Post by Whup Em All on Sept 27, 2023 10:55:29 GMT -6
The Marching Southerners are objectively the best band in Conference USA. Having watched multiple videos of all our competition, there's just no argument here. We lead by far in size, sound, musical difficulty (horns and percussion), and both the difficulty and integration of the colorguard. We're right up near the top (if not at the top) in marching difficulty. And not that this is a good arbiter of "best and worst" but we're the only CUSA band with a Sudler, proving if nothing else that we have a long history of excellence.
Now, in our FBS history, we've usually been alone when it comes to having a good (let alone great) marching band. Back in the Southland days, Southwest Texas (now Texas State) was pretty solid, but we never got to see them, and YouTube didn't exist back then. In the OVC, we were basically alone, except for Tennessee State Aristocrats, which, being an HBCU, was a completely different animal. It's hard to pit that style against corps style, since they're not even remotely attempting the same things on the field. The ASUN had TUNA's Pride, which is a solid band, but that was pretty much it. KSU was just getting theirs off the ground, and no one else was really worth mentioning.
Things are different in CUSA. If we accept that the Southerners are No. 1, then the question is, who's second best? And in CUSA, that's a very difficult choice, not because there aren't any other good bands, but because there are so many awesome choices. I mean, you have to go DEEP in the conference before you even get to bands smaller than 200 members, and deeper than that to find a band that's ... not of the highest quality. (I'm trying to be diplomatic here.)
So take a look at the "competition" as time permits, and vote on your favorites. I set the poll up to allow THREE choices, not just one, so that should make it somewhat easier on you to pick your favorites. If you only have one favorite, feel free just to pick that one. But if you can't make up your mind between 2-3 bands, go nuts and pick all of them.
Note that I'm including Kennesaw State in the poll. I know they're not technically a member until next July, but they're good kids who try hard, and they deserve their chance as much as anybody. Also, it will allow us to laugh at them if they finish poorly in the voting. (I kid. For real, though, if you like them, please do vote for them.)
The candidate videos are listed below. I did my best to find videos from this season or last season, but not all bands have videos readily available. If you find one that's better or more current than one I have listed, feel free to add it in the comments. Since I'm not including Southerners in this poll for 2nd best, it's only fair we show everyone what the top band looks and sounds like, so we'll start there:
Jacksonville State Marching Southerners
Liberty Spirit of the Mountain
MTSU Band of Blue
WKU Big Red Marching Band
SHSU Bearkat Marching Band
NMSU Pride
UTEP Marching Miners
FIU Marching Band
La Tech Band of Pride
KSU Marching Owls
By the way, if any of you are thinking "This is marching band. These kids are pouring their hearts and souls into their art and we should respect them for that. It's not a competition." all I can respond is...
Yes.
Yes it is.
Now, in our FBS history, we've usually been alone when it comes to having a good (let alone great) marching band. Back in the Southland days, Southwest Texas (now Texas State) was pretty solid, but we never got to see them, and YouTube didn't exist back then. In the OVC, we were basically alone, except for Tennessee State Aristocrats, which, being an HBCU, was a completely different animal. It's hard to pit that style against corps style, since they're not even remotely attempting the same things on the field. The ASUN had TUNA's Pride, which is a solid band, but that was pretty much it. KSU was just getting theirs off the ground, and no one else was really worth mentioning.
Things are different in CUSA. If we accept that the Southerners are No. 1, then the question is, who's second best? And in CUSA, that's a very difficult choice, not because there aren't any other good bands, but because there are so many awesome choices. I mean, you have to go DEEP in the conference before you even get to bands smaller than 200 members, and deeper than that to find a band that's ... not of the highest quality. (I'm trying to be diplomatic here.)
So take a look at the "competition" as time permits, and vote on your favorites. I set the poll up to allow THREE choices, not just one, so that should make it somewhat easier on you to pick your favorites. If you only have one favorite, feel free just to pick that one. But if you can't make up your mind between 2-3 bands, go nuts and pick all of them.
Note that I'm including Kennesaw State in the poll. I know they're not technically a member until next July, but they're good kids who try hard, and they deserve their chance as much as anybody. Also, it will allow us to laugh at them if they finish poorly in the voting. (I kid. For real, though, if you like them, please do vote for them.)
The candidate videos are listed below. I did my best to find videos from this season or last season, but not all bands have videos readily available. If you find one that's better or more current than one I have listed, feel free to add it in the comments. Since I'm not including Southerners in this poll for 2nd best, it's only fair we show everyone what the top band looks and sounds like, so we'll start there:
Jacksonville State Marching Southerners
Liberty Spirit of the Mountain
MTSU Band of Blue
WKU Big Red Marching Band
SHSU Bearkat Marching Band
NMSU Pride
UTEP Marching Miners
FIU Marching Band
La Tech Band of Pride
KSU Marching Owls
By the way, if any of you are thinking "This is marching band. These kids are pouring their hearts and souls into their art and we should respect them for that. It's not a competition." all I can respond is...
Yes.
Yes it is.
