O’Donnell: ESPN rebounds after rough starts to the New Year’s CFP party
THE DANDY LIONS AT ESPN/ABC have a growing list of reasons to try and explain away the steady erosion of broadcast quality on their multiple platforms.
From cord cutters to staff layoffs to repetitively lamebrain content, the dead-see scroll runs the gamut from “T” — as in turgid — to “Z.”
Still, when Disney was handed the four prime quarterfinal bowl games of the College Football Playoff, the expectation was that it would be rise and shine from production trucks to play-by-play booths.
INSTEAD, THE NETWORK LABORED through anemic babble during Miami's zesty 24-14 upset over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl New Year's Eve.
It then opened a fresh 2026 trifecta Thursday with a baffling telecast of Oregon's dominant 23-0 takedown of inoffensive Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.
But after that, it was all “Mouseketeers Up” in aced presentations of Indiana 38, Alabama 3 in the Rose Bowl and Ole Miss's extraordinarily theatrical 39-34 win over Georgia in the nighttime Sugar Bowl.
BY GAME, SOME CHUNKS OF FREE WATCH-SIGHT:
Cotton Bowl — Two words; “Dusty Dvoracek.” … How did this mannequin ever get a choice analyst assignment like the Mario Cristobal-Ryan Day coach-off? … Has anyone ever hipped the yakky ex-Chicago Bear (2006-09) to the benefits of preparation and homework?
Dvoracek spoke by such insipid rote from opening to end that there was a fear the spirit of Tony Romo had infested the booth. … Cable high school games in East Peoria and Hammond get sharper analysis. … Booth mate Dave Pasch — who long ago was making his bones at the old all-news WMAQ-AM (670) in Chicago — wasn't strong enough to pull the telecast out of its depth dive.
The game itself was a nice setup for Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve with Ryan Seacrest. … Especially for lucky viewers who had the Hurricanes and unforgettable pick-sixer Keionte Scott plus-7½ points.
ORANGE BOWL — Joe Tessitore and color man Jesse Palmer did nothing to diminish the ESPN product. … But the directorial decisions were so consistently poor that it was as if Stanley Kubrick's HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey” had wrestled control of matters and then went on auto-confuse.
While Dan Lanning's Ducks were clearly trying to play “tempo” from the outset against a formidable Texas Tech defense, the flustered calling the camera shots lingered on replays far too long. … They also used an end zone cam on a successful fake punt by Oregon in the second quarter that must have been positioned somewhere around Havana.
Wish takeaway for Bears fans: If Base Station Lake Forest somehow winds up with David Bailey — the Red Raiders' superb LB/edge — Ben Johnson 2.0 will be way ahead of the game … Unfortunately, Bailey is being projected as a top 10 draft pick.
ROSE BOWL — No sun, no shine but a slice of masterpiece theater by Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers — one of the most precisely coached college teams of the NIL age. … Also a 38-3 blowout infused with energy by crisp images, determined pageantry and the four-star work of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.
Fowler summons a vision of what Ronald Reagan might have been like had be graduated from Eureka College in 1992 (rather than 1932) and stuck with sportscasting. … As for Herbstreit, between ESPN/ABC and Amazon Prime, his in-season workload is enormous. … But he consistently comes across as thoroughly “of the moment” and a marvelous football infotainer for his times.
Biggest drag was the “no show” of Alabama. … Overmatched coach Kalen DeBoer will be ushered to the crimson exit door much sooner than later if he flutters into many more nutty fake punts like he did early in the second quarter, at his own 34 and with IU ahead only 3-0.
SUGAR BOWL — Far and away the most entertaining game on the four-slip card. … Sean McDonough remains the most honest major play-by-play man in America, which explains why the NFL doesn't come knockin' for his elite services. … McDonough is the seasoned high school principal who's not afraid to tell the parents that it's their teen and not the teachers responsible for the bad grades.
Ole Miss has become the forsaken Cinderella now ready for its national embrace. … Transfer QB Trinidad Chambliss — who one year ago was leading Ferris State to the Division II national title — is Caleb Williams with Allen Iverson drive (and diminutive size).
If America doesn't get an Indiana-Ole Miss national championship game on Jan. 19, it'll be evidence that the Disney spirit has left the tournament.
Otherwise, maybe Lilo & Stitch can handle the coin toss.
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.