CheeseHusker Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Since we have a wonderful thread devoted to the fields of Super Bowls that almost but didn't come to fruition, how about a companion uniform thread? Going by the same formula, I'll use the losers of the respective NFL/NFC and AFL/AFC championship games, and guess based on the uniform rules of the time what we might have seen. The graphics are from the Gridiron Uniform database; if there is a copyright / bandwidth issue then I will remove them and find another arrangement. Super Bowl I: Dallas vs Buffalo Starting right away with an anomaly, as based on the rule at the time that the home team *had* to wear a colored jersey, we would have seen Dallas in blue and Buffalo in white, much like the case in Super Bowl V. Super Bowl II: Dallas vs. Houston Already, something we've never seen before - an all-Texas Super Bowl. A lot of silver in this one. Super Bowl III: Cleveland vs. Oakland A classic, gritty old-school matchup. Super Bowl IV: Cleveland vs. Oakland Our first rematch sees the Raiders as the home team this time. Super Bowl V: San Francisco vs. Oakland A Bay Bridge classic! Old school Niners vs. Raiders with silver numbers on white. Yes please! This one would have looked very good on color TV for those who had them. Super Bowl VI: San Francisco vs. Baltimore The Niners nearly made two SBs in the early 70s? This is already really fun. I like this one with the Colts in blue. Super Bowl VII: Dallas vs. Pittsburgh A classic matchup we eventually saw three times in the real thing. I go with Dallas in white here based on an understanding that Washington apparently *chose* red to wear in actual SB VII, which leads me to believe the requirement for the home team to wear color was lifted by this point, which I imagine would have been a relief to Dallas. Super Bowl VIII: Dallas vs Oakland In all the years that both of these teams were great, how is it possible that this matchup never happened? Super Bowl IX: Los Angeles vs. Oakland This one could have gone either way..... I thought about putting the Rams in white, but it looks like they wore blue at home most of that season, so I went with it. If this happened today, we could call it "The Carson Bowl" Super Bowl X: Los Angeles vs. Oakland Another back to back rematch. The Raiders are becoming rather ubiquitous guests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheeseHusker Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Super Bowl XI: Los Angeles vs Pittsburgh Another question of whether the Rams go blue or white here.... I think blue. Super Bowl XII: Minnesota vs. Oakland In this universe, the Raiders are back amazingly for the seventh time already. Featuring the actual matchup from the real Super Bowl XI, one would think this would be reversed from that one considering Oakland is the home team here. Super Bowl XIII: Los Angeles vs. Houston The Rams once again have the choice.... I think they go blue again to make Houston wear white. A real shame we never got to see the Oilers in a Super Bowl for real. Super Bowl XIV: Tampa Bay vs. Houston It's too bad the NFC wouldn't have been the home team this year..... imagine the Creamsicles facing off vs. the Oilers in the columbia blue pants. That might have been the single greatest Super Bowl matchup ever. As it is, this one is still pretty good. As in the alternate field thread, this is one I looked forward to doing a lot. Super Bowl XV: Dallas vs. San Diego Another crime is that the Air Coryell-era Chargers never made the big one. This one is a no-brainer with Dallas as the home team. Super Bowl XVI: Dallas vs. San Diego Yet another back to back rematch. As the Chargers were wearing white at home a lot during this era, it may be right to assume they do the same here, especially if it means putting Dallas in blue. Amazingly Dallas has never worn this jersey in a Super Bowl. Super Bowl XVII: Dallas vs. NY Jets As a fan of the Jets uniforms in this era, this would have been a very handsome matchup, especially under the afternoon sunlight of the Rose Bowl. Pity. Super Bowl XVIII: San Francisco vs. Seattle Kinda fun to imagine considering these teams are divisional rivals now. Seattle picks blue as the home side. This game would have looked good either way, IMO. Super Bowl XIX: Chicago vs. Pittsburgh Would we be talking today about the '84 Bears instead of the '85 Bears? Who knows. Super Bowl XX: Los Angeles vs Miami Two teams that wore white at home a lot in this era. I think the Dolphins go dark as the game would have been in a dome and they tended to wear aqua at home in night games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakotapalm Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 This is a fun topic. I enjoy the narrative that you have that goes along with the uniforms. http://www.dakotapalmhelmets.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberwolf Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 The Super Bowl XX is beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheeseHusker Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Super Bowl XXI: Washington vs Cleveland Both teams wore white at home during this time.... as the home team in this game, it's the Skins. Amazingly, this would have been the first time the entire season that Cleveland would have worn brown jerseys - they wore white for every single game of the 1986 season, including the playoffs! I had to use the 1987 graphic for the Browns here as a result! Super Bowl XXII: Minnesota vs. Cleveland The Browns get a choice here..... my guess is they go with white, putting Minnesota in purple and creating this classic vision. Super Bowl XXIII: Chicago vs. Buffalo Another interesting what if.... Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas vs. Richard Dent and Mike Singletary. Super Bowl XXIV: Los Angeles Rams vs Cleveland In this alternative universe, it's quite possible one or both of these teams would have been working on their 5th or 6th Lombardi trophy by now.... can you imagine? The Browns were still wearing white at home a lot, so I guess they stick to it. Super Bowl XXV: San Francisco vs. Los Angeles Raiders Rematch of earlier "Earthquake Bowl".... SF as the home team goes red this time. Super Bowl XXVI: Detroit vs. Denver Yes, the Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl. Oddly enough, this would have been Denver's first appearance in this universe as well. Super Bowl XXVII: San Francisco vs. Miami The infamous Marino-Montana duel finally takes place..... or would it have been Marino-Young instead? Super Bowl XXVIII: San Francisco vs. Kansas City Steve Young vs Joe Montana, the Chief. Wouldn't that have been something? Super Bowl XXIX: Dallas vs. Pittsburgh Basically Super Bowl XXX one year early. Nothing unexpected here from a uniform standpoint except for maybe the 75th anniversary patches. Super Bowl XXX: Green Bay vs. Indianapolis Yes, hard to believe it, but in this parallel dimension, the storied (or maybe not-so-storied?) Green Bay Packers don't make their first appearance in the big game until now. To add insult to injury, they are forced to wear white as the Colts are the home team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittSmith_95 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 XIV is best matchup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheeseHusker Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Super Bowl XXXI: Carolina vs. Jacksonville The "Expansion Bowl". Two teams in the second year of their existence are playing off for the ultimate prize. It is easy to forget how close this was to actually happening. Super Bowl XXXII: San Francisco vs. Pittsburgh The way things are as we know it, a Super Bowl between these two franchises would make for some epic bragging rights..... would it have been the same in this dimension? Super Bowl XXXIII: Minnesota vs. NY Jets This would have been a great-looking Super Bowl, maybe as good as any. For the Jets it would have certainly validated the decision to return to the Namath throwback look. Super Bowl XXXIV: Tampa Bay vs. Jacksonville How about this, the Jaguars in their fifth season are in their second Super Bowl and it's against another team from Florida. I'd guess Jacksonville probably goes with teal here. Not a bad looking game, but it would be arguably look better with the Bucs in red and pewter. Super Bowl XXXV: Minnesota vs. Oakland Another 70s throwback. In an odd-numbered game the NFC is the home team, so we get pretty much the updated version of (actual) Super Bowl XI. Super Bowl XXXVI: Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh An all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl..... you wanna talk about salty. Maybe in this alternate universe we can pretend 9/11 doesn't happen. Super Bowl XXXVII: Philadelphia vs. Tennessee Another handsome looking matchup.... plus it would have matched the logo nicely as seen in the field art thread that inspired this one. Super Bowl XXXVIII: Philadelphia vs. Indianapolis Wow, the Eagles would actually be considered a dynasty at this point. How about peak-McNabb vs. young Peyton? Super Bowl XXXIX: Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh Atlanta makes it for the first time here.... part of me wonders if they might have tried wearing the black alternates instead. Super Bowl XL: Carolina vs. Denver Hey look, it's this year's game.... well not quite, but Denver was still wearing blue first at this point. It's interesting to wonder what they would have done this year if this were still the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheeseHusker Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Super Bowl XLI: New Orleans vs. New England That perennial lovable championship choker Tom Brady finally gets his first shot at a ring. Wonder what the big game will bring out in him. The Saints disappoint everyone and go monochrome black instead of black over gold. Super Bowl XLII: Green Bay vs. San Diego As a Packer fan I will always wonder what might have been.... perhaps Favre would have really retired for good had the fairy tale ended this way. Unfortunately with the AFC the home team, we get stuck with them in white again. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Charger fans petition Spanos and the NFL for the team to wear powder blue alts, and are soundly rejected. Super Bowl XLIII: Philadelphia vs. Baltimore Another pleasing-to-the-eye green vs purple matchup. No word on whether or not the winner also gets to claim the history of the USFL's Stars franchise. Super Bowl XLIV: Minnesota vs. New York Jets Only in a bizarro world such as this do the Jets and Vikings play each other in the Super Bowl twice in 11 years. This time the Jets get to wear the green, which I think is the better of the two possibilities.... unfortunately, the Vikings uniforms at this point were the worst they ever had. Super Bowl XLV: Chicago vs. New York Jets The Jets repeat and get to face off against Jay Cutler's Bears.... Packer fans wouldn't have heard the end of that one for awhile. Chicago is the home team and goes navy. Both teams actually played at Chicago in Week 16 and wore this combo. I'd have liked to have seen the Jets go for green pants, but I could only find one instance of them wearing them that season - at home in monochrome. Super Bowl XLVI: San Francisco vs. Baltimore Obviously this one played out in real life 12 months later.... as the home/away is reversed here, I expect the uniforms to be flipped from that contest. Baltimore has several options but I think they go purple over black. Super Bowl XLVII: Atlanta vs. New England Can't complain about the contrasting elements in this one. Would have looked nice under lights (or lack of them) in the Superdome. Super Bowl XLVIII: San Francisco vs New England In-form Kaepernick vs. Brady would have been a good one. More blue than red as the Pats wear the home uniform here. Super Bowl XLIX: Green Bay vs. Indianapolis It's hard to imagine a world in which this uniform doesn't appear in a Super Bowl until the calendar year 2015, but the Green Bay Packers are finally the home team on the game's biggest stage. Super Bowl 50: Arizona vs. New England Your alternate universe Super Bowl of 2016 is your standard white vs. blue matchup. Thanks to Gridiron database for the images and to user piit6pack for the field art thread which inspired me to do this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Excellent! I stumbled on this idea myself a few years ago - didn't do the uniforms or anything, just the results. Was an interesting exercise! By the way, in this alt-SB50, the Cards beat the Pats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uglybus Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 I may simulate all these games, using WhatIfSports. Would be interesting to see the Eagles with more Lombardis than the Packers. "Okay, Mr. OKC, you obviously have never been to Louisville." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCarp1231 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Sad to see the Redskins have only one appearance compared to five Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZionEagle Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Yes, the Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl If only this were true..... "Winners never quit, and quitters never win." ~Vince Lombardi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheeseHusker Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Know what else I just noticed..... no New York Giants or Cincinnati Bengals. That means that neither team has ever lost a conference championship game, at least in the Super Bowl era. Pretty impressive. Otherwise, 29 of the 32 NFL teams make it at least once.... the Texans are the other absent party, but they're new, so they have an excuse. I also find it striking just how many teams made it to the championship game year after year but rarely broke through, like the Rams and Raiders in the 70s, and the Browns at various other periods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnice Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Good job putting this together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 14 hours ago, Uglybus said: I may simulate all these games, using WhatIfSports. Would be interesting to see the Eagles with more Lombardis than the Packers. That's what I did. I'll try to remember to put up my results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahowe6464 Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 On January 30, 2016 at 11:04 AM, Uglybus said: I may simulate all these games, using WhatIfSports. Would be interesting to see the Eagles with more Lombardis than the Packers. That'd be interesting. Maybe things work out and Brady still ends up with 4 rings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 OK here are my results using WhatIfSports. I started this years ago and updated as the years have gone by. My method: I run the games 100 times each, and whoever wins the most times is my winner. I then take the scores of the winning team's games, add them up, divide by however many games they won, and get an average score. I then matched up to the game that came closest to that score. For example, if i came up with 28.7 for the winner and 16.4 for the loser, I'd look for some score that came closest to 29-16. Here's what I got: I – Dallas 35, Buffalo 9 II – Dallas 31, Houston 10 III – Oakland 24, Cleveland 17 IV – Oakland 28, Cleveland 7 V – San Francisco 29, Oakland 10 VI – Baltimore 23, San Francisco 6 VII – Pittsburgh 27, Dallas 20 VIII – Oakland 17, Dallas 7 IX – Los Angeles 16, Oakland 10 X – Los Angeles 29, Oakland 7 XI – Pittsburgh 21, Los Angeles 13 XII – Oakland 21, Minnesota 20 XIII – Houston 17, Los Angeles 14 XIV – Houston 16, Tampa Bay 9 XV – Dallas 34, San Diego 9 XVI – San Diego 30, Dallas 14 XVII – Dallas 17, New York Jets 7 XVIII – San Francisco 13, Seattle 3 XIX – Chicago 20, Pittsburgh 17 XX – Miami 31, Los Angeles 21 XXI – Washington 16, Cleveland 14 XXII – Cleveland 30, Minnesota 17 XXIII – Buffalo 27, Chicago 10 XXIV – Los Angeles 20, Cleveland 10 XXV – L.A. Raiders 31, San Francisco 30 XXVI – Detroit 24, Denver 6 XXVII – San Francisco 42, Miami 16 XXVIII – San Francisco 38, Kansas City 10 XXIX – Dallas 24, Pittsburgh 21 XXX – Green Bay 24, Indianapolis 10 XXXI – Carolina 24, Jacksonville 17 XXXII – Pittsburgh 16, San Francisco 13 XXXIII – Minnesota 23, New York Jets 20 XXXIV – Jacksonville 23, Tampa Bay 13 XXXV – Minnesota 24, Oakland 17 XXXVI – Pittsburgh 27, Philadelphia 10 XXXVII – Tennessee 13, Philadelphia 6 XXXVIII – Indianapolis 27, Philadelphia 10 XXXIX – Pittsburgh 21, Atlanta 10 XL – Carolina 23, Denver 10 XLI – New England 36, New Orleans 16 XLII – Green Bay 24, San Diego 13 XLIII – Baltimore 13, Philadelphia 9 XLIV – New York Jets 23, Minnesota 13 XLV – Chicago 22, New York Jets 13 XLVI – Baltimore 20, San Francisco 10 XLVII –New England 35, Atlanta 21 XLVIII – New England 23, San Francisco 14 XLIX – Green Bay 27, Indianapolis 17 L – Arizona 25, New England 16 Observations: Dallas appears in 8 Super Bowls, same as real life. Goes 5-3, same as in real life. Philadelphia is 0-4 in Super Bowls, losing 3 in a row. This alt-history’s Buffalo Bills, I guess. Speaking of Buffalo, they appear twice, win once. New England is 3-1 Pittsburgh is 5-2 San Francisco has appeared a whopping 9 times, but has a losing 4-5 record Raiders are 5-4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahowe6464 Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Also, Dallas pulled a Green Bay Packers and won the first two Super Bowls back to back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc... Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Great addition to the board! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCM0313 Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 I know they've never faced off in real Super Bowl, and they never both lost either - but did you know that the 49ers and Bills were both in their respective conference title games at the same time four times in the six seasons from 1988-93? The Niners won the NFC title and the Super Bowl for the 1988 season, while Buffalo lost to Cincy in the AFC title game. Then the Bills had their infamous four straight Super Bowl defeats from 1990-93, but the 49ers actually lost the NFC title game three times in that span. It's amazing how close we came to having that matchup so many times. That's one of three Super Bowl matchups I find it funny that we've never had. The other two, Cowboys-Raiders and Packers-Colts, actually appear in your series because they both lost their conference title games in the same year. Just funny to think about what could have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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