Great job, but Div I is filled with recent Div II corps that "could highly compete with any of the 8 - 12 place corps in Div I". The recent additions of Blue Stars (14th), Capital Regiment (16th), Mandarins (17th), Seattle Cascades (19th) and Esperanza (22nd) have made the non-finalist much stronger and more entertaining, but none have performed finals night. Capital Regiment felt they'd taste finals by now but they hit a wall with a 16th place finish. Many said Blue Stars were a lock for finals, but they'll be doing well to repeat at 14th next year. It seems to get harder for these corps, not easier. I'm sure all the rest were thinking finals as well. The fact is that the top 12 (even the top 17) corps are better than you think. Southwind couldn't make semi's and their brass line was much better than The Academy's. Of course, this never stops the latest Div II champion from feeling they're finals material.
Nothing against the Academy, but my skepticism is based on historical reality.