ESPN makes major broadcast change for New Year concerning First Take with Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith absent
Over the course of the new year, ESPN will be making some significant adjustments that will impact some of its top stars.
The network has a packed schedule of live college football games planned for the next few days.
As a result, the regular studio shows will no longer be on the schedule.
On New Year’s Day, the first take has been moved up in the schedule.
ESPN typically broadcasts the show Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
However, ESPN2 will air it on Wednesday to make room for coverage of college football.
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Both Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith missed Monday’s broadcast to start the week.
In Smith’s absence, Shannon Sharpe was left to debate with Dan Orlovsky, while Shae Cornette assumed the role of host.
Smith and Qerim’s status is unknown, however First Take will air on the main channel on Tuesday as planned.
Additionally, ESPN will not air The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Rather, starting at noon on New Year’s Eve, ESPN will broadcast a bowl game between the Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide.
On weekdays, that time period is often set aside for the Pat McAfee Show.
On Wednesday, college football will also be broadcast live throughout the day on the main channel.
Starting at 10 a.m. ET, McAfee will be the star of College GameDay.
The three playoff quarterfinals scheduled for New Year’s Day will be previewed on the broadcast.
Ohio State plays Oregon at 5 p.m. ET in the Rose Bowl, while Arizona State plays Texas at 1 p.m. ET in the Peach Bowl.
At 8:45 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day, Notre Dame and Georgia play in the Sugar Bowl.
How the 12-team CFP works
On Friday, December 20, the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff will begin.
Who will enter, though?
Around New Year’s, the top four conference winners will all receive a first-round bye to the quarterfinals.
Even if they are not among the top 12 teams in the country, the fifth-highest conference champion will also be guaranteed a spot.
This guarantees a champion from a conference in the second tier will have the opportunity to compete for the national title.
On Friday, December 20, or Saturday, December 21, teams ranked five through eight will host a first-round playoff game.
Additionally, they will face the nine- through twelve-seeded teams.
The CFP committee determines all of these rankings and seedings, among other things, by looking at schedule strength and record.
The National Championship Game this year will be held in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, January 20.
On New Year’s Eve, the first of the four quarterfinals will take place.
At 7:30 p.m. ET, Boise State will play Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl.
On Thursday and Friday, ESPN’s schedule resumes its regular schedule, with the Pat McAfee Show at noon ET and First Take at 10 am ET.
This week, there isn’t an NFL Thursday Night Football game available on Amazon Prime.
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The Detroit Lions play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night to wrap up the NFL regular season.
Consequently, Monday Night Football on ESPN will also not air.
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