Dance & Aux Forum

Halftime is game time, and it’s time again for the ESPN/The Undefeated HBCU Band Rankings, which rate the top bands from historically black colleges and universities.

This begins the third year of the rankings that include bands from all NCAA Division I and Division II schools, which include the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAA) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).

The rankings, conducted by two six-person panels of current and retired band directors and HBCU choreographers, evaluate bands on musicality, drill and design, percussion, auxiliary corps and drum majors. Below are the top preseason rankings.

Top 10 Division I Rankings

1. Jackson State
2. North Carolina A&T
3. Tennessee State
4. Southern
5. Florida A&M
6. Prairie View A&M
7. Bethune-Cookman
8. Alabama A&M
9. Norfolk State
10. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Top 10 Division II Rankings

1. Winston-Salem State
2. Miles
3. Fayetteville State
4. Benedict
5. Virginia State
6. Talladega
7. Fort Valley State
8. Morehouse
9. Elizabeth City State
10. Tuskegee

https://theundefeated.com/features/to-start-the-season-jackson-state-and-winston-salem-state-are-top-hbcu-bands/