ISU Predictions/Breakdowns 2025

[Marchingmaniac88]

I decided to feed scores so far this year, last years prelim scores, and the last three years of finals scores into an AI Learning model to have it predict preliminary and finals scores/placements...here's what happened: 

1A:

Rank	Band	Predicted IMBC Score
🥇 1	Paris Cooperative	68.55
🥈 2	Illinois Valley Central	65.42
🥉 3	Eureka	64.40
4	University	62.28
5	Macomb	60.30
6	Prairie Central	59.36
7	El Paso-Gridley	58.40
8	Herscher	55.55

2A: 

Rank	Band	Predicted IMBC Score
🥇 1	Morton	77.76
🥈 2	Galesburg	72.88
🥉 3	East Peoria Community	67.22
4	LaSalle-Peru Township	63.70
5	Effingham	62.10
6	Limestone Community	61.59
7	Pontiac Township	60.94
8	Streator Township	58.93

3A:

Rank	Band	Predicted IMBC Score
🥇 1	Marian Catholic	77.35
🥈 2	Washington Community	72.99
🥉 3	Mascoutah	70.50
4	Lemont	69.20
5	Bloomington	68.71

4A:

Rank	Band	Predicted IMBC Score
🥇 1	Collinsville	68.04
🥈 2	Romeoville	66.75
🥉 3	Batavia	65.94
4	Maine West	63.90

 

5A:

Rank	Band	Predicted IMBC Score
🥇 1	Plainfield North	75.53
🥈 2	Victor J. Andrew	74.58
🥉 3	Mundelein	73.03
4	Prospect	71.51
5	Plainfield Central	71.51
6	Edwardsville	69.05
7	DeKalb	59.19
8	McHenry Community	45.93

 

 

6A:

Rank	Band	Predicted IMBC Score
🥇 1	Normal	76.76
🥈 2	O’Fallon Township	74.35
🥉 3	Warren Township	71.81
4	Oswego East	70.02
5	Huntley	66.11
6	Oswego	63.60
7	Carl Sandburg	61.70
8	Downers Grove South	60.58
9	Joliet West	59.77

 

Finals:

Rank	Band	Class	Adjusted Score	Type
🥇 1	Morton	2A	84.04	Winner
🥈 2	Normal	6A	83.44	Winner
🥉 3	Marian Catholic	3A	83.05	Winner
4	Prospect	5A	80.38	Winner
5	O’Fallon Township	6A	78.84	Wildcard (5/6A)
6	Plainfield North	5A	78.18	Wildcard (5/6A)
7	Victor J. Andrew	5A	75.57	Wildcard (5/6A)
8	Washington Community	3A	74.69	Wildcard (3/4A)
9	Bloomington	3A	74.12	Wildcard (3/4A)
10	Galesburg	2A	74.04	Wildcard (1/2A)
11	Batavia	4A	73.13	Winner
12	Collinsville	4A	72.83	Wildcard (3/4A)
13	Plainfield Central	5A	70.85	Wildcard (5/6A)
14	Warren Township	6A	70.71	Wildcard (5/6A)
15	Paris Cooperative	1A	69.54	Winner

 

Thoughts...?

[iamwhoiam]

O'Fallon in 5th should tell you everything you need to know about your model...

[Marchingmaniac88]

2 minutes ago, iamwhoiam said:

O'Fallon in 5th should tell you everything you need to know about your model...

Model heavily depends on a sample size from the season so far (O' Fallon has low competition showing so far, only one) as well as attending past ISU competitions and O' Fallon hasn't. That's why the model doesn't like O' Fallon.

[Marching101]

AI is so strange! I could agree with this minus O-town. It’s gonna be so fun to see how it all plays out! 

[IL Marching.Fan]

My FINAL ISU prediction!

 

Put a lot of thought into this one, going into each competition these schools went to and giving them a score prediction, i’m not going into too much depth score wise, if they share a point it means it will be very close. Feel free to comment on these :).

 

Class 1A

1. Illinois Valley Central (73) 
2. Paris Cooperative (72)
3. Eureka (72)
4. University (68)
5. Macomb (68)
6. Prairie Central (67)
7. El Paso-Gridley (64)
8. Herscher (59)

 

Class 2A

1. Morton (83)
2. Galesburg (75)
3. Limestone Community (73)
4. Effingham (70)
5. LaSalle-Peru (68)
6. East Peoria (67)
7. Pontiac Township (64)
8. Streator Township (61)

 

Class 3A

1. Marian Catholic (81)
2. Bloomington (78)
3. Washington Community (76)
4. Lemont (76)
5. Mascoutah (72)

 

Class 4A

1. Romeoville (78)
2. Collinsville (76)
3. Batavia (75)
4. Maine West (69)

 

Class 5A

1. Prospect (83)
2. Plainfield North (82)
3. Edwardsville (79)
4. Victor J. Andrew (77)
5. Plainfield Central (75)
6. DeKalb (73)
7. Mundelein (72)
8. McHenry (70)

 

Class 6A

1. O’Fallon Township (85)
2. Normal (82)
3. Warren Township (78)
4. Oswego East (77)
5. Oswego (76)
6. Downers Grove South (73)
7. Carl Sandburg (72)
8. Huntley (70)
9. Joliet West (69)

 

Finals 

1. O’Fallon Township 
2. Morton
3. Prospect 
4. Plainfield North
5. Normal
6. Marian Catholic 
7. Edwardsville 
8. Victor J. Andrew
9. Romeoville 
10. Warren Township 
11. Bloomington 
12. Collinsville 
13. Washington 
14. Galesburg
15. Illinois Valley Central

 

[ScoreMaster_185]

1 hour ago, IL Marching.Fan said:

 

My FINAL ISU prediction!

 

Put a lot of thought into this one, going into each competition these schools went to and giving them a score prediction, i’m not going into too much depth score wise, if they share a point it means it will be very close. Feel free to comment on these :).

 

Class 1A

1. Illinois Valley Central (73) 
2. Paris Cooperative (72)
3. Eureka (72)
4. University (68)
5. Macomb (68)
6. Prairie Central (67)
7. El Paso-Gridley (64)
8. Herscher (59)

 

Class 2A

1. Morton (83)
2. Galesburg (75)
3. Limestone Community (73)
4. Effingham (70)
5. LaSalle-Peru (68)
6. East Peoria (67)
7. Pontiac Township (64)
8. Streator Township (61)

 

Class 3A

1. Marian Catholic (81)
2. Bloomington (78)
3. Washington Community (76)
4. Lemont (76)
5. Mascoutah (72)

 

Class 4A

1. Romeoville (78)
2. Collinsville (76)
3. Batavia (75)
4. Maine West (69)

 

Class 5A

1. Prospect (83)
2. Plainfield North (82)
3. Edwardsville (79)
4. Victor J. Andrew (77)
5. Plainfield Central (75)
6. DeKalb (73)
7. Mundelein (72)
8. McHenry (70)

 

Class 6A

1. O’Fallon Township (85)
2. Normal (82)
3. Warren Township (78)
4. Oswego East (77)
5. Oswego (76)
6. Downers Grove South (73)
7. Carl Sandburg (72)
8. Huntley (70)
9. Joliet West (69)

 

Finals 

1. O’Fallon Township 
2. Morton
3. Prospect 
4. Plainfield North
5. Normal
6. Marian Catholic 
7. Edwardsville 
8. Victor J. Andrew
9. Romeoville 
10. Warren Township 
11. Bloomington 
12. Collinsville 
13. Washington 
14. Galesburg
15. Illinois Valley Central

 

I think you're under estimating Washington, they are certainly more then a point ahead of Lemont and in my opinion ahead of Bloomington 

[marchinglover36]

Just now, ScoreMaster_185 said:

I think you're under estimating Washington, they are certainly more then a point ahead of Lemont and in my opinion ahead of Bloomington 

Agreed! I 100% see Washington at the very least top 10.

[awkwardpenguin14]

6 hours ago, Marchingmaniac88 said:

I decided to feed scores so far this year, last years prelim scores, and the last three years of finals scores into an AI Learning model to have it predict preliminary and finals scores/placements...here's what happened: 

 

Thoughts...?

My one issue with this is that band scores can really fluctuate over three years. Marian Catholic would be my primary source for this (which while still a very strong program, really dipped quickly after Bimm left) Also curious why the model really didn't like Prospect either, which has had very strong finals performances. 

[awkwardpenguin14]

1 hour ago, marchinglover36 said:

Agreed! I 100% see Washington at the very least top 10.

Is there a link to watch their show? I haven't seen it yet, but am a little skeptical they are top 10. They usually put on very entertaining shows, but generally not putting on a BOA-Style show. 

For some data, See U of I last year: while scoring a very respectable 77, lost to Carl Sandburg by a point and a half. 

I would love to see the show to be proven wrong 😄

[marchinglover36]

14 minutes ago, awkwardpenguin14 said:

Is there a link to watch their show? I haven't seen it yet, but am a little skeptical they are top 10. They usually put on very entertaining shows, but generally not putting on a BOA-Style show. 

For some data, See U of I last year: while scoring a very respectable 77, lost to Carl Sandburg by a point and a half. 

I would love to see the show to be proven wrong 😄

After looking back at the show, I definitely see what you mean. Its always very fun to watch them!

 

 

This performance is from a month ago

[Marching101]

Found Paris’s show from Effingham this past Saturday. https://youtu.be/LjZwjBBpgtc

[Marchguy]

15 hours ago, drillwriter said:

Is anyone besides me old enough to remember the very coldest ISU, which was either '89 or '90? Is was very windy and I believe wind chill was well below 32.

Bands started performing in the AM, and tuning across all sections was impossible due to the temps. Valves were freezing up, and my understanding is that performers were showing up at the ER of the local hospital with frostbite.

Eventually either the police or fire department showed up and shut the competition down. It's also my understanding that directors were told they would take things indoor if necessary, but it ended up that there was no indoor facility available.

I performed that mornring.  I had a trombone solo and my slide got stuck in second position - made for an interesting performance to say the least.  If my memory is correct, our band was the last band to perform before they shut everything down.  It was windy, cold and sleeting at times.  Several of our band members had to be treated at the medical tent after we performed.  As an adult now, I can't believe they ever let the competition start outdoors - although the weather may have been getting worse as the day progressed.....

[awkwardpenguin14]

10 hours ago, marchinglover36 said:

After looking back at the show, I definitely see what you mean. Its always very fun to watch them!

 

 

This performance is from a month ago

Their Guard and Drumline is always really impressive!! If I remember right, their drumline instructor marched Vanguard back in the day, and they always sound really good. 

[Marie]

Does anyone have a video of O'Fallons show this year? 

[ctr477]

53 minutes ago, Marie said:

Does anyone have a video of O'Fallons show this year? 

During the season, they guard video on their shows like it is nuclear secrets.

[ScoreMaster_185]

42 minutes ago, ctr477 said:

During the season, they guard video on their shows like it is nuclear secrets.

Yeah, even at their football games the livestream either simply does not show the band, or like last year, MUTES the band. 

[Marchingband012]

1a-2a is gonna be pretty competitive this year, Limestone vs Galesburg 

IVC vs paris vs eureka 

weird thing is limestone hasn’t performed since September 14th with a score of 69.350 at their home competition, while Galesburg has scored I believe a 77, limestone sounds pretty good tho but Galesburg is bigger and has more sound, this weekend is gonna be awesome.

[TheAngryBavarian]

O'Fallon's book this year is one of the hardest they've ever attempted...there was some noticeable dirt at their home show [which was a month ago now]. If they got it cleaned up I think it wins this weekend fairly easily and is pushing for a medal at BOA St. Louis.

[RightFootCONTRAian]

ISU Thoughts, The Week of: Time to show your Cards        

Session A Finalists: IVC (1A), Morton (2A), Galesburg

Confidence: Absolute Metaphysical Locks

Thoughts: Not much has changed since the last few weeks. IVC winning grand champs at Romeoville and Galesburg at Morton makes me think they have all of the momentum. It’s a shame they’ll be relegated to 2 of the first 4 spots in finals instead of later in the mix for some better consideration.

Session B Finalists: Marian (3A), Romeoville, (4A), Collinsville, Washington, Bloomington

Confidence: Throwing Darts

Thoughts: As has been discussed before, these are all good bands, and when over half are going to make finals it could be anyone’s spots with the right run. I think this is Romeoville’s year for 4A.I don’t think there are 5 bands in that group that sound better than Washington. Bloomington is doing there concept really well.

Session C Finalists: O'Fallon (6A) Normal, Prospect (5A), Plainfield North, Edwardsville, VJA, Plainfield Central

Confidence: Not enough to buy a lottery ticket, but feels pretty safe at the top.

Thoughts: O’Fallon is O’Fallon. Normal will be confidently in the back half of finals. I think Prospect takes Plainfield North for 5A, but it’s close, (more on that below.) Warren could take the last spot with the right performance. Still strange to not be typing Lockport’s name here.

FINALS 

1. Morton
2. O’Fallon

I might be wrong, and this could be wildly different with a larger spread in 1 week and 1 month at Nats. Call me old-school, but in my book you have to defeat the defending champs before we hand you the top spot. Since both of these schools treat their videos like state secrets, it may come down to who has the better run Saturday night.

(2.5 Lincoln Way)

(Nobody asked me for this, but FWIW, I think this is where they would have landed at ISU if they had decided to do more than 3 shows. Come back to ISU and defend the suburbs! Please!)

3. Marian Catholic

I think they sound better for this point of the season than they have in a few years, and always seem to do a few points better than expected at ISU.

4. Plainfield North
5. Prospect

These 2 may also be interchangeable. I think PN sounds better, Prospect always moves as well as anyone in the state.  I think Prospect will get them in the afternoon, but if they’re both in the back half of finals and compared to each other in the context of that group of bands, then I’ll give PN the edge.

6. Normal
7. VJA
8. Edwardsville
9. Plainfield Central
10. Romeoville

I think there’s a pretty sizeable gap here between 5th and 6th (2-ish points,) and while I wouldn;t be surprised if 6-8 ended up in a different order. I think Normal’s show probably peaked last weekend, and I don’t know if there’s anymore to add to challenge for a top 5 spot.

11. Collinsville
12. Galesburg
13. Washington
14. Bloomington
15. IVC

If Galesburg is towards the end of the “first 4 random draw” and can be compared closely to the 1st half 5A/6A bands I think they have an opportunity to “jump” a few spots. Washington is another school I think compared against a wider variety of bands won’t score as well (relatively) with their style of program. (If Batavia or Lemont make it in over them they’d probably be closer to 12 than 14.)

These are all great bands. I hope they all have the best run of their season Saturday night!
 

[ScoreMaster_185]

ISU CLASS AND FINALS PREDICTIONS

1A - As competitive as always, no spot in the top three is ever sure.

1st IVC. Without a doubt, the hardest thing I have ever had to put as a prediction, but with how good IVC is looking, and how rocky Eureka seems, I can't justify not giving IVC the top spot. This is their band director's last year, and Eureka's first year with a new band director replacing their previous one after more the 30 years. I hope I am proven wrong. 

2nd Eureka. Paris has been doing good, but I don't believe the competitions they are attending are reliable enough to say for sure Paris beats Eureka, and especially not IVC.

3rd Paris. Doing good this year, but I'm not sure they have it in them to unseat the big two. 

2A - Definitely the least competitive class this year, Morton and Galesburg 1st and 2nd, with Limestone and East Peoria fighting for 3rd

1st Morton. We know how this goes

2nd Galesburg. Same here.

3rd Limestone. Limestone has been on a good run the last couple of years, and it looks like that's gonna continue.

Finalists: Morton, Galseburg, IVC. First out: Limestone

3A - The class I'm most excited for because of how competitive it is. Washington, Bloomington, Collinsville, Romeoville, and Batavia are all fighting to not be the first out. Also, because of Washinton, I'm interested to see how they compete at ISU and am rooting for them to make finals.

1st Marian Catholic. It seems like Marian has been doing just as well, if not better, this year. I hope to see them in the top 5 of the finals.

2nd Washington. Despite their show not appealing as heavily to BOA standards, Washington is a great band; they are big, sound good, and keep their feet in time, as well as boasting a really good drumline and guard. Overall, I think they are better than Bloomington this year.

3rd Bloomington, Bloomington, who got the jump on VJA last year, seems to have lost that. No doubt they will put on an amazing show and score well, but I think they are outclassed here.

4A - Super tough calls here, I'm very excited to see it play out.

1st Romeoville. Romeoville has a perfect setup for a 4A class victory this year with John Hersey being gone. They have been doing amazing this year, Beating Victor J Andrew and getting grand champ at A.A Stagg.

2nd Collinsville. Collinsville Beat Edwardsville, another very strong band, but that's all I have to go off of, so I have to look at Batavia instead, who I don't think is looking very strong this year.

3rd Batavia. Losing to Lake Park doesn't inspire confidence in them; however, they were only a point and a half off of Romeoville at the Red and black, so who knows. 

Finalists: Marian Catholic, Romeoville, Collinsville, Washington, Bloomington. First out: Batavia

5A - This class speaks for itself

1st Prospect. Looking good this year as always, they will for sure be in a fight for the top 3 overall.

2nd Plainfield North. Once again, a strong second, looking good as well.

3rd Edwardsville. They would have had my vote for second place last year; however, the Metro East comp raises some concerns, but I can't trust it enough to justify a loss to VJA this year. Still, Edwardsville and VJA could very easily swap places. 

4th Victor J Andrew. Going from 3rd in finals in 23 to 9th in 24 leaves a lot of speculation open for VJA this year; they got beat by Romeoville, but there's no telling how reliable the competition was. 

6A Can you believe O'Fallon is here this year? This is certainly another very competitive class. Also, no Lockport is sad.

1st O'Fallon. This explains itself. Ofallon is a gigantic band that makes finals at BOA and is sure to bring an amazing show to ISU.

2nd Normal. Pretty easy choice here, especially with no Lockport. They're Normal and they bring a great show every time. 

3rd Oswego. Warren Township had its fun last year, but it seems both the Oswegos have stepped up their game and are both on Romeoville's tail; but it looks like Oswego is just a tiny smidge higher. The 3rd and 4th could 100% go either way.

4th Oswego East. Same as above

Finalists: O'Fallon, Prospect, Normal, Plainfield North, Edwardsville, VJA, Oswego. First Out: Oswego East/Plainfield Central (I can't decide)

Finals:

1st O'Fallon - Sowing up and doing a clean sweep was not expected of O'Fallon, but I think it's what we can expect.

2nd Morton - Their show is looking great, and so are their scores. I would love to see them grand champ to show how great the band programs in central Illinois are, but I think it would be a long shot.

3rd Marian Catholic - I have been waiting 3 long years to put Marian Catholic in talks for being above prospect again and being what would be the top 2 if O'Fallon hadn't shown up. I love this band, I love what they do, and I hope they get 3rd overall. Admittedly, I am a little biased, and Prospect could easily take 3rd. As a side note, Marian Catholic High School only has about 744 students, and chooses to compete in a class above their own, and will the the second smallest School in Finals, being the 1A champ. 

4th Prospect - Once again, they could definitely get 3rd. They are solid as ever and definitely in the top 5

5th Normal - Here they are again, doing great but not quite the best, definite top 5 

6th Plainfield North

7th Edwardsville

8th Romeoville - Very high for them is the year I hope they can achieve it

9th Washington - Here's where things get REALLY rocky. Everything 9th and below is probably worn because of how unpredictable it is, but something I know for a fact is that Washington is really good, and if points are negatived due to their show style, then this will age poorly. 

10th Oswego - good to have them back in finals, they were right on Romeoville's tail score-wise, but show-wise, I can't justify them going above Washington.

11th Victor J Andrew - This is very low for VJA, and something tells me that I am wrong to put there here, but whatever.

12th Collinsville

13th Galesburg - I think they are slightly better than Bloomington this year

14th Bloomington

15th IVC - I love to see 1A bands beat higher classes, but all the bands above them are decently strong. There is a slight chance they beat Bloomington. 

 

[ctr477]

Decision day:

Personal note: I'm lucky enough to live in the one of the four places in the country that fly to Bloomington-Normal, so I'm making a weekend out of it. 18 hour day just like the kids on Saturday.

Video is a great tool, and past performance does not guarantee future results. But it sure helps compare shows. Sometimes, we get hung up on past results, but seeing the shows is the best way to determine what one is better, even without a music PhD.

1A:  
1-IVC: Dethroning the champ is tough, but they have the vehicle to do it.
2-Paris: This is where video helps so much.
3-Eureka: Let this prediction be motivation.

2A:
1-Morton: 20 years consecutive as class champions. Wow!
2-Galesburg: Video removes any question.
3-Limestone: Just control what you can control and have the best performance possible.

Finalists: IVC, Morton, Galesburg

3A:
1-Marian: Well ahead of schedule.
2-Bloomington: DGS answered any questions.
3-Lemont: The show is designed for ISU/BOA sheets. Razor thin in/out for me.
4-Washington: All comes down to music GE for me. 

4A:
1-Romeoville: Seamless so far, only question is peaking too early
2-Collinsville: Missouri competition last week answered quite a few questions. Good enough to expect finals. Not good enough to have a bad run. Something special may win the class.
3-Batavia: All comes down to performance.

Finalists: Marian, Bloomington, Romeoville, Collinsville, Batavia

5A:
1-Prospect: Taking this as a leap of faith. Not competitive in nearly a month; no video available.
2-Plainfield North: May well win this class.
3-Victor J Andrew: The trend has been great.
4-Edwardsville: Really no idea. Winning/tying captions with Lindbergh and then finishing third at MEMC based on GE. Had a work day last weekend with the designers. But this is a leap of faith.
5-Plainfield Central: BOA Iowa was supposed to answer questions. Was that the answer or was the result at Providence the answer. Comes down to performance with Warren and possible Edwardsville.

6A:
1-O'Fallon: Rivalry football game against Edwardsville on Friday. How much sleep? How much focus the next day?
2-Normal: BOA Iowa gave the answers to any questions. Scientific certainty here.
3-Warren: Comes down to performance vis a vie Plainfield Central. PC follows Normal. Warren is later and follows Oswego. Have Warren in.

FINALS
15-IVC: Winning of the 1A battle is impressive on its own. Shoot for the moon with this performance.
14-Galesburg: Prove me wrong super fans.
13-Collinsville: I think they benefit from the later performance time in prelims, but might not have the same luck in finals.
12-Batavia: There has to be prelims-finals movement.
11-Warren: If they are in, here is where they land.
10-Romeoville: Have been giant slayers all year.
9-Edwardsville: Far and away my least informed choice. Why not make like easy and finish in second at MEMC?
8-Bloomington: Answered the call at DGS.
7-Victor J. Andrew: just above Bloomington, same here
6-Plainfield North: Strong case for higher placement
5-Prospect: Second least informed choice
4-Normal: BOA placement difference between prelims and finals was stark. Performance matters most. They have three rehearsals this week at Hancock Stadium. Given them the edge.
3-Marian Catholic: How far along is the visual part? Will I understand the show? (I joke because I rarely get it).
2-Morton: Only Lake Park and Marian have won four in a row. If they are at that level, I will need to eat lots of crow.

1-O'Fallon: Turns out video does exist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Magnichu]

IT'S ISU WEEK BABY!!!! (Way too early)

Time for my predictions, wrong as always. 

1A

1. IVC- I just think they have it. Eureka had a run these past few years, but I just don't see where they can take IVC out. 

2. Eureka- Again, a great run, but the show just doesn't do enough to win.

3. Paris- I expect them to win visual, they look gorgeous. They have a great blend in music, too. They are putting Eureka on upset alert. 

2A

1. Morton- Duh.

2. Galesburg- Don't know why a few people are questioning this.

3. Limestone- I think they clear East Peoria by a point or two. 

Finalists: Morton, Galesburg, IVC

3A

1. Marian Catholic- Duh, with an asterisk. 

2. Washington- They just simply have the power. They are clean, and I say they clear Bloomington, although the show style is definitely a concern. No way the can possibly be beat by Lemont.

3. Bloomington- Not too far off of VJA, they are in finals. 

4A

1. Romeoville- They've just got it this year, man. Consider them lucky to have a breakout year with Hersey out.

2. Collinsville- They just seem quite strong. We really can't know until ISU, of course. 

3. Batavia- Definitely in contention for finals, I just think they are slightly weaker than last year.

Finalists: Marian Catholic, Washington, Romeoville, Bloomington, Collinsville

5A

1. Prospect- Are they really on upset alert? They haven't been scored with Plainfield North yet, so I'm skeptical.

2. Plainfield North- I mean, I'm cool if they get 1st, just skeptical. Solid 2nd at any rate.

3. Edwardsville- I do NOT trust MEMC. Besides, we are very far removed from it. Just wish they competed more.

4. Victor J. Andrew- Romeoville beat them, but that was a long time ago. I really don't know this far down the session.

6A

1. O'Fallon- Double Duh.

2. Normal- Not getting higher, not getting lower.

3. Warren Township- Again, there is a block of incredibly close scores.

4. Oswego- Could be Warren, could be Oswego East, I simply don't know. 

Finalists: O'Fallon, Prospect, Plainfield North, Normal, Edwardsville, Victor J. Andrew, Warren Township

FINALS

1. O'Fallon- It is time. I apologize to my cousin at Morton, but I am very confident O'Fallon gets it done.

2. Morton- They won't go lower, probably won't go higher. A great show none the less (albeit a touch weaker in marching). 

3. Prospect- I will resist putting Marian Catholic here until I watch them at prelims. 

4. Marian Catholic- They will not get lower than 4th. They will not get higher than 3rd.... Right?

5. Plainfield North- Strong as always, likely ahead of Normal.

6. Normal- They simply go here. They seem a LOT smaller than they were last year, which I find odd.

7. Edwardsville- I simply don't believe they are on the same level as Collinsville. They place solidly.

8. Washington- Here is where we get into the zero visibility fog. I believe they are strong enough for this spot, but they are at the mercy of the judges.

9. Romeoville- The scores are very tight in this block, but Romeoville gets top 10, I'll call 9th.

10. Victor J. Andrew- Very tight scores. Maybe high, maybe low, I don't know. 10th sound cool to me.

11. Collinsville- Warren Township or Bloomington may be favored ahead of them, but I like Collinsville's odds. The difference could be less than a point for many in this block.

12. Bloomington- Again, we're at tenths of a point here. Romeoville and VJA may be a stretch to beat this year.

13. Warren Township- I don't like putting them this low, but it will be close. 

14. Galesburg- I feel like they get scored lower than they should, so this is safe. I really think they can jump quite a bit, however. Side note, their band is huge this year.

15. IVC- They can tie or barely beat Galesburg all they want in regular competitions. I do not believe those scores are justified, but sure. I cannot see them escape 15th, but congratulations to Matt Chapman all the same.

No way these hold up. 

 

 

 

[bandmama2009]

How do you know O'fallon is in 6a at ISU this year, from what i see they are in 5a. I am excited to see them compete at ISU.. its definitely overdue. I am also excited to see Normal, they took 1st in their division at the BOA in Iowa and of course Morton.. there show is different this year. 

[Zdsmith]

As always, I wouldn’t get too caught up in numbers that groups have received given that each show has the potential to be on a different sheet, different scale, etc. I find it much more useful to look at spreads and H2H /common competition. 

[Marching101]

I definitely Agree with Zdsmith. You can’t compare score across shows. Head to head is only way to really gage. However, it is fun  for conversational purposes! In other news, it'll be chilly on Saturday morning! It’s been summer temps the entire season 🥵so it’ll be interesting to see how groups fair. Having to go first thing when it’s cold is awful.  They should randomly switch it up some time (HA!) just for funsies. 1-2-3A bands go in the afternoon block. We already know 4-5-6A groups have a larger percentage that get into the night show. That’d be hoot 🦉😂