Many thoughts race through the minds of football fans as they head off to the stadium.

Who’s favored for the game? What time should you start tailgating? Do you have enough change in your pocket to get the gallon-sized Coke at the concession stand?

The selection of music may not be the first thing ISU football fans will be wondering about before entering Jack Trice Stadium for this season’s homecoming game, but music has long been considered an important element to the games, not only to motivate the players, but also to keep the fans entertained.

Mary Zeigler, program coordinator for the Athletic Department, expands on the process that goes into choosing the music for the home football games.

She said some songs are chosen by the marketing department, but who is better to choose the anthem that leads the team on the field than the Cyclones’ leader?

“The team entrance song is chosen by Coach [Dan] McCarney and the music played as the team warms up is chosen by the football program,” Zeigler said. “The in-game music is chosen by our marketing department.”

“For pre-game music, a member of the football coaching staff gives us the selections before each game,” Zeigler said. “The entrance song has become a tradition with the in-game music chosen as a way to keep the crowd into the game.”

Music sets the tone for any event. In competition, it can give you that edge that establishes the eventual outcome for the game. Choosing what is popular as well as what will keep the crowds and the players going is the key to the decision-making process of what will be played for the upcoming game.

Tom Kroeschell, communications manager for the Athletic Department, lists some examples of the kind of music that might be heard by fans at a football game.

“The team entrance song is ‘Twilight Zone’ by 2Unlimited,” Kroeschell said. “For in-game music, songs from Queen, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Aerosmith are among the artists featured.”

The music line-up for the event is considered anew each time. There are no favorite songs that are always a shoe-in for the playlist.

“I can’t say that there has been one particular favorite, but if we see a positive crowd reaction we take that into consideration,” Kroeschell said.