ESPN Unveils New Scorebug for College Football Playoff, and Fans Have One Big Issue

The new graphics package has received positive reviews, but one aspect still bothers fans.

Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love celebrates a touchdown against Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff. / Via ESPN

Friday night marks a new era for college football, as the 12-team College Football Playoff begins with Notre Dame hosting Indiana in a first-round matchup in South Bend. ESPN is celebrating the occasion by debuting a brand new college football graphics package.

"Introducing ESPN's new scorebug and graphics package," Bill Hofheimer, ESPN's vice president of communications, posted to X as the game kicked off. "Our CFB production and Creative Studio teams put so much work into these packages. Readable, vibrant, clear fonting and sleek."

Introducing ESPN's new #CFBPlayoff scorebug and graphics package. Our CFB production and Creative Studio teams put so much work into these packages.

Readable, vibrant, clear fonting and sleek. 🤌🏼 pic.twitter.com/cyOTA9miok

— bill hofheimer (@bhofheimer_espn) December 21, 2024

The new graphics package features a pop of color on each team's side of the scorebug, which feature the programs' logos. It also crucially doesn't take up too much space on the screen... at least, when ESPN isn't utilizing a bottom line, a relative rarity for the network at this point.

Early reactions have been largely positive.

Big fan of ESPN’s new scorebug at the bottom. Clear, clean and sharp.

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) December 21, 2024

this scorebug is amazing. not too bold. not doing taking up 30% of the screen. well done.

— Kyron Samuels (@kyronsamuels) December 21, 2024

This may be the best football scorebug and graphics package #ESPN has ever created. #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/efdsRrkGFy

— Reid Vance (@reidvance) December 21, 2024

I actually like the ESPN College Football Playoff scorebug. They took the SEC on ABC but and improved on it a good bit

— Justin Nicosia (@justinnicosia20) December 21, 2024

There is one major issue, however, and it is one that has plagues scorebugs for years now. Constant flashes of yellow for the down-and-distance make it appear that a flag has been thrown.

The replay wipe into the scorebug CANNOT be yellow. It looks like a penalty EVERY PLAY.

May want to look at that, @espn.@ESPNCFB | @ESPNPR pic.twitter.com/UCtYf4cx13

— Zach Carlyle (@ZCarlyle) December 21, 2024

ESPN has got to change this yellow flash on the down & distance tab on the score bug. Looks like a flag indicator on every play.

— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) December 21, 2024

The use of yellow for non-penalty information is not new, and not exclusive to ESPN, and it remains pretty perplexing for a sport where yellow is a clear indiciation of one thing: a penalty:

Kudos to whatever genius at NBC decided to make the down and yardage graphic yellow. Your brain convinces you that there’s a penalty on every play. pic.twitter.com/2eTkWGJ1us

— Cousin Sal (@TheCousinSal) September 2, 2018

ESPN continues to tinker with the Monday Night Football scorebug and that yellow in the lower right is annoying. pic.twitter.com/vonVCuJzCa

— Ken Fang -- Very Asian (@fangsbites) September 10, 2019

That concern, and the potential for screen clutter when a bottom line is inserted, aside, ESPN did a nice job here.

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