Ummm, get in line with the 21st Century. Austin has a lot more in common with San Diego and Silicon Valley than the Rust Belt. There's a reason SW added those direct flights in the late 90s. I'm not sure what industry you CAhaters are in, but a lot of UT grads are in high tech and attempting to associate that with Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa is pure BS.
Wow. I wonder why there are so many Texas transplants here in SoCal and so many California transplants in Texas? These places are so culturally dissimilar it makes no sense! Give me a break. Baja Mexican food vs. Tex-Mex? That's a point of contention? That makes the list of reasons why two places are "Oceans apart" culturally different? A sub-style of ethnic food?
Reboot, We can debate and disagree on the details and we like to perceive what we like to perceive, but there are major cultural differences between the Pacific Coast and Texas.... religion, politics, food, sensibilities. California is a different place. Ask Californians if they think they're anything like Texans. I wonder what they would say. The Most important cultural difference as it relates to conference realignment, however, is the passion for college football. There is none in the West Coast.
Ever try the "Mexican" food in some of the places from the B1G or SEC? Please don't list religion as a qualifier because it doesn't have any more bearing than the color of a fire hydrant. I will agree with you that the passion for college football isn't the same. Same could be said for the average fan's knowledge of football. Those two really drive me crazy out here, but other than that your points aren't very salient in my opinion.
"I don't like you because you don't go to church." Let that set in a bit. I've lived in Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas (Most of my life - I'm 41), and now Southern California. I just got an email from my aunt in Ohio this morning asking if I felt her praying for me. That's otherworldly bizzarro and borderline insane to me. Look, if people aren't going to attend football games en masse in California, why would church be any different? Because there are other, more personally-enriching things to do like, I don't know - take your kids to the beach, Disneyland, Universal Studios, a matinee ball game, or just about anything in San Diego. People find personal enrichment in a lot of ways and it doesn't have to be spent in a room listening to some hypocrite tell you how your life is on the wrong path and then expect you to put cash in a tray.
Don't be fooled. I've breathed in the "Bible Belt" my whole life, and church in this region is a giant, brainwashing exercise where spirituality and connection with God is a pretext to politically and socially indoctrinate children to preserve their parents' beliefs. Massively overrated experience. Too procedural. No heart.
And don't get me wrong, 2000, I freaking LOVE boiled crawfish. I fly it in for $250 a sack. But you're not going to find it at tailgates in the B1G and for that matter most of the SEC. I understand what you're getting at, but I just don't think it's as accurate as you do. My guess is that you live in a more rural community and I respect the hell out of that, but please don't think everyone is culturally lock-step in those values.
