Post by Whup Em All on Nov 8, 2021 10:42:40 GMT -6
I still have my hopes up that, within a few years, at least some current nearby ASUN/FCS rivals (i.e., one or more of UNA, UTC, KSU) will joining the Gamecocks in CUSA. But this thread isn't for speculation of who might leave, who might stay, and who might be called up.
It's strictly a look at CUSA's current membership. I'll try to remember to edit this post as conference membership changes. EDIT: KSU will be joining us in 2024. I've added them to the list below.
Back to the ASUN: the impact on the band was one of my favorite things about the ASUN move. We went from the OVC, where, honestly, Tennessee State was the only "rival" for the Southerners. I mean, Peay's not terrible, and they traveled to JSU at least once a few years ago, but they're too far away for either band to travel to away games consistently. TSU is a long way away as well, but they traveled to JSU because they're an HBCU, and those bands travel, and JSU made the trek to Nashville, because, well, high school marching band is freaking huge in the Nashville area. Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. Sorry, I digressed... We went from the OVC to the ASUN, where we had UNA and Kennesaw as in-conference opponents. Both with solid bands. Both near enough that the bands made the trip. Now, JSU is heading to CUSA. What's in store there?
MTSU - They could potentially get poached to another conference, but while they're around, any discussion of CUSA bands begins and ends with these guys. It's been 23 years since we last met, but at the time, they were the only band I'd ever seen that was as cocky and nasty as Southerners used to be. (Trust me, kids. Dr. Bodiford has you being nice to other bands now. That's new.) The JSU drumline also has a history with MTSU at PASIC, though it was nothing like our rivalry with North Texas. Here's how the Band of Blue looks now... for what it's worth, they look EXACTLY the same as 1998:
This video might be better, since it's got more drill:
WKU - We saw the Big Red Marching Band up at their place during the 2003 playoffs. Big band. Loud. Not as cocky as MTSU, which is surprising, since the Hilltoppers are cocky about just about everything else. WKU will be the first out the door when a better offer comes their way, but until then, there's a chance Southerners could make this trip again at some point, if Dr. B is able to line up an exhibition in Tennessee or Kentucky along the way. Here's how they look:
La Tech - Not nearly in the same class as MTSU and WKU. The Band of Pride is much more on par with many FCS bands. Smallish, about 150-180 members. Not a lot of exhibition videos out there, so halftime's all we have to judge them by:
FIU - They're a fun band. Loud. Trumpets like to play high, which is not really a surprise, given the south Florida/Cuban influence. A little uncontrolled, though, but I guess that fits their style. They definitely have their own thing going on. Not really comparable to Southerners, but not a bad thing. It's incredibly doubtful the Southerners will ever travel to Miami for a football game, but if it ever does happen, this is what they'll see:
Liberty - The polar opposite of FIU in attitude. Very traditional and drum corps-looking, but with "accessible" (i.e., pop) music instead of classical/jazz influences. Good sized band in the 200s. Again, Lynchburg is a haul from Jacksonville, so it's unlikely these two bands will meet on the field in CUSA, but like WKU, if an intermediary exhibition can be secured along the way, it could happen. Here's how they looked in 2020:
Sam Houston - The other FCS call-up joining us in CUSA. Maybe low 200s in size. Pop-influenced show. They really remind me of a slightly less polished version of UNA's Pride of Dixie:
UTEP - When you talk about a meeting that will probably never happen due to distance, UTEP will always be included in that discussion. Very traditional pop-influenced style. (Think Big Ten.) They start their shows out of the end zone, like Southerners used to do in the early 70s and before. Good sized band, in the mid-200s. A bit rough around the edges, but not bad.
NMSU - A surprisingly big band considering how much people mock NMSU for being in the middle of nowhere. Very loud. Again, the repertoire has a strong pop influence, but with a much more Latin vibe, kind of like FIU. This is one of the few CUSA bands to have soloists. (I think Liberty does as well.) Not the same kind of band as Southerners, but it's a shame they're so far away. This could be a solid halftime. Side note: in this video, they look a lot like 1984-1994 Southerners, with medium gray pants and a crimson jacket. The uniform style is different, but man, do they ever look similar on video:
Update: Oct. 2022:
Kennesaw State - I'm not going to lie. I consider the Marching Owls to be the biggest disappointment in all of marching bandom. It's not that they suck -- they're pretty decent at what they do, and they have the numbers (256 in 2022) to wow a crowd with volume, no matter what they play. It's just that a college band ... in COBB FREAKING COUNTY ... literally in the backyard of several of the best high school bands in America ... coulda, shoulda been an existential threat to the Marching Southerners' dominance in the South. Nay, the nation! Instead, we get "Shiny Happy People". That's fine. No one ever said a blood rival has to be your carbon copy. I mean, look at the Sound of the South down at that correspondence school in Pike County. They're a cheesy show band as well, and that never stopped them from being the best rival Southerners could've hoped for. The Marching Owls aren't to the level of the great SOTS bands of the 70s and 80s, but they're on their way, and a move to FBS can only boost their numbers. I hate everything about them, but I welcome them as a conference rival.
Bottom Line: As of Oct. 2022, there are no bands similar to the Southerners in size or style, but KSU and MTSU are both large bands within regular travel distance (87 miles and 180 miles, respectively). But even if the Southerners don't travel to many other games, CUSA is not bereft of good bands. No, there aren't any JMUs or Western Carolinas hiding out there, but considering they're mostly pop-oriented bands, the CUSA bands hold themselves well. CUSA bands are light years beyond the OVC.
It's strictly a look at CUSA's current membership. I'll try to remember to edit this post as conference membership changes. EDIT: KSU will be joining us in 2024. I've added them to the list below.
Back to the ASUN: the impact on the band was one of my favorite things about the ASUN move. We went from the OVC, where, honestly, Tennessee State was the only "rival" for the Southerners. I mean, Peay's not terrible, and they traveled to JSU at least once a few years ago, but they're too far away for either band to travel to away games consistently. TSU is a long way away as well, but they traveled to JSU because they're an HBCU, and those bands travel, and JSU made the trek to Nashville, because, well, high school marching band is freaking huge in the Nashville area. Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. Sorry, I digressed... We went from the OVC to the ASUN, where we had UNA and Kennesaw as in-conference opponents. Both with solid bands. Both near enough that the bands made the trip. Now, JSU is heading to CUSA. What's in store there?
MTSU - They could potentially get poached to another conference, but while they're around, any discussion of CUSA bands begins and ends with these guys. It's been 23 years since we last met, but at the time, they were the only band I'd ever seen that was as cocky and nasty as Southerners used to be. (Trust me, kids. Dr. Bodiford has you being nice to other bands now. That's new.) The JSU drumline also has a history with MTSU at PASIC, though it was nothing like our rivalry with North Texas. Here's how the Band of Blue looks now... for what it's worth, they look EXACTLY the same as 1998:
This video might be better, since it's got more drill:
WKU - We saw the Big Red Marching Band up at their place during the 2003 playoffs. Big band. Loud. Not as cocky as MTSU, which is surprising, since the Hilltoppers are cocky about just about everything else. WKU will be the first out the door when a better offer comes their way, but until then, there's a chance Southerners could make this trip again at some point, if Dr. B is able to line up an exhibition in Tennessee or Kentucky along the way. Here's how they look:
La Tech - Not nearly in the same class as MTSU and WKU. The Band of Pride is much more on par with many FCS bands. Smallish, about 150-180 members. Not a lot of exhibition videos out there, so halftime's all we have to judge them by:
FIU - They're a fun band. Loud. Trumpets like to play high, which is not really a surprise, given the south Florida/Cuban influence. A little uncontrolled, though, but I guess that fits their style. They definitely have their own thing going on. Not really comparable to Southerners, but not a bad thing. It's incredibly doubtful the Southerners will ever travel to Miami for a football game, but if it ever does happen, this is what they'll see:
Liberty - The polar opposite of FIU in attitude. Very traditional and drum corps-looking, but with "accessible" (i.e., pop) music instead of classical/jazz influences. Good sized band in the 200s. Again, Lynchburg is a haul from Jacksonville, so it's unlikely these two bands will meet on the field in CUSA, but like WKU, if an intermediary exhibition can be secured along the way, it could happen. Here's how they looked in 2020:
Sam Houston - The other FCS call-up joining us in CUSA. Maybe low 200s in size. Pop-influenced show. They really remind me of a slightly less polished version of UNA's Pride of Dixie:
UTEP - When you talk about a meeting that will probably never happen due to distance, UTEP will always be included in that discussion. Very traditional pop-influenced style. (Think Big Ten.) They start their shows out of the end zone, like Southerners used to do in the early 70s and before. Good sized band, in the mid-200s. A bit rough around the edges, but not bad.
NMSU - A surprisingly big band considering how much people mock NMSU for being in the middle of nowhere. Very loud. Again, the repertoire has a strong pop influence, but with a much more Latin vibe, kind of like FIU. This is one of the few CUSA bands to have soloists. (I think Liberty does as well.) Not the same kind of band as Southerners, but it's a shame they're so far away. This could be a solid halftime. Side note: in this video, they look a lot like 1984-1994 Southerners, with medium gray pants and a crimson jacket. The uniform style is different, but man, do they ever look similar on video:
Update: Oct. 2022:
Kennesaw State - I'm not going to lie. I consider the Marching Owls to be the biggest disappointment in all of marching bandom. It's not that they suck -- they're pretty decent at what they do, and they have the numbers (256 in 2022) to wow a crowd with volume, no matter what they play. It's just that a college band ... in COBB FREAKING COUNTY ... literally in the backyard of several of the best high school bands in America ... coulda, shoulda been an existential threat to the Marching Southerners' dominance in the South. Nay, the nation! Instead, we get "Shiny Happy People". That's fine. No one ever said a blood rival has to be your carbon copy. I mean, look at the Sound of the South down at that correspondence school in Pike County. They're a cheesy show band as well, and that never stopped them from being the best rival Southerners could've hoped for. The Marching Owls aren't to the level of the great SOTS bands of the 70s and 80s, but they're on their way, and a move to FBS can only boost their numbers. I hate everything about them, but I welcome them as a conference rival.
Bottom Line: As of Oct. 2022, there are no bands similar to the Southerners in size or style, but KSU and MTSU are both large bands within regular travel distance (87 miles and 180 miles, respectively). But even if the Southerners don't travel to many other games, CUSA is not bereft of good bands. No, there aren't any JMUs or Western Carolinas hiding out there, but considering they're mostly pop-oriented bands, the CUSA bands hold themselves well. CUSA bands are light years beyond the OVC.