Public voting runs daily until August 17, 2026, at 11:59 a.m. ET on the USA Today Readers' Choice Awards page. Active Nominees: The 20 Contenders on the active 2026 leaderboard include groups like the University of Illinois Marching Illini, Penn State Blue Band, Ohio State Marching Band, Western Carolina Pride of the Mountains Band, Jackson State Sonic Boom of the South, Southern University Human Jukebox, Florida A&M University Marching 100, and North Carolina A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine.
VOTE HERE FOR THE BEST MARCHING BAND: LINK | What is the Best College Marching Band for 2026? You must vote DAILY for band to remain competitive in the rankings!!!
Best College Marching Band Leaderboard - July 30, 2026
- 1. Western Carolina Pride of the Mountains Marching Band
- 2. University of Illinois Marching Illini
- 3. James Madison University Marching Royal Dukes
- 4. Ohio University Marching 110 Band
- 5. Auburn University Marching Band
- 6. Penn State Blue Band
- 7. University of Minnesota The Pride of Minnesota Band
- 8. Southern University Human Jukebox
- 9. Ohio State
- 10. Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South
- 11. Missouri State Pride Marching Band
- 12. Georgia The Red Coat Marching Band
- 13. University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Band
- 14. Florida A&M University Incomparable Marching 100
- 15. Purdue
- 16. North Carolina A&T State University BGMM
- 17. Texas A&M
- 18. University of Michigan Marching Band
- 19. University of Texas
- 20. Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band
