Every fall from 7th through 12th grade my dad took me on a trip to Austin, Texas, to watch his Alma Mater, the Texas Longhorns, play a football game. Growing up in Los Angeles, I had been to many UCLA and USC football games, but those trips to Austin — a college town that rivals any and all others in America — felt different. I had never been to a place that lives and breathes and emphasizes how important college football is to a community.
Every store and bar and restaurant is filled with people rooting for the same team, wearing the same colors.