Students are inviting Dave Matthews Band to crash into TCU this fall.

AT&T’s “World’s Loudest Pep Rally” contest gives schools the opportunity to win a free Dave Matthews Band concert by submitting invitations to the band.

As of Wednesday night, TCU ranked 35 on the list of 120 schools. Southern Methodist University is at 11 and Baylor University ranks sixth. Leading the competition is the U.S. Military Academy, according to the AT&T Blue Room Web site.

Schools must be members of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision to be eligible to participate, according to the Web site.

An equation derived for the contest gives each school an equal opportunity to win, regardless of enrollment, said AT&T spokesman Jake Fish. Students, alumni and fans of the band can participate by sending a text message from an AT&T wireless phone or by submitting a creative entry in the AT&T Blue Room Web site, Fish said.

Creative entries may be submitted in four categories: photo, essay, video and audio. Fish said that in a second tier of the contest, a winner selected from each category will be awarded a trip to the concert.

“There is that incentive to not just send text messages but be creative – use your savvy,” Fish said.

One may submit as many as 50 invitations per day, Fish said.

The contest ends at midnight Oct. 15.

David Mitchell, a senior secondary school education major, said he had sent 50 invitations daily for the past three weeks. He said Programming Council should promote the contest by sending e-mails and setting up stations on campus where students can submit invitations online.

Dani Folks, a junior social work and anthropology major, said a banner should be put up by the library to encourage participation in the contest. She said TCU ranked among the top 20 participating schools at one point, but interest in the contest had waned.

“It would be really cool for the school to have something so huge come in,” Folks said.

Fish said the concert is scheduled to take place on the week of Nov. 12. The winner will be notified by the end of October.