The Eyes of Everyone

University of Texas towers to top spot on USA Today's Best Colleges for Sports list

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University of Texas sports: No. 1 in our hearts — and the country.

Austin's truths universally acknowledged are that we have strong opinions about tacos, we love a good patio, and we bleed burnt orange.

Living in Austin means being automatically drafted into the Longhorn fan club, and what a club it is. The school boasts Olympic gold medalists, NFL top draft picks, and NBA MVP winners (Kevin Durant, anyone?).

And though every Longhorn win, regardless of sport, is celebrated with a special "Eyes of Texas" piped out by the UT Tower, at no time is school spirit more apparent than football season, when smokers start piping before dawn on Saturdays and everyone breaks out their burnt orange best.

And it appears the whole country knows it. For its annual 10Best competition, USA Today named the 10 Best Colleges for Sports and, unsurprisingly to any Longhorn, the University of Texas at Austin took the No. 1 spot.

"For athletes and non-athletes alike, the college experience — with its mascots, marching bands, and longstanding traditions — often breeds lifelong loyalty in fans," says the newspaper of the importance of athletics during the university experience.

In order to determine the rankings, USA Today sports editor Steve Henson nominated the top 20 schools in the country. Fans then had the chance to vote once a day for their top picks.

"The University of Texas in Austin [sic] enjoys sporting success across its programs, but on Saturdays in fall, football is king," says USA Today. "Regardless of the team's success, hordes of burnt orange-wearing fans turn up in their cowboy boots to cheer on the team. Another bonus: Texas weather is ideal for tailgating."

Coming in second is Pennsylvania State University (2) followed by the University of Maryland — College Park (3). University of Florida (4) and Ohio State University (5) rounded out the top five spots. And while UT was the only Texas or Big 12 school to make the list, college football's reigning champs, University of Alabama, came in at No. 10.

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Refill, revere, rejoice

Austin distiller refills Kentucky Bourbon bottles for $1 in UT game day stunt

Photo courtesy of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Still Austin is filling up empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles and adding its own label in a display of Texas dominance.

Cheap bourbon isn't usually something people line up for, but in this case they know it's good. Still Austin Whiskey Co., a favorite Austin distiller, is offering $1 refills of its own Cask Strength Bourbon in empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles on November 23.

The promotion celebrates the Texas Longhorns vs. Kentucky Wildcats football match the same day. This is a highly anticipated game because the two teams have only been matched up once, back in 1951. Kentucky coach Mike Stoops reportedly also upped the ante by saying the Longhorns have "no weaknesses."

Essentially, this is a parallel challenge by Still Austin: Replace your Kentucky Bourbon with our Texas spirit and watch the Lone Star State win again.

"Why would I ever taint your bourbon with dried up Kentucky juice[?]" asked a (frankly, terrifying) customer on Instagram.

There is a misconception that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association itself points out that, "According to the 1964 Congressional Resolution, in order to have “Bourbon” on the label it must be made in the United States of America and meet all other federal “standards of identity” for Bourbon."

Still Austin CEO and co-founder Chris Seals is setting the record straight with a little snark, inviting both fans and "skeptics" to stop by to take advantage of the deal.

“We’re deeply grateful to Kentucky for inventing the stuff, but after 200 years of the same old bourbon, people want something new,” said Seals in a press release.“The idea that great bourbon can only come from Kentucky is a myth based on decades of misinformation. We’re inviting everyone still holding onto this old guard notion to ‘Kentucky Fill Up’ to experience the difference for themselves.”

The product he's chosen to represent the brand, the Cask Strength Bourbon, is described as "a deeper more 'metal' version of our beloved straight bourbon." It's 116 proof (58 percent ABV) and has won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Still Austin will only refill 500 bottles. Here are the rules: The bottles have to be 750 milliliters, clean, intact (with the original cap on hand), and they must have originally contained bourbon from a Kentucky Distillery. There are two time slots for refilling at 9 am and 11:30 am. Patrons can get tickets ahead of time at stillaustin.com.

In addition to the fill-ups, Still Austin will host a watch party starting at 2:30 pm. More Texas-Kentucky crossover will include Frozen Texas Julep cocktails, Texas fried chicken, and an armadillo derby race. There will also be exclusive merch and giveaways. Still Austin is the official corporate partner of Texas Athletics.

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Fans of Austin sports and Austin food and drinks can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm December 12 at Distribution Hall. Find out more about it here.

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