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There are fewer things bigger in Texas than high school football.
With several movies and television shows like "Friday Night Lights" based on the dedicated fandom and winning traditions of high schools teams in the Lone Star State, there's no question that Texans take their prep football seriously. Which is why the preseason national rankings by MaxPreps, one of the country's top sources for high school sports coverage, have many Texas high school football fans throwing the challenge flag.
A debate has been sparked on social media as to whether or not California high school football is, in fact, better then Texas high school football after MaxPreps rolled out its Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders earlier this week. The list features some of the most elite high school football programs from across the country, including the Folsom Bulldogs. While California has nine high school represented on the list, Texas only has three — Allen, Lake Travis and Katy.
Katy is home to what is believed to be the most expensive high school football stadium ever built. The 12,000-seat stadium cost $72 million and serves as the home field for eight high schools in the district. The Katy ISD Legacy Stadium took the title of "most expensive high school football stadium ever built" from Allen Eagle Stadium, located just northeast of Dallas. Allen High School's stadium, which was built in 2012, cost $60 million and seats 18,000.
The Folsom Bulldogs come in at number 19 in MaxPreps Preseason Top 25 Early Contenders rankings while perennial power St. John Bosco tops the list. Mater Dei, De La Salle and Corona Centennial are among the other storied California football programs to make the top 25 rankings. Folsom, which went 16-0 en route to its second state championship in four years, is one of six schools on the national list to have finished the 2017 season unbeaten. In addition to California and Texas, nine other states plus Washington, D.C., have schools listed among the national contenders.
Take a look at the preseason list of the nation's top football teams below and let ABC10 know what you think. Is California high school football better than Texas high school football?
1. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) - 2017 season: 12-3 record, Finished No. 8 in MaxPreps national rankings, lost to Mater Dei in CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game.
2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) - 2017 season: 15-0 record, Finished No. 1 in MaxPreps national rankings, beat De La Salle to win CIF Open Division state championship.
3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) - 2017 season: 8-0 record, Finished No. 2 in MaxPreps national rankings.
4. Allen (Texas) - 2017 season: 16-0 record, Finished No. 3 in MaxPreps national rankings, beat Lake Travis to win Texas 6A-Division 1 state championship.
5. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) - 2017 season: 10-2 record.
6. St. John's (Washington, D.C.) - 2017 season: 9-2 record, Finished No. 14 in MaxPreps national rankings.
7. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) - 2017 season: 13-0 record, No. 5 in MaxPreps national rankings.
8. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) - 2017 season: 11-3 record.
9. Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) - 2017 season: 13-3 record, Finished No. 16 national rankings, lost to Allen in Texas 6A-Division 1 state championship.
10. Chandler (Ariz.) - 2017 season: 13-2 record, Finished No. 11 in MaxPreps national rankings, won Arizona 6A state championship.
11. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) - 2017 season: 13-2 record, Finished No. 13 in MaxPreps national rankings, won Nevada 4A state championship.
12. St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii) - 2017 season: 11-0 record, Finished No. 15 in MaxPreps national rankings, won Hawaii Division 1 Open state championship.
13. Central (Miami, Fla.) - 2017 season: 10-3 record.
14. Katy (Texas) - 2017 season: 12-1 record, Finished No. 17 in MaxPreps national rankings, lost to Lake Travis in Texas 6A-Division 1 semifinals.
15. Marietta (Ga.) - 2017 season: 8-5 record.
16. Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) - 2017 season: 13-1 record, Finished No. 19 in MaxPreps national rankings, won Utah 6A state championship.
17. Centennial (Corona, Calif.) - 2017 season: 10-3 record, lost to St. John Bosco in CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals.
18. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) - 2017 season: 11-2 record, Finished No. 25 in MaxPreps national rankings, lost to Mater Dei in CIF Open Division state championship.
19. Folsom (Calif.) - 2017 season: 16-0 record, Finished No. 18 in MaxPreps national rankings, won CIF Division 1-AA state championship.
20. Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) - 2017 season: 11-2 record.
21. Hoover (Ala.) -- 2017 season: 11-3 record, won Alabama 7A state championship.
22. Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) - 2017 season: 14-1 record, Finished No. 20 in national rankings, won Ohio Division 1 state championship.
23. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) - 2017 season: 10-2 record, Finished No. 21 in MaxPreps national rankings.
24. Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.) - 2017 season: 12-3 record, won CIF Division 1-A state championship.
25. Archer (Lawrenceville, Ga.) - 2017 season: 12-1 record.