After publishing our preseason list last week, which ranked HBCU marching bands by conference from top to bottom, we conducted a poll that allowed fans to create their own preseason band rankings for the CIAA, SIAC, MEAC and SWAC conferences.
With over 2800 responses collected for all four polls combined, Elizabeth City State (CIAA), Albany State (SIAC), Bethune-Cookman (MEAC) and Jackson State (SWAC) all received the No. 1 ranking for their respective conferences using a weighted ranking system to score the results.
Below are the complete results by conference.
CIAA
1. Elizabeth City State
2. Fayetteville State
3. Bowie State
4. Johnson C. Smith
5. Shaw
6. Livingstone
7. Virginia State
8. Lincoln U. (Pa.)
9. Winston-Salem State
10. Saint Augustine’s
11. Virginia Union
SIAC
1. Albany State
2. Benedict
3. Central State
4. Miles
5. Clark-Atlanta
6. Fort Valley State
7. Kentucky State
8. Tuskegee
9. Morehouse
10. Lane
11. Stillman
MEAC
1. Bethune-Cookman
2. Florida A&M
3. North Carolina A&T
4. Hampton
5. Delaware State
6. Howard
7. Norfolk State
8. Morgan State
9. South Carolina State
10. North Carolina Central
11. Savannah State
SWAC
1. Jackson State
2. Southern
3. Alabama State
4. Alcorn State
5. Alabama A&M
6. Grambling
7. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
8. Prairie View A&M
9. Texas Southern
10. Mississippi Valley State
This list is based on lies, fairytales, and fallacies.
I am a proud graduate of Virginia Union University and was a member of the band program, and I am disgusted by these rankings – particularly so because last year our band scored higher in the Battle of the Bands than many of the schools listed in the CIAA category. We are not moved by this – it will just encourage us to push harder to show why our band program is looking to dominate in the CIAA.