Saturday’s meeting between TCU and SMU will be the 103rd in their storied rivalry, better known as “The Battle For the Iron Skillet.”
The Horned Frogs could ridicule their in-state rival by noting that they’ve won the last two meetings. Or by pointing out that TCU has won 18 of the 22 games against SMU since 2000. All-time, TCU also holds the edge with a 53-42-7 record against the Mustangs.
The Horned Frogs, however, are apparently unimpressed that the game will be broadcast by The CW Network, which has a rights package with the ACC, rather than a network more traditionally associated with college football, such as ABC, ESPN, CBS or Fox. But Saturday’s game is at SMU, which means The CW has the rights to the main broadcast.
Or as the @TCUFootball account put it on X (formerly Twitter): “frogs on the cw, unfortunately.”
Fans of ESPN’s “This is SportsCenter” ad campaign, which has run on and off since 1995, will recognize the style mimicked in the TCU video. A player in a TCU football uniform, wearing the number 1, does a simple job, perhaps on a Saturday afternoon when the office is empty, then calls customer service and is put on hold.
Is there a call to the offices of the ACC? (Maybe the Big 12’s?) Could be. The player must listen to Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait,” perhaps best known as the theme song for the TV series “Dawson’s Creek.” The show originally aired on The WB, which is now The CW.
The video then posts the familiar “This is SportsCenter” image, before changing it to “Well… This is CW, unfortunately. Thanks ACC.”
Ouch! Shots fired? Stray animals caught? Whatever popular phrase is used to describe TCU’s sweep, it stings. That’s gonna leave a trail.
TCU football’s social media account opted to get a little more creative with its teasers for this Week 4 game. And college football fans are likely thankful they did, because making fun of SMU joining the ACC is far more memorable than a won-loss record or point spread (TCU is a 2.5-point favorite).
If SMU wins, the pressure will be on the social media department to come up with a fitting retort. The new conference could really use the support. For now, though, The CW responded with a clip that harkened back to the days as The WB, when the mascot was Michigan J. Frog.
Frogs on The CW, indeed.
TCU and SMU air at 5:00 PM ET on The CW Network.
