Saturday’s meeting between TCU and SMU is the 103rd in their storied rivalry, better known as “The Battle for the Iron Skillet.”
The Horned Frogs could poke fun at their local rival by mentioning that they’ve won the last two meetings or pointing out that TCU has won 18 of 22 games against SMU since 2000. All-time, TCU also has the edge with a 53-42-7 record against the Mustangs.
However, the Horned Frogs apparently aren’t impressed that the game will be televised 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 it for its highlights broadcast.
Or as the @TCUFootball account on X (formerly Twitter) put it: “frogs on the cw, unfortunately.”
Fans of ESPN’s “This is SportsCenter” ad campaign that has been running on and off since 1995 will surely recognize the style being mimicked in TCU’s video. A player in a TCU football uniform, wearing No. 1, performs a menial job, perhaps on a Saturday afternoon when the office is empty, then makes a customer service call and is put on hold.
Is the call going to the ACC offices? (Maybe the Big 12?) It could be. The player has to listen to Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait,” perhaps best known as the theme song for the television series “Dawson’s Creek.” The show originally aired on The WB, which is now The CW.
The video then features the familiar “This is SportsCenter” graphic, before changing it to “Well… This is the CW unfortunately. Thanks ACC.”
Ouch! Gunshots? Trapping stray animals? Whatever popular phrase is used to describe TCU’s hit, it hurts. It will leave a mark.
The TCU football social media account decided to get more creative with its taunts heading into this Week 4 matchup. And college football fans are presumably grateful for that because poking fun at SMU’s addition to the ACC is far more memorable than any win-loss record or point spread (TCU is a 2.5-point favorite).
If SMU wins, the pressure will be on its social media department to come up with a fitting retort. It’s possible its new conference really needs the support. For now, though, The CW has responded with a clip reminiscent of its days as The WB, when its mascot was Michigan J. Frog.
Frogs on The CW, in fact.
TCU and SMU begin at 5 p.m. ET on The CW Network.