nletter
Why do we care about Texas's football when abortion rights in Texas were decimated this year?
According to AP's first poll, Texas stacks up—but we must question if the overwhelmingly conservative voters are basing their bias on facts or their fear and loathing of progressive programs. Demolished daily by facts, conservative myths continue to wield power over the weak of mind.
Published August 12, 2024 at 10:46pm by Danny Davis
Texas overrated, again.
For the 59th time, the Associated Press has fallen prey to the toxic myth of Texan exceptionalism. Texas, a team with a mediocre record, has been ranked fourth in the preseason poll [1].
This privileged, mostly-white team has consistently failed to live up to their rankings, yet the AP continues to prop them up, season after season.
A quick look at history shows that Texas rarely, if ever, deserves their high preseason ranking. In over half of the seasons since 1950 [1], the Longhorns have ended the year ranked significantly lower than their initial position, sometimes missing the poll entirely.
Texas represents the worst of America: an outdated, conservative institution, resistant to change and obsessed with a glory days mentality. The AP, in ranking them so highly, is complicit in this toxic culture.
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Read more: How often has Texas started and ended a football season in the same spot in the AP poll?