ESPN is making a significant change to its college football broadcasts for the 2026 season.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, ESPN is getting rid of the BottomLine ticker that appears during a college football game. The network is making this change to make the presentation look cleaner.
Advertisement
MORE: Paul Finebaum applauds Big Ten, SEC bans on NFL players
“We’re always looking for ways to better serve sports fans. By removing the BottomLine during live action, we’re creating a cleaner presentation that keeps the focus where it belongs—on the field,” an ESPN spokesperson told Glasspiegel.
What this means
The ticker already doesn’t appear during College Football Playoff games, and that will now be extended to regular-season games.
Per Glasspiegel, there will still be score alerts at specific times each quarter. Other updates may also appear at times in the top right of the screen or just above the scorebug.
Advertisement
The 2026 college football season is set to start this Saturday, so it won’t be long until fans give their input on the new changes.
The first game to get underway will be North Carolina vs. TCU at Noon ET on ESPN. NC State-Virginia will follow suit at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Other games include San Jose State-USC, New Mexico State-Florida State, and Memphis-UNLV.
— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —
