100 Days of Vols #45 - V...O...L...S...

UT's pregame routine is without equal, and we'll talk more about that as we continue in our countdown. But in particular, one of my favorite parts during pregame is the formation of the power T and the ensuing slow-step "V...O...L...S...V, O, L, S, V-O-L-S GO VOLS GO!" chant.

The chant is awesome by itself. The power T visual is one of the most photographed moments by fans in all of college football. But my favorite part is the way the crowd, every single week, gets so excited that we chant faster than the band plays.

We usually make it through the first round of V...O...L...S together. But somewhere in the second pass, we just decide to say screw it and chant as fast as we want to. So when we finish the chant, the band is still a full beat or two behind. So be it.

We never learn, week after week and year after year. We've been out-pacing the beat for years, but it's difficult for 100,000 people to course correct. The same thing happens with the clapping on Rocky Top, which always accelerates during pregame excitement and then has to find itself again later in the first verse. This too, has happened every single week for years. But we never learn. We're just too excited. We can't help it.

One of the best part about the V-O-L-S phenomenon is that you can hear it in the new NCAA Football 14 video game, which certainly suggests they used live audio from a game. Even in the video game, the fans finish the chant well before the band.

It's unique, it's almost random, but it's pure excitement. So forgive us if we can't slow down.