Best college football uniforms

[JayMac]

how they actually changed these....what a crime

Saw some highlights of the national championship game...no kidding, these pants are waaaaaay better than the ones FSU currently wears.

One of my biggest pet peeves of all is having matte pants with a glossy helmet. These were so nice because they looked like they were at least close to matching.

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt]

Generally I like traditional uniforms, but of all the new age sets these were among my favorites. Still representing with school colors, not too wild just yet, and still rockin the O:

[Midway]

I never really understood that wing pattern. Always looked to me like... wing bones? Which in turn made it look like dead duck limbs adorned their shoulders. Did Nike ever release an explanation for that design?

[GriffinM6]

I also forgot about Temple and South Carolina.

[Derek94]

Wow these look freakin awesome.

Here's hoping Oregon still runs with this set in 2014.

Generally I like traditional uniforms, but of all the new age sets these were among my favorites. Still representing with school colors, not too wild just yet, and still rockin the O:

[St Louis Cardinals]

Wow these look freakin awesome.

Here's hoping Oregon still runs with this set in 2014.

Generally I like traditional uniforms, but of all the new age sets these were among my favorites. Still representing with school colors, not too wild just yet, and still rockin the O:

those uniforms havent been worn for the past couple years. I happen to really like the newest oregon uniforms

[Jamikel]

Yikes. Fixed that. To be fair, it does come up directly in the centre of the page when you google image search "Clemson football uniform"

The ACC does have a serious case of orange overkill.

[orangefaniniowa]

Surprisingly, nobody has said anything about these jerseys yet. This is a great classic look, which hopefully Nike will not destroy in a couple of years.

[BrandMooreArt]

most of the thread is people picking their favorite uniforms, which is fine, but lets focus on what really makes a uniform great and who lives up to it. since there are really no rules in place for such a thing, im making up my own. if you dont like it, i dont care, make your own

1. design that is unique to the school or perfectly captures through shape and color their own culture and brand. may be a traditional design, but there is no mistaking it for competitors. (NFL designs not considered since it is a different market). craftsmanship is without flaws.

2. design should be consistent across all cuts and player body types.

​3. attractiveness - graphic design is not invisible, its visually engaging and part entertainment. it has to have some sexiness to it.

4. design accomplishes intended goals. it doesn't have to be timeless if it's only intended to be around a few years.

5. unity - all combinations of primary helmet, jersey, pants, socks must appear to belong together and belong to the same team.

Alabama

What i like most about this design is its simplicity allows for the design of modern equipment (helmet, jersey, etc) to take focus. your eye is not bombarded by chrome and huge wings that stretch the width of a jersey. you can clearly see which helmet and template the players are wearing and if like me you really like the Revolution helmet, this uniform design is great for showcasing it. It is also perfectly timeless, it's elements will always apply to a football uniform consistently and although they are 1 of many red and white schools, Alabama is one of few that are instantly recognizable. The old-school look is completed by black cleats and gray face mask, important details in being authentically vintage.

Penn State

This design is almost a copy of Alabama but is certainly Penn State specific. everything that applies to 'Bama applies here, except the team colored face mask which they've been wearing since 1987. a small detail that blends modern and vintage design and still works for them. there is something powerful and interesting about the whole uniform from head to ankle being only 2 colors.

Michigan

This one is falling into the same category as the above. they keep changing the away uniform but the primary home remains the same since what, the 1950s? whats really interesting to me is that the helmet design was originally painted to follow the lines/shapes of the leather helmet of that time but has always applied to a modern helmet just as well. the design has never looked awkward on a helmet.

Army

I think i can put Army up here for every uniform they've worn over the last 5 years or so, but this one in particular is my favorite. it's one of the few uniforms ive ever seen that made me sit up in my seat and just admire how freaking cool it is. i imagine Nike asking during a meeting "how do we represent Army football in a new, unique, badass way?" and then someone says "battle fatigues!" and everyone high fives. if i could change 1 thing about the jersey, it would be to add the stencil numbers from their current primary jerseys, but the camo filled block font does just fine. honorable mention: ARMY 2

Oregon State Pro Combat

i was going to stay away from alternates and 1 off uniforms, but this one is too good not to mention. it is a perfect blend of vintage elements onto modern equipment and was the first (and still very few) uniforms to include a stripe on the undershirt. plus, striped socks! it's a shame Nike went overboard with this design on their latest rebrand, because this is how design should be done.

Notre Dame

another great blend of modern and vintage styling. this has to be HGI's best work as the helmet looks like an exact copy of the dome on campus, but is far more durable than the previous way of painting the helmets. most people dont like the color of gold in the pants and jerseys, but i think it is a beautiful vintage color that looks great next to navy. glad to see UA keep the primary uni the same

Oregon N.C. uniform

This might be my single favorite football uniform of all time. I love that Nike wanted to highlight player movement with it's placement of Volt on the uniform, specifically the socks. the uniform being made up of all neutral colors with Volt as a highlight makes a much stronger color statement than dressing them in typical school colors. the athletic brand is Oregon academic colors turned up to 12. its about doing things differently and with excitement and energy and this uniform represents that perfectly. the uniform almost looks like it was designed for man killing robots and the details/texture in the helmet, undershirt, and numbers are so well done. This is technically the best executed design Oregon has worn; those wings on the shoulder were designed to be placed there without any cropping or running into a dead end at a seam as they have done with their designs after this one.

Ohio State

i hesitate to put a team on here that has a traditional jersey sleeve stripe because they no longer work the way they were inteded to, which was to wrap around a sleeve rather than stretch across a shoulder. still, this is as good as it gets on a modern template and everything works better since Nike re-worked the stripes last year. they also added 7 buckeye leafs to the back collar which is a great detail. if we're including alternates, their Pro Combat unis could be here too. if you look at everyones whole available wardrobe, tOSU might top everyone.

Oklahoma State

these guys are right next to Oregon when it comes to combining a ton of different options and making each uniform work and look like it's all from the same team. the principles are very close too, they're taking mostly neutral colors (black, gray, white) and throwing in 1 accent color (orange). my favorite part of the uniform is the sleeve and pants stripe. ive always thought this was some of Nike's best work, taking a traditional stripe and adjusting it slightly to make an original sleeve element that fits perfectly into the small sleeve area of the modern jersey. it does not appear to be a hack job or a cut off stripe shoehorned into a place it was never intended to be. it is specifically designed for this jersey and this team.

Texas A&M

there isnt a better adidas uniform out there and it looked like this was the direction adidas was going to take with their CFB designs before going in a totally different direction. but they were able to pump out a few good ones and A&M has so much to like. a unique jersey stripe that continues doen the undershirt sleeve if a player chooses to wear it, a nicely beveled block font, and 2 helmet options that look just as good as the other.

im at 10 images, but Tennessee, TCU and Texas deserve to be up here as well

[redlegs420]

Yes!

x2

Yes!

Oregon (When in school colors)

These are two of my favorite looks all time. This paSt Oregon set when worn with the correct combinations was so beautiful. UT home and away are both great. Black socks/shoes at home and white socks/shoes away is perfect.

I agree. If ihad to pick 2, these would be them.

[48erhater]

most of the thread is people picking their favorite uniforms, which is fine, but lets focus on what really makes a uniform great and who lives up to it. since there are really no rules in place for such a thing, im making up my own. if you dont like it, i dont care, make your own

1. design that is unique to the school or perfectly captures through shape and color their own culture and brand. may be a traditional design, but there is no mistaking it for competitors. (NFL designs not considered since it is a different market). craftsmanship is without flaws.

2. design should be consistent across all cuts and player body types.

​3. attractiveness - graphic design is not invisible, its visually engaging and part entertainment. it has to have some sexiness to it.

4. design accomplishes intended goals. it doesn't have to be timeless if it's only intended to be around a few years.

5. unity - all combinations of primary helmet, jersey, pants, socks must appear to belong together and belong to the same team.

Notre Dame

another great blend of modern and vintage styling. this has to be HGI's best work as the helmet looks like an exact copy of the dome on campus, but is far more durable than the previous way of painting the helmets. most people dont like the color of gold in the pants and jerseys, but i think it is a beautiful vintage color that looks great next to navy. glad to see UA keep the primary uni the same

I was worried when Under Armour took over. But it still looks great. It still just looks weird to me with the UA logo on the side instead of the middle like Adidas

[seattlesonicsofsacramento]

Hard to follow-up BrandMooreArt's post (hard to even follow-up this snippet of it: "3. attractiveness - graphic design is not invisible, its visually engaging and part entertainment. it has to have some sexiness to it.") but I was going to take a slightly different interpretation of "best college football uniforms" than him, more along the lines of Midway:

Anyway I think it's too easy to pick the best college football uniforms among those that have simplicity and tradition on their side. I think there are some well executed modern uniforms that are up there as well or at least a few tweaks away.

My nominations include:
Mizzou
Ok State
Rutgers
Texas Tech

I really disagree with having Rutgers in there, but I do like Mizzou's modern look, and I LOVE what the little brother schools of OK State and Texas Tech are doing:

There's some light editing in this pic, but I wanted to make sure to have one that showcases both the shoulder stripes and the pants stripes in a color combination I really like. I hope they eventually pick 2 or 3 combinations to stick with, so they can give this brand identity some lasting power and not just represent Nike's mix-and-match trend.

Another example of beautiful modern striping. Also another example of mix-and-match uniform packages, this time courtesy of Under Armor, with some grey choices in the mix as well, along with some red alts. I'm actually glad I was able to find a pic like this without any of the helmets, because I think that's the one part of this uniform that they haven't been able to nail. I want to see a matte black helmet with a non-glossy red T.

As for the best modern alt, I have to go with Navy, but instead of Nike's design for them I have to pick Under Armor's:

The Nike helmet was possibly superior with the blue and gold anchor, the glossy gold stripe, and the bluer shade of blue, but the top of the jersey ended up looking cluttered, not to mention the oversized Nike collar. Even if Under Armor didn't think of this idea first, they really cleaned it up and paid perfect homage to those "Summer Whites".

Finally, I'd like to nominate a uniform that I wish was one of the best in college football: Tulane's. Looking at these helmets, I just wish they were able to make a uniform set that was correspondingly as awesome:

I know that blue and green can be done: I'm a Seattle sports fan! Throw in the grey and white neutrals a la OK State and Texas Tech and they should have a great look, as opposed to the mediocre one I think they currently have.

[kestrel79]

Oregon with O helmet, wings on the shoulders. Wisconsin in all white. Georgia.

[YesterdayWasCool]

[Midway]

I'll give it Adidas on that one but they really should invest more time into cleaning up the distortion in their pants stripes all across the boards.

Now if only Baylor could us do the courtesy of not sticking out like a sore thumb in what's looking like a near perfect landscape for Texas' FBS colleges.

[mafiaman]

Hard to follow-up BrandMooreArt's post (hard to even follow-up this snippet of it: "3. attractiveness - graphic design is not invisible, its visually engaging and part entertainment. it has to have some sexiness to it.") but I was going to take a slightly different interpretation of "best college football uniforms" than him, more along the lines of Midway:

Anyway I think it's too easy to pick the best college football uniforms among those that have simplicity and tradition on their side. I think there are some well executed modern uniforms that are up there as well or at least a few tweaks away.

My nominations include:

Mizzou

Ok State

Rutgers

Texas Tech

I really disagree with having Rutgers in there, but I do like Mizzou's modern look, and I LOVE what the little brother schools of OK State and Texas Tech are doing:

There's some light editing in this pic, but I wanted to make sure to have one that showcases both the shoulder stripes and the pants stripes in a color combination I really like. I hope they eventually pick 2 or 3 combinations to stick with, so they can give this brand identity some lasting power and not just represent Nike's mix-and-match trend.

Another example of beautiful modern striping. Also another example of mix-and-match uniform packages, this time courtesy of Under Armor, with some grey choices in the mix as well, along with some red alts. I'm actually glad I was able to find a pic like this without any of the helmets, because I think that's the one part of this uniform that they haven't been able to nail. I want to see a matte black helmet with a non-glossy red T.

As for the best modern alt, I have to go with Navy, but instead of Nike's design for them I have to pick Under Armor's:

The Nike helmet was possibly superior with the blue and gold anchor, the glossy gold stripe, and the bluer shade of blue, but the top of the jersey ended up looking cluttered, not to mention the oversized Nike collar. Even if Under Armor didn't think of this idea first, they really cleaned it up and paid perfect homage to those "Summer Whites".

Finally, I'd like to nominate a uniform that I wish was one of the best in college football: Tulane's. Looking at these helmets, I just wish they were able to make a uniform set that was correspondingly as awesome:

I know that blue and green can be done: I'm a Seattle sports fan! Throw in the grey and white neutrals a la OK State and Texas Tech and they should have a great look, as opposed to the mediocre one I think they currently have.

Nothing says "RED Raiders" like wearing BLACK, eh?

[29texan]

im at 10 images, but Tennessee, TCU and Texas deserve to be up here as well

I know more people probably like the white helmet look that TCU wore this past Saturday and would prefer them to wear more purple than anything, but personally, I think the purple helmet - black top - purple bottoms look is the best uniform the Frogs ever had.

[YesterdayWasCool]

I'll give it Adidas on that one but they really should invest more time into cleaning up the distortion in their pants stripes all across the boards.

Now if only Baylor could us do the courtesy of not sticking out like a sore thumb in what's looking like a near perfect landscape for Texas' FBS colleges.

They should go to this full time.