ESPN has some big changes coming over the new year that affect some of the network's leading stars.
The network has a busy couple of days lining up live college football.
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This means a change in the schedule of usual studio shows.
First Take was dropped from the schedule on New Year's Day.
The show usually airs at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN Monday through Friday.
But it will be shown Wednesday on ESPN2 and make room for college football coverage.
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Stephen A. was absent. Smith and Molly Karim for a Monday show to start the week.
Shay Cornette took over as host while Shannon Sharp was left to discuss with Dan Orlovsky in Smith's absence.
First Take will air on the main channel as scheduled on Tuesday, but the status of Smith and Karim is unclear.
The Pat McAfee Show will also not be shown on ESPN either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Instead, ESPN will show a bowl game featuring the Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide starting at midday on New Year's Eve.
This slot is usually reserved for The Pat McAfee Show on weekdays.
Wednesday will also feature college football live on the main channel throughout the day.
McAfee will star on College GameDay from 10 a.m. ET.
The show will showcase the three quarterfinals scheduled for New Year's Day.
Arizona State will face Texas at 1 PM ET in the Peach Bowl before Ohio State takes on Oregon at 5 PM ET in the Rose Bowl.
New Year's Day ends with the Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia at 8:45 p.m. ET.
How the 12-Team CFP Works
The first 12-team College Football Playoff begins on Friday, December 20.
But who will enter?
All four of the top-seeded conference champions in the first round will be guaranteed a round-robin round in the new year.
The fifth-highest-ranked conference champion will also be guaranteed a spot, regardless of whether it is ranked among the top 12 teams in the country.
This ensures that a champion from one of the Tier II conferences will have a chance to play in the national championship.
Teams seeded fifth through eighth will host a first-round playoff game on Friday, December 20th or Saturday, December 21st.
They will face teams ranked from ninth to twelfth.
All of these rankings and rankings are determined by a CFP committee – based on record and strength of schedule among other factors.
This year's national championship game will be held on Monday, January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The first match of the four quarter-finals will be played on New Year's Eve.
Boise State will take on Penn State at 7:30 PM ET in the Fiesta Bowl.
ESPN programming returns to normal on Thursday and Friday with the first show at 10 a.m. ET, followed by The Pat McAfee Show at noon ET.
There is no Thursday Night Football NFL game on Amazon Prime this week.
The NFL regular season ends Sunday night, with the Detroit Lions taking on the Minnesota Vikings.
This means there will also be no Monday Night Football on ESPN.
