Five hundred miles to the northwest of Austin in the great state of Texas lies, not far off the highway, the famous Cadillac Ranch.
Although it is quite a distance from the capital, the art installation could double as a telling metaphor for the state’s flagship football program. There, just outside Amarillo in the middle of a windswept plain, lie several colorful Cadillacs planted face-down in the dirt.
For nearly two decades and even long before that, the Longhorns football team has been driving a fully loaded Cadillac. Twelve straight seasons of at least nine wins, one national title and a trip to play for another, some of the winningest quarterbacks in NCAA history and the general tradition of college football’s biggest moneymaker have all contributed to this.