Five Saturdays from right now, fans of the gridiron will be either parked on their couches, at a tailgate lot, or in a stadium getting ready to watch a game or knee-deep into a game. We’ve almost made it! After a long, grueling summer, college football is coming back!
A key component in following college football throughout the season is the sport’s traditions. The TV experience has a number of traditions itself.
Think about it: You wake up and rush out of bed to get downstairs, make some coffee and turn on ESPN to watch College GameDay, taking you up to the first kickoff at noon ET. However, one of the most iconic customs takes place in the late afternoon window.
At the stroke of 3:30 pm ET on a college football Saturday, millions of fans around the country turn on CBS and hear this:
The CBS Sports college football theme actually began its life in January of 1987, when it was used as the theme music package for CBS’ coverage of Super Bowl XXI between the Denver Broncos and New York Giants.
Fast-forward to the mid-1990s: CBS Sports was in a tailspin upon losing broadcast rights to MLB, the NFL and NBA. Imagine living in 1994 for just one moment, turning on your local CBS station and seeing Baywatch episodes on a fall Saturday instead of a football game.
It happened. Aside from the FCS National Championship and two bowl games, including the New Year’s Eve presentation of the Sun Bowl, CBS had no regular package of college football to fall back on in the absence of the NFL. By 1995, CBS secured rights to the Fiesta and Orange Bowls in the Bowl Alliance in addition to the Sun Bowl telecasts in advance of a regularly-scheduled package of games on Saturday afternoons beginning the next season.
Initially, the package of games included contests from the SEC and Big East in a regional window at 3:30 pm ET/ 12:30 pm PT on Saturdays, the annual Army/Navy Game, and the Bowl Alliance. CBS dropped the Big East package after 2000, securing exclusive coverage of the SEC in the 3:30 window.
In 2019, the SEC television rights were up for renewal, with the new media cycle set to begin in 2024. CBS Sports made a bid to try and retain the package, preparing to pay $300 million for the telecasts. Higher-ups at the network instead preferred to walk away and land other properties. Effective in 2024, ESPN and ABC will exclusively carry SEC football.
This marks the 28th and final year of the current SEC package, but it won’t exclusively be football from the likes of Alabama and LSU in the timeslot. Last summer, the Big Ten Conference revamped its media deal to include CBS in the selfsame 3:30 window in select weeks this season as a prelude to the league taking over the timeslot permanently in 2024. With one year left for The SEC on CBS, now is the perfect time to take a look back at the greatest players to bring the package to life.
In the late 2000s, The University of Florida’s football program was the center of attention largely due to Tim Tebow’s stellar play at quarterback. Although he was a flash in the pan in the NFL, the man was an absolute beast as QB1 for Urban Meyer.
If you tuned into CBS on a Saturday, more often than not, Tebow and the Gators would be running roughshod. Back in October of 2007, a rare primetime edition of The SEC on CBS was aired with Florida taking on LSU in Baton Rouge. Even though the Gators lost that night, the legend of Tebow was beginning.
He accounted for 226 all-purpose yards during the game in question en route to a 9-4 season and a Heisman win. Tebow was a proven champ under center.
A year later, the Gators found themselves in the SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome. In a vintage performance, Tebow carved up the Alabama Crimson Tide for 273 total yards and two touchdowns (both passing.) If you were tasked with constructing an All-SEC on CBS team, you’d be smart to have Tim Tebow as a starting quarterback.
While Tebow was a mobile quarterback, let’s switch to Baton Rouge and to halfback for a moment. It’s time to talk about speed.
Nearly a decade ago, the Les Miles era of LSU Tigers football was predicated by star tailback Leonard Fournette. Now out of football after a stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fournette was beastly when getting the handoff, especially in 2015.
Early on in that season, CBS’ cameras were in Baton Rouge for LSU’s home date against Alabama. In front of a national audience, Fournette went off.
That afternoon, his final stat line was 228 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns. At that point, his 228 yards was a career high, only to be eclipsed by a 249-yard outburst on just seven carries the next season.
Leonard Fournette has 7 carries for 249 yards with 13 minutes left in the third quarter.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 23, 2016
At the same time, even the best running backs have a bad night. When Fournette and the Tigers faced the Crimson Tide under the lights that November, the usually reliable halfback was neutralized, only running for 31 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown.
It was on that night where Derrick Henry took center stage. The current Tennessee Titans running back unloaded for 210 yards on 38 carries and three scores.
Despite the paltry numbers, there’s no denying that Fournette was a great running back, especially when CBS was in the house.
For the final marquee player in this toast to The SEC on CBS, let’s take it back to 2013. The Thanksgiving weekend is the last one of the FBS regular season and the last chance for a team vying for a berth in a major bowl game to bolster their case before a conference championship the next week.
It’s during that extended holiday weekend where, aside from the turkey and stuffing, there’s also a cornucopia of football. Rivalry games rule the roost that weekend, including the Alabama vs. Auburn Iron Bowl. That early evening, Auburn cornerback Chris Davis delivered the greatest moment in the history of both The SEC on CBS and college football as a whole.
Tied 28-28 with one second left in the fourth quarter, Alabama kicker Adam Griffith missed on a 57-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game for the Crimson Tide. Upon Chris Davis catching the errant kick, he went to work.
Davis turned on the speed to take the ball 109 yards for a game-winning touchdown to deny Alabama a chance at a national championship the next month. It has to be seen to be believed.
As someone who watched that game live, it was an unbelievable play and an unbelievable moment. It’s still just as awesome close to 10 years after the fact.
For almost 30 years, SEC football and CBS Sports have been synonymous. Now with the last year of the partnership looming, it’s up to the teams and players to make it the best year ever.
