ESPN Is Getting Ripped For Cotton Bowl National Anthem Decision

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It didn't take long for fans to complain about ESPN's broadcast for the Cotton Bowl.

There was a ton of hype surrounding this Wednesday's showdown between No. 10 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State, make no mistake about it. The Hurricanes are feeling great after their opening-round victory, whereas the Buckeyes have proven they know how to handle the 12-team format for the College Football Playoff.

Although the atmosphere for the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium has been epic, fans watching at home missed the national anthem. That's because ESPN decided not to show it during its pregame coverage.

The national anthem was performed by a choir from Smith Chapel AME Church in Oak Cliff, Texas. As you'd imagine, their loved ones are a bit disappointed by ESPN's decision.

"My mama & her church choir just sang the national anthem at the Cotton Bowl & y'all [expletives] didn't even put it on broadcast TV smh @espn," one person wrote on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

That's not the only complaint about ESPN.

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor and Quint Kessenich are at AT&T Stadium to cover this game between Miami and Ohio State. Let's just say fans aren't exactly fond of this broadcast crew.

"Absolute shame Miami vs Ohio State isn’t on CBS or Fox instead of B team announcers at ESPN," a fan wrote on social media.

"ESPN explain to me how the CFP is on right now with the d team announcing," another fan said.

Hopefully, Pasch and Dvoracek call an exceptional game for ESPN. The last thing the network needs is a dud to start the CFP quarterfinals.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Jan 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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