This weekend, The Ohio State University Marching Band paid tribute to the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address (with a passing nod to the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination) with a Civil War-themed show. Perhaps it holds a bit more timely significance for the Buckeyes; after all, the perceived strength of their conference against their southern neighbors could spell the difference in Ohio State going to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl or the National Championship game. TBDBITL did get to toss some surreptitious support to a team that could help them in their quest: Battle Hymn of the Republic, featured in this field show, doubles as Glory Glory to old Auburn, a team that could punch the Bucks' ticket to the championship with an Iron Bowl victory.
Down in College Park, the Mighty Sound of Maryland commemorated their final ACC home game by forming ACC before morphing into B1G, their conference a year (and potentially $52 million) from now. While there is no homogenized ACC marching style, the Terps may have done well to accent the Big Ten tribute with a high step or a back bend. After all, the band stepping onto their new conference's Sudler-rich landscape may be one of the biggest challenges of their realignment.
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