{"id":695824,"date":"2026-01-22T08:01:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T08:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/695824\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T08:01:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T08:01:46","slug":"a-changing-of-the-guard-for-espn-college-football-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/695824\/","title":{"rendered":"A changing of the guard for ESPN college football coverage?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This originally appeared in the Wednesday edition of\u00a0 The A Block, Awful Announcing\u2019s daily newsletter with the latest sports media news, commentary, and analysis. Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0and be the first to know everything you need to know about the sports media world.<\/p>\n

The morning after the College Football Playoff national championship game, it was striking to see who was on the air on First Take the morning after to break down Indiana\u2019s historic victory over Miami.<\/p>\n

The show is a fertile playground for stars both present and future at the network given the outsized influence and kingmaking abilities of Stephen A. Smith. So it was fascinating to see who was and who wasn\u2019t on the air.<\/p>\n

Longtime ESPN mainstay Paul Finebaum was nowhere to be seen. Instead it was Desmond Howard from College GameDay, a Michigan alum from the Big Ten and E.J. Manuel, a Florida State alum from the ACC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re back, and I\u2019m saying this as a Florida State guy.\u201d \ud83d\ude05@EJManuel3<\/a> on if \u2018The U\u2019 is back after the loss to Indiana in the CFP National Championship \ud83c\udfc6 pic.twitter.com\/fPq1jrRbxs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 First Take (@FirstTake) January 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, given the title game represented both conferences, it made all the sense in the world to showcase two analysts who know them well. But given that First Take has highlighted SEC loyalist Paul Finebaum all year, it was also quite the statement for where ESPN might go from here.<\/p>\n

Finebaum has been a ubiquitous presence on ESPN\u2019s college football coverage over the last few years and for good reason. Love him or love to hate him, he is a dynamic personality who has been around the sport for decades. But while he and the SEC have had to eat a lot of crow this postseason, the end of their dominance over the sport might represent an opportunity for others to make their voices heard.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it was refreshing to see Manuel, a rising ACC Network star<\/a>, get a turn in the spotlight. The ACC has had to live as second-class citizens<\/a> at ESPN for years. They get less television time, less revenue, less\u2026 well, everything. And don\u2019t think that reality is lost on ACC folks<\/a>. And yet, Miami\u2019s run to the title game showed that maybe the conference is a lot closer to the SEC than we\u2019ve all been led to believe.<\/p>\n

For as much focus as the ESPN-SEC deal has received, ESPN also has the rights to the ACC and runs the ACC Network. In fact, that deal now looks like an incredible sweetheart deal for Bristol, given how early it was struck and how long it runs for (through 2036). In fact, the length of the deal and the grant of rights were the subject of much consternation that almost tore the conference apart<\/a> before a new revenue-sharing agreement kept Clemson and Florida State in the fold.<\/p>\n

But if this is a preview of ESPN\u2019s 2026 college football coverage, it could be transformative for the way the sport is received and the narratives that are formed. Just imagine what a shock to the system it would be to see ESPN choosing to go to a Miami-Virginia Tech game for College GameDay instead of their SEC game of the week. If the ACC is given more respect by ESPN, it might help break the stigma that it is less than the Big Ten and SEC.<\/p>\n

Reportedly, there\u2019s a belief<\/a> in Bristol that ESPN doesn\u2019t quite know how to properly handle the growth and popularity of college football. Featuring some newer and more diverse voices like E.J. Manuel, Josh Pate, Bussin\u2019 with the Boys, and more can provide a much-needed boost and refresh to their coverage. And if it takes a more national approach rather than an SEC-or-bust mentality, that can be a welcome development for the network\u2019s reputation for calling it down the middle rather than playing favorites.<\/p>\n

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