CULTURE CORNER: The Church of College Football
The people of Austin, TX and Longhorn fans all over the world went to sleep the night of the big win with hope and dreams of a season that would without a doubt reveal the Longhorns are back in the national spotlight as a top-tier team. The next week those dreams continued after a blowout win versus an unranked University of Texas El Paso team. However, it didn’t take long for all of our dreams to become nightmares when in the next 2 games the Longhorns lost in humiliating fashion to Cal and Oklahoma State. Now once again, the talk of the town in Austin, TX is that a coaching change is on the horizon.
Personally, I like our coach, Charlie Strong. When he took over for Mack Brown he inherited a pathetic roster with very few NFL prospects. Since taking over the helm he has brought in 2 very solid recruiting classes with a ton of potential. If you are a true fan of the game I don’t have to remind you how well Charlie’s former team is doing with his recruits and system up in Louisville, KY. In fact, this year the Longhorns have had more freshman and sophomore starters than upperclassman. Namely, Shane Buechele, the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns is a true freshman that has been lighting up opposing defenses with a level of play beyond his years. The Longhorns are a young team and I think that if he is given another year the Longhorns will once again be in the hunt for a National Championship. If Texas does fire Charlie Strong I think us fans will witness a catastrophe in recruiting to recover from if recovery will ever even be possible again.
What matters most right now is the outcome of the Longhorns biggest rivalry game of the season on October 8th against the Oklahoma Sooners. A win could throw a little bit of ice on Strong’s hot seat but, a loss would undoubtedly throw gas on a raging inferno. Last year Strong’s Longhorn team won the game, here’s to hoping he can do it again! HOOK ‘EM HORNS!
Here’s a trivia question for you: Based on seating capacity, what are the five largest college football stadiums in the USA? (Make sure you read the next edition of the RAPTOR® RANT to find out the answer.)
As much as I’d like to say the Texas Longhorns stadium a.k.a. “Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium” made the list – the fact is, it did not. Only one university in Texas make that list and it’s actually named after me – correction, I was named after it. While I couldn’t choose my name, I sure could choose my team!
Texas Memorial Stadium came in 8th on the list with an official seating capacity of 100,119. That makes it the 9th largest stadium on earth! It has been the home of to the Texas Longhorns football team since 1924. On any home game day you can clearly hear the chants, "TEXAS FIGHT", miles from the stadium.
Take it from me – if attending a Longhorn game isn’t on your bucket list – you really should consider adding it! I’ll even make sure your belly leaves full of some good ‘ole Texas brisket! "Hook em horns!"
Kyle Fernandez,
Vice President of Sales |