Deep in the heart of Texas. Among the gun-toting, beer-drinking, weekend-football-playing until the ACL falls off culture that personifies the Lone Star State lies something — weird. Austin, Texas, ranks No. 3 on our Top 100 College Football Towns of America Countdown.
To celebrate 100 days until the start of the college football season, HERO Sports is counting down the Top 100 FBS College Football Towns in America. Each day, through Aug. 24, a new city will be revealed. We will analyze the city, the program, the good and bad of the city as well as the bottom line. If you got a problem, @me on Twitter.
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3. Austin, Texas — Texas
[credit] Texas is still miles away from where they were during Mack Brown's tenure, but they are trending in that direction.(Photo: Texas Athletics) [/credit]
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The Program
There are very few programs that can match the level of winning the Longhorns have achieved in the 125 years of their existence. Their 898 wins and 54 bowl-game appearances are second-most, all-time. Texas has had 44 first-round NFL Draft picks, ninth-most. With 341 total draft picks, the Longhorns also rank 11th. They have 32 conference titles and four national championships as well. The Longhorns have had 17 former players enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. While Texas football experienced some ups and downs in its infancy, the Longhorns have been a model of consistency since former head coach Dana Bible's third year in Austin in 1939.
During that time, they've hauled in 27 of those 32 titles. Only four times has Texas not reached five wins in a season with only 12 overall losing seasons in the last 80 years. Unfortunately, three of those losing years came in the last four seasons.
There is hope, however, that Tom Herman can change all of that. Last year, in his first season, Herman finished 7-6, beating Missouri in the Texas Bowl to hand the Longhorns their first bowl victory since 2012. In 2018, Texas enters the season with caution. Texas' defense last season was one of the best in the nation and kept the Longhorns in more than its fair share of games. Four of Texas' six losses were within a touchdown or less. Much of what made that defense so dominant last season is gone, however.
Malik Jefferson (the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year), Poona Ford (the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year), DeShon Elliott (a Thorpe Award finalist) and Holton Hill are gone.
On offense, sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger returns, but will he and one of the nation's best recruiting classes be enough?
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The City
It may be obvious to start any description of Austin with 6th Street, but it is as necessary as water itself. Many, many resources will refer to any number of college towns as vibrant. There is no other college town that better defines the word than Austin and more specifically 6th Street. There are hotels, bars, restaurants, art galleries and weird knick-knack stores that will foster an eclectic vibe that suits the city and its people.
Where else you can you get the Old West, the Dirty South, Silicon Valley, High Art and your crazy Aunt Lucy's house all within a nine-block stretch. Things are so lively on 6th that they close down the area for cars on the weekends.
Head away from 6th Street, and the magnetic vibe follows you like toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe. The music in Austin is only matched by a slim few, and very rarely are those locations as small and as intimate as Austin. Come in October, and catch one of the most iconic musical weeks of your life at Austin City Limits. Anyone and everyone has played here.
Life in Austin is not limited to the nightlife, however. There is a growing and bustling tech scene. Whole Foods and Dell were born and raised in Austin, along with many other companies setting satellite roots here.
Centrally located, Austin may be the only place in the state that can make Texas feel small. And we haven't even gotten to the football.
How many places have a book, movie and television series made about its local football? Burnt Orange is not a color, but a blood type in Austin. Everything that makes Austin such an incredible city is multiplied when its coupled with football in the fall.
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The Good
Even though it is in the middle of Texas and the idea of being landlocked may cause a sudden panic attack, Austin did its best–and succeeded–in offering various outdoor enjoyment. Big parks, natural springs and a few hills (I guess you can call them mountains) are all within a 15-minute drive from campus.
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The Bad
Like any major city, the traffic is awful in Austin. That's only compounded that the area continues to grow and there's no infrastructure in place to alleviate the gridlock. Austin ranked as the 14th most congested city in America in 2017. The traffic is so bad, and has been for so long, that even the city's mayor is not immune to road rage. Back in 2007, former Mayor Will Wynn admitted to "spew[ing] a fog of profanity."
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Bottom Line
Witnessing Texas football in burnt orange is like seeing the baby Jesus born in a manger. Throw in a city that exudes character like its Mickey Mouse's eccentric half-brother, and you have one of the best college football towns–easily.
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NEXT: Top 100 College Football Towns in America: No. 4 South Bend, Indiana
NEXT: The Ultimate College Football Road Trip
