An out of stater really has no clue about Texas College Football (Houston: appointed, home)

[TamaraSavannah]

Such as the spillover effect it has on communities.

My Brother (modern, from the Big Cities of the East (okay, Kansas)) is visiting me this weekend. The place we had dinner last night, in the town that has a home game this weekend, had packed parking. He saw it as okay if I parked my car behind his........No, that is grounds to being towed. So I parked on the street and then after dinner when he drove me to my car, he was amazed how far away I parked.

Tomorrow, we are going to see my other Brother in a rendezvous city to the east and really, the only safe place to leave one's car for many hours is home here at the ranch. Anyplace else is either "free" parking taken over for paid parking for the game......or places with dripping fangs ready to call the towing companies for anyone parking there and not walking in.

Or am I being unreasonable to have such fears?

He said I was being unreasonable because coming to the ranch to pick me up does add almost an hour, round trip, to each leg for the drive for him.....so I told him pick me up and we will then go in my F 250. Told him to bring his CDs...........

[Arkay66]

You have a better sense of what's safe around you than do your brothers. Enjoy the ride in your F-250...

[WestGuest]

They should know colleges in our state spend a fortune on Football. Academics comes second. Sam Houston State with the best criminology program in the South perhaps, might be an exception. They don't play in the top division but they often are ranked in the top 3 in the next one down.


Rice may be another exception.

[StealthRabbit]

interesting topic...

And yes FOOTBALL is pretty foreign to many from USA not in southern atates or big name college alumni. I wondered why all the driveway flags in TN, AL, and GA...

I was quite disappointed, but not surprised to find NEW community and some collegiate swimming pools in Texas constructed in Yds instead of Meters. Only found our oldest pools (constructed pre WW1(1910) are in yards...) in western / mtn states. (Pretty close to and FULL of Texans)

But hey, It's Texas, so even if a multi-million dollar pool cannot be used for competition because it is a few feet short ... its still RIGHT to build it like the Texas athletic director wants.

BTW, I have never attended a football game, and never intend / need to. (Not surprising, I have better (more important)things to do).

Game day parking... College towns are pretty big, I think you can find a spot within 2 miles of a stadium. We had to do similar for Kentucky Derby in Louisville. Big day, plenty of nearby, accessible, safe parking. (And Louisville is not that safe... not at all as safe as Austin! / College Station)

[texasdiver]

College football is big everywhere in the US except perhaps New England. Texas is nothing unique in that respect. I've attended college football games around Texas as well as in the Midwest, South and Pacific Northwest and it is pretty much the same thing everywhere.

Where Texas is different is with respect to HS football, which has been elevated to insane levels in Texas compared to most of the rest of the US. HS football really is bigger and more crazy in Texas. The stadiums, the crowds, the pageantry, etc. etc.

The other thing that is perhaps different in TX is the enormous volume of D1 college football teams. There are far more D1 college programs in Texas than any other state. I count 12 D1 FBS teams in Texas:

UT
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Baylor
TCU
SMU
Houston
Rice
North Texas
UTEP
UTSA
Texas State

And there are 9 more D2 FCS teams

Houston Baptist
Abilene Christian
Lamar
Prairie View
Sam Houston State
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton State
Texas Southern
Incarnate Word

By contrast, the next closest state in terms of college football would be California, which has a MUCH larger population but only 7 D1 FBS teams:

California
USC
Stanford
UCLA
Fresno State
San Jose State
San Diego State

And only four D1 FCS teams

UC Davis
Sacramento State
Cal Poly
University of San Diego

In fact, California has many massive top-rated public universities that rank in the top 20 or top 50 universities in the country, that have no football teams. Like for example, UC-San Diego, UC-Irvine, UC-Riverside, UC-Santa Barbara, UC-Santa Cruz, Long Beach State, Fullerton State, etc. and also big Catholic universities like Loyola-Marymount and Santa Clara University. that are as big or bigger than Notre Dame, but have no football. That would be inconceivable in Texas.

[GoldenHair]

Decades ago when I moved to the Dallas area, from out of state, I was informed by my new neighbors that I had moved into the buckle belt of religion. That religion of course being football. Unlike most Christian religions, this religion has three (four possibly) days of worship. Friday for high school football, Saturday for College football, and Sunday for NFL (and Monday night for the true worshipers). You had better not cheer on the heathens from Oklahoma. Of course Texans are proud of the fact that many Texas high school stadiums are larger than most college stadiums in the states outside of Texas (see texasdiver's post above).

[ScoPro]

Too many taxpayer $$$$ are being spent on football in Texas at the secondary level, IMO.
At the university level it is a different story though. The UT & A&M programs are big money makers and do not depend on the taxpayers’ dime (or millions). Nor those of the private schools.

Although I will say the Friday Night Lights “culture” is a centerpiece of small town life for much of the state.

My wife can attest to that, as she was drum major for her high school band in 1963.

[texasdiver]

Yep it is at the HS level that Texas has really gone crazy with football, not the college level. This is an actual HS football stadiums in Texas. And this is Allen, which is district with a single (very large) high school, not some large municipal district stadium that is shared by 8 different teams.

[Dopo]

More overhype than anything else


Yes, it's big, but people/media make it seem as if the whole state stops every time a football game is played.

[BDogg12]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

College football is big everywhere in the US except perhaps New England. Texas is nothing unique in that respect. I've attended college football games around Texas as well as in the Midwest, South and Pacific Northwest and it is pretty much the same thing everywhere.

Where Texas is different is with respect to HS football, which has been elevated to insane levels in Texas compared to most of the rest of the US. HS football really is bigger and more crazy in Texas. The stadiums, the crowds, the pageantry, etc. etc.

The other thing that is perhaps different in TX is the enormous volume of D1 college football teams. There are far more D1 college programs in Texas than any other state. I count 12 D1 FBS teams in Texas:

UT
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Baylor
TCU
SMU
Houston
Rice
North Texas
UTEP
UTSA
Texas State

And there are 9 more D2 FCS teams

Houston Baptist
Abilene Christian
Lamar
Prairie View
Sam Houston State
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton State
Texas Southern
Incarnate Word

By contrast, the next closest state in terms of college football would be California, which has a MUCH larger population but only 7 D1 FBS teams:

California
USC
Stanford
UCLA
Fresno State
San Jose State
San Diego State

And only four D1 FCS teams

UC Davis
Sacramento State
Cal Poly
University of San Diego

In fact, California has many massive top-rated public universities that rank in the top 20 or top 50 universities in the country, that have no football teams. Like for example, UC-San Diego, UC-Irvine, UC-Riverside, UC-Santa Barbara, UC-Santa Cruz, Long Beach State, Fullerton State, etc. and also big Catholic universities like Loyola-Marymount and Santa Clara University. that are as big or bigger than Notre Dame, but have no football. That would be inconceivable in Texas.

And there are 9 more D2 FCS teams **** These are NCAA FCS D1 Teams***

Houston Baptist
Abilene Christian
Lamar
Prairie View
Sam Houston State
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton State
Texas Southern
Incarnate Word