neugey

I've really mulled it over this last weekend and the more I think about it, the
more firm I feel in my decision - the decision of Texas to leave the Big 12 is the final straw for me. I'm finished being a fan of the Longhorns.

Full disclosure - my interest in college football grew in the mid 90's. For a few years I watched without a real rooting interest, but inevitably Ricky Williams caught my eye and reeled me in. The gutsy 4th down conversion against highly ranked Nebraska and the iconic colors cinched it for me - I was loving the Longhorns and latched on. I was also born in Houston so there was a bit of a latent connection rooting for a Texas-based team. My Saints drafting Ricky had a doubling-down effect - surely after that major event I was locked in harder as a Longhorns fan. I eventually also spent time rooting for the basketball and baseball teams as well.

Seeing Vince Young play out of his mind and help the Longhorns win the title was an incredible experience. But the years that followed since then have seemed to bring out the worst in the Longhorns - mostly in football but really in all of their sports. It's not the losing, or even the underachieving, that the bothers me. It's the reckless entitlement that seems to be deeply seated within the university that has totally poisoned the culture of their sports and has led me to believe that no one coach, recruit or player will be able to lead them out of the wilderness. There's a slight chance they could win, or even win big, but winning really won't resolve the issues they've created for themselves. Has Texas always been like this? I really don't know, and will claim innocence because of the manner I latched onto the Longhorns.

Big money has changed all the blue bloods and big programs no doubt, and there are other programs like Michigan struggling with similar effects, but none near as bad as Texas. Texas has truly become a clueless and wasteful bureaucracy masquerading as an athletic program. For the last several years I've held my nose and watched and rooted, but each year it keeps getting harder because the way the Texas operates affects the players Texas gets and the way they play. A program with Texas' toxicity will attract more and more of the prima donnas whose work ethic is only skin deep. They'll surely look to transfer when the going gets tough, especially with the example Texas itself has set now. Is it worth it to remain a fan to root for a player like Ehlinger (a die-hard consumed by the tradition) or a hard worker who defies the odds and falls into Texas' lap (Ossai)? I would say probably not, based on the fact that Ehlinger's leadership had almost no effect on the team during his time there, despite his great willingness and ability to be the leader. The program will never put those kind of players, or an intelligent coach, in an overall position
to take the helm and be successful. I have no desire to wait and watch Sarkisian and Beard get bought out in 2-3 years, even if they are starting to turn it around, simply because the boosters want the next flavor-of-the-month coaching pick. A sex addict on Tinder has more discipline and integrity than Texas has in their hiring decisions.

About the fallout in the Big 12: Nebraska was stil in the picture and the Big 12 was at its climax when I became a Longhorns fan. As a result, I have fond memories of that 1990-2000's Big 12 structure as that is where I first got
fully immersed into college football. I realize nothing lasts forever, but seeing Texas blow up what was left of the Big 12 just for their shallow desire to make more money and waste more money - it kind of hurts me and it's discouraging, and all Texas will do is fall further behind Oklahoma, A&M and basically all of the other SEC schools that lack the Longhorns' unique dysfunction. I realize part of being a fan involved suffering through some horrid periods and cringe decisions - but Texas' entire approach is so distasteful I've felt it's been a much harder thing to tolerate. Again, it's tough. If I weren't loyal, I wouldn't be wrestling with this decision and writing all of this. But I feel, comparative to what I had invested as a fan, they have taken me past the limit.

I don't know what school to watch now. Perhaps I'll look for a more safe and sane middle of the pack program that sometimes overachieves (I have a few in mind). But more likely I'll watch without consequence until the next Ricky Williams type captures my attention and things happen organically - totally the non-Texas way of doing things.

SmashMouth

Don't blame ya on how you feel.

Big $ have continued to ruin a more pure game in the college ranks. NIL just put the nail in the NCAA coffin.