USA Today Readers' Choice Awards official ranking of the top 10 winning bands will be revealed on August 26, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET | Florida A&M University Marching 100 | 1-20 Active Nominees

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 27, 2026

• 1. University of Illinois Marching Illini
• 2. Western Carolina Pride of the Mountains Marching Band
• 3. James Madison University Marching Royal Dukes
• 4. Ohio University Marching 110 Band
• 5. Penn State Blue Band
• 6. University of Minnesota The Pride of Minnesota Band
• 7. Auburn University Marching Band
• 8. Southern
• 9. Ohio State
• 10. Jackson State University
• • 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 Marching 100
  • 15. Purdue
  • 16. North Carolina A&T
  • 17. Texas A&M
  • 18. University of Michigan Marching Band
  • 19. University of Texas
  • 20. Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band