"Every year there's usually one or two shows that we get and we're like, 'Holy crap, how are we going to 6pull this off.' But this was like definitely the biggest 'Holy crap, how are we going to pull this off.'" 

Nick Feingold was one of the band members performing the rock ballad Sep. 30 as the Hawks took on Michigan State. It only took them a month to learn and perfect the 7performance. 

"But it was probably the biggest and most 8extravagant of just the 9entire nation looking at what we had been doing." 

But the Hawkeyes have plenty of competition from 10in-state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones Marching Band. They, too, have a performance 11worthy of a top-five 12finalist. People can vote up to Dec. 31st. The winning prize is $75,000. Iowa Marching Band director Eric Bush says would really help keep big performances like this. 

"In the age of marching band, everything is always 13evolving, we're always looking for what is the next thing that we need to get to 14stay cutting edge and be really successful." 

The experience of something Feingold says is hard to describe, but he says this shines a national spotlight on the work it takes to be a part of the marching band. 

"A big theme of this year with everything the Hawkeye marching band has been doing is putting marching band 15in the public eye."