College football's loudest conference is about to get even louder.
SEC athletics directors have approved the usage of pumped in music in between snaps before the quarterback steps over the ball.
“If you need to get people revved up for a big third-down play, you can do that,” Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity told the Athens Banner-Herald. “You could always do it with your band, but now you can do it any way you want to. You still have to stop once the quarterback gets over the ball, gets under the center or in the shotgun.”
McGarity said he was impressed with the atmosphere at Clemson's Death Valley during the Tigers' 38-35 defeat of Georgia to open the 2013 season, in which the home team augmented the in-stadium atmosphere with piped in music.
“Those of us who saw what it did at Clemson, it energized their fan base with certain songs,” McGarity said.
Led by Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin, the SEC has designated a committee to study fan interaction and in-game marketing. Despite leading the nation in attendance, the SEC has struggled with dwindling gate numbers (especially among the student population) and the latest wrinkle is attempt to get the 20-somethings in the building and keep them there for all 60 minutes of game action.