee and his child-like cretins blab away about unrelated things during the Rose Bowl?? Very annoying and classless. No wonder no one watches you any more. You are an embarrassment to the sports world today.
— CLAUDIA (@claudiascompan1) January 2, 2025
@espn pat mcafee and crew have to be the worst announcers ever. Can’t even watch the Rose Bowl. Do better ESPN
— AndreaF (@AndLyn101) January 2, 2025
Is Pat McAfee the all-time worst play by play caller in Rose Bowl history? He is ears-bleeding awful to listen to.
— Barry Bloch (@barry_bloch) January 2, 2025
And here we have a sliver of Rose Bowl viewers who watched the McAfee MegaCast on accident. pic.twitter.com/1dsZGnLVq6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 2, 2025
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]