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Looking for the best Big 12er

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OPINION by Jenn Rains

I am from South Carolina. Born and raised a Clemson Tiger. In fact, Clemson University is my alma mater and to say I'm proud of my school is an understatement.

I'm also a huge college football fan and it's not hard to guess who I pull for. I'm a Clemson fan and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) fan all the way.

This is my first football season in Texas and I'm bummed that I won't get to watch my Tigers very much because they won't be widely televised here. I'm in Big 12 territory now.

Though my favorite team will always be the Tigers, I've decided it's time to pick a Big 12 team in the area to root for. I was originally only going to pick from UT, Tech and A&M, but I decided to add Oklahoma to my choices since they seem to be pretty popular.

Not knowing a whole lot about the schools/teams, I thought doing some research would be a good idea.

I didn't have to look far to find people who were more than happy to tell me why their school was the best. In fact, I got all the advice I needed from staff and council members in Cedar Park.

Here's what they had to tell me:

Longhorns - For Council-member and Longhorns fan Matt Powell, there is nothing better than seeing the tower capped with the victorious orange on a fall night.

“There is no better way to appreciate Longhorn football than to attend a game. The Showband takes the field, the giant Texas flag is unfurled, and the excitement builds to a fever pitch. It's Big Bertha and Bevo and the Wabash Cannonball and everything that makes football in the state of Texas a breed apart.”

Aggies - Cedar Park Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation James Hemenes said the Fightin' Texas Aggies are the best choice because they are steeped in traditions including Midnight Yell Practice and 12th Man that can't be found anywhere else.

“While most all schools have some traditions, Texas A&M prides itself on its almost fanatic commitment to many traditions. ‘tu', OU, Nebraska, and others have a tradition and history of being powerhouses. We don't have that. Even through this though, most Aggies are still diehards...”

Red Raiders - Texas Tech graduate Jose Madrigal, Cedar Park assistant city manager said Tech is the best because they are always a leader in offensive production and are the only Big 12 team to have a winning record every year since the conference was created.

“We are the comeback kids. There are some teams in this conference that once they start losing by more than 10 points it's over. Not Tech! We do not get to have the top recruiting classes every year like Texas, Oklahoma, and A&M; however, we do hold our own against each of them.”

Sooners - Councilmember Mitch Fuller graduated from Oklahoma. If being number one in categories such as most victories and highest winning percentage in the modern football era wasn't enough, he said having seven national championships doesn't hurt.

“[They] have played in all four BCS Bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar, and Fiesta) in this decade. [They have] 41 conference championships. This includes five Big XII Championships with five different quarterbacks in Bob Stoop's nine seasons as head coach. Finally, our mascot is not a cow and our colors are not burnt orange.”

Wow! If this is any indication of how football season in Texas is going to be, I can't wait. With great teams and traditions like that, it's going to be a tough choice to make. I guess we'll just have to wait ‘till football season!

So, who do you think should I pick?

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