College football is inextricably linked to music, and not just because two marching bands provide an almost constant soundtrack after each piece. Television channels also use music to try to set the scene. Not only with licensed songs from popular artistsbut also with the orchestrated, wordless pieces that are broadcast at the start of a big show – you know, like the old NBA on NBC theme, but college football. This article evaluates the latter.
There’s one thing I ask when reviewing a song: does it slap?
It’s easy to tell if a song is slapping. Either he hits the target or he fails. You know it when you hear it.
I found as many college football introductory themes as I could, throughout the history of CFB television, and went one by one to answer this important question.
Late 1970s NBC theme
Excuse me, I’ll take my college football with a side of guitar funk, thank you very much.
Seems like this bad boy should be accompanied by a soul train line, not a college football game.
Does it slap? I’m putting on bell bottoms as we speak. Yes, it slaps.
Mid 70s ABC Theme
It’s a pseudo-marching band theme.
But the problem is that this follows a quick promotion at the start of ABC’s Olympics coverage. Olympic theme transcends slaps, and to say that this is the case would be an insult to Léo Arnaud and John Williams. Imagine thinking that anything that can keep up with him could even stand up to him.
Does it slap? Certainly not. But perhaps the degree of difficulty should be taken into consideration.
ESPN 1980 Theme
Thank goodness it’s better than that for the four-letter network. Its early days present, shall we say, a Spartan quality.
Does it slap? This is certainly not the case. ESPN had path better in this department.
CBS 1985 Theme
There was another CBS college football theme song? I feel bad putting you through this, but here we go.
Does it slap? Not a chance, and I would like to revise history to show that this theme did not exist, and that it has always been the SEC on CBS theme, to which we will return later.
1985, something called the TEN theme?
Yeah, I’ve never heard of it either, but there’s a theme.
Does it slap? You know what, I think so. It makes your shoulders shake slightly.
ABC Theme 1985
Honestly, it doesn’t matter what song is under that, because…
…Keith Jackson talks about it, and the man can slap any music by pure osmosis.
Does it slap? It’s true that that’s the case. R.I.P., K.J..
1987 SEC on TBS
Yes, there was a time when the SEC and CBS were not in cahoots. TBS owned some rights in the late 1980s, and their theme song may not have been memorable, but the accompanying video certainly was.
Does it slap? Sometimes a good music video can make up for a good song. With this in mind, I declare that it slaps the face.
Early 90s ABC Theme
It’s like ABC thinks we’re all frolicking in a pregame with this floating tone and fanfare motif. Of course, there’s a referee’s whistle – because football? — but other than that, it’s hard to associate this with a sporting event. Get this cheesy mess out of here.
Does it slap? This is certainly not the case.
The mid-90s ABC theme
Listen to the early 90s theme song, then listen to the early 2000s theme song. This one is sandwiched right in the middle, both chronologically and sonically.
The beginning is more or less the same as its successor, but then it evolves into something very similar to its predecessor. It’s a song stuck between two eras.
Does it slap? Questionable. Because it’s clearly a precursor to something bigger, maybe it slaps in the face like a prologue or origin story does. But no, I would tend to say that it doesn’t slap the face, actually.
The ABC theme from the early 2000s
Before ABC Sports merged with ESPN in the mid-2000s, the company had its own sports production arm. He rocked college football games with that thunderous tone with pulsating guitar throughout.
And the network upped the ante for BCS broadcasts with this triumphant tune.
Does it slap? Oh, you bet your bottom dollar is a slap in the face, my friend.
The FSN theme
I always thought FSN was a bit like Diet Fox growing up. I guess, from a business perspective, that was technically true. FSN’s theme song almost sounds like the distant cousin of Fox’s NFL theme. But this is only a great preamble to his last measure.
Does it slap? Just for the very ending up alone is a slap in the face.
Notre Dame’s Ass Theme on NBC
NBC has moved away from it, but Peacock Network has made no secret of its connection to Notre Dame in theme songs since the deal began in 1991. Here’s a version from 1993:
This theme song – which was essentially a rock version of ND’s fight song – lasted until the mid-2000s, when it was replaced by a slightly less Notre Dame-like jingle.
Does it slap? It’s not 1950 anymore and we won’t win anything for the Gipper. No, it doesn’t slap you.
ESPN’s Scalable CFB Theme
The network has used a version of the same theme song for about two decades. It started out a little too melodically for me, but the guts are there.
In the early 2000s we actually got a good theme from the Bristol people. Why does it work? Not really sure. There are lots of chimes and a Seinfeld a bass line underneath, and strong brass in there too. But damn, it all works.
The advanced version used in the late 2000s also works.
Does it slap? Like a fine wine, ESPN’s main theme song has gotten better with age and it has slapped along over the years. In fact, the ESPN theme has been available in three different versions. It’s impressive.
PS A moment also for the melody of the xylophone that ESPN2 happened. The Deuce was originally supposed to be ESPN’s cooler cousin. This theme was… uh… not that.
The TBS theme of the early 2000s
No, not the hard rock version of Elton John’s song “Saturday”, but the epic fake horn theme at the start of this video:
Does it slap? No insightful factor to make it stand out anyway. Therefore, don’t slap.
THE 2002 NCAA Football intro theme song
Remember Brad Nessler’s comment introducing your virtual dynasty games back in the day? This is the extended version.
I had completely forgotten about this, but man The drums hit after the electric guitar drops and the marching band comes out.
Does it slap? In a perfectly nostalgic way it certainly is, with a nod to my childhood which included many sleepless nights with a PS2 and enough Mountain Dew to simulate a cocaine binge, as far as my receptors are concerned dopaminergic.
Pilot Jefferson Themes
Man, it was still way too early for that much guitar. This is a Jefferson Pilot SEC game, which means it could be around 11 a.m. local time. They never really lived up to the expectations of two average teams going head-to-head as table setters for the day.
But I will argue that whatever flute melody is going on here in the much older JP games has some merit.
Do they slap? A tight jury on this one, if we’re honest. But starting CFB day can never be fake, I guess. So I’ll let it go.
THE SEC on CBS
Speaking of SEC… If you think this doesn’t slap you in the face, you’re wrong. It’s the gold standard, the big kahuna, the Grand Poobah. This is the bar by which all other topics in college football must be judged.
It’s been the soundtrack to my fall Saturdays for as long as I can remember, and it’s untouchable. Like Prince for a while, he actually doesn’t have a name. Maybe it’s better this way. It’s so good that it survived for 30 years, and while the SEC’s exclusive deal with CBS became successful in the late 1990s, it gained momentum throughout the 2000s. to its place of preeminence in all sport.
The familiarity between the music and the SEC brand is so strong that CBS Sports President Sean McManus said the network has concluded several times over the years that changing it would be a mistake. It’s so ingrained that sometimes live marching bands in the stadium play it “at just the right moment” as CBS breaks out of commercial, McManus said.
Does it slap? Why did I even bother asking myself this question? In the pantheon of sports intros, perhaps the only ones that slap harder are NBC’s Roundball Rock, ESPN’s NHL themeand the classic Monday Night Football instrumental theme. THE SEC on CBS“the song is that GOOD.
Fox’s Theme
It’s literally just the marching band version of the NFL theme song.
Go home and think about what you’ve done, Fox. Come back when you’re ready to do better. (Or at least get an HBCU band to do it, so the drums hit).
Does it slap? No, this Great Value theme doesn’t slap the face.
The original Big Ten Network theme
The original BTN version was short, sweet and to the point. For that, I appreciate it.
Moreover, he will forever be associated at that time Michigan beat Appalachian Statethe first game ever broadcast on the network.
Does it slap? We all have songs of questionable musical quality, but associated with an important moment. That’s it. It slaps.
The Modern ESPN Theme
At its best, this theme does a good job as a bed under an announcer’s voice to kick things off or set the scene with an airship. It’s not overwhelming and is a solid complementary piece. That certainly doesn’t mean it’s bad.
Does it slap? This is definitely a theme that will appeal to millennial sensibilities. Mission accomplished.
