With just one week away from the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff first-round of games set to kickoff, fans are flocking to social media, curious to know if the atmosphere will be like regular-season games. Will it feel like a traditional college football Saturday, or will playoff theatrics dominate?
In an interview on Thursday, Ohio State Athletics Director Ross Bjork shared some insights into the setup of first-round games; comparing the setup to a college baseball regional. “The CFP will control much of the in-game production, including music and intro videos for both teams,” Bjork stated that games would blend familiar territory of home-game energy with some neutral-site elements.
Texas AD Chris Del Conte addressed similar questions on social media earlier this week. Initially stating it would feel like a normal Texas game, Del Conte later clarified on X (formerly Twitter): “Combination of both… will be our normal home theatrics with some bowl game elements to boot 🤘🏽.”
This will be the first time the playoffs will broadcast games on TNT Sports, as part of a sub-licensing agreement with ESPN. The familiar face of the playoff games, ESPN, will still serve as the primary producer of all the games. The sub-licensing deal announced over the summer will allow TNT to air two of the first-round matchups.
The No. 5 Texas Longhorns take on the No. 12 Clemson Tigers from DKR on Saturday, December 21st at 3:00 p.m.