Why you should vote for Notre Dame in Axios Local's college football tradition bracket

Live mascots, fight songs and marching bands — college football has it all.

State of play: The game day experience often starts hours before kickoff. With the season opening Saturday, we want to know which school does it best.

How it works: Round 1 voting closes at 3pm and the winners will be revealed in tomorrow's newsletter.

• Voting for the next round opens at 6am each day.
• The champion will be announced Friday.

💭 Our thought bubble: LFG!

• This is the first Axios Local bracket since the Indy newsletter launched.
• We picked one of the most storied football programs in the country to represent us, so let's show these other cities what's up!

☘️ Lucky for us, Notre Dame has traditions galore.

• It starts the Friday before, when the Notre Dame Band trumpet section plays under the iconic Golden Dome.
• There's the midnight drummers circle, kicked off by the bells of the basilica.
• Lions, tigers and bears: WHO CARES. Anyone can hold an animal in captivity. How many schools have a leprechaun? They're magic.
• ✋ PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY.
• We've even got the big guy on our side. Hello, Touchdown Jesus.

• And if you're not moved by the team singing the alma mater with the student section post-game — win or lose! — then who hurt you?

Of note: If you were one of the people in our inbox arguing for Purdue or IU, #sorrynotsorry.

• Purdue's drum is a lie.
• Arika's grandpa played for IU and she still can't bring herself to care about its football team.

The bottom line: Vote for Notre Dame!

Cast your vote here!