SI.com's Best College Football Helmets

[pcgd]

They said its a logo helmet list. THey'll do a letter helmet list for Miami, OU, etc. and then probably a no logo list/untraditional (Notre Dame, Michigan).

I think its dumb to split them up that way but that's what they did.

[pcgd]

J. Quincy, it's boring.

So are the yankees and the cardinals and the bears and the redwings and the canadians but those are the best of the best. Those looks stand the test of time, you won't see the flavor of the day 50 years from now. But I bet the yankees will still be in pinstripes.

Simple is in. Look at the new wave of logos, Grizzlies, Texans, etc. Its harder to get a good look out of something simple than flashing it up. Its kinda like how Photoshop effects get a reaction, but they are easy. Its harder to go simple and get a good reaction.

[OnWis97]

I could be accused of bias, but I think Wisconsin's is number 1. And I don't say that about all my teams (Twins and Vikes have average unis, Wolves are below average, though Wild are great).

In college, I tend to like letters on helmets more than logos. Some of my faves (in no particular order):

Wisconsin

North Carolina

Minnesota

Texas

Penn State

Oklahoma

Indiana (GREAT unis overall, but could be accused of coppying Oklahoma)

Kentucky

One helmet I miss: The purple Washington helmet. They had it only briefly, but it was pretty nice.

Helmet's I don't like:

Alabama--I hate numbers on the helmet

Michigan--I have always thought it was ugly.

USC--otherwise nice unis, but that logo is so lame

Oregon State, Northern Illinois and any other with the logo on top of an "uncollegeiate" wordmark.

This list is lame because EVERY helmet had a logo. No letters and no blank helmets.

[OnWis97]

They said its a logo helmet list. THey'll do a letter helmet list for Miami, OU, etc. and then probably a no logo list/untraditional (Notre Dame, Michigan).

I think its dumb to split them up that way but that's what they did.

Oops, missed taht part.

[Football-Fan]

A few comments on the SI List:

* SMU - is o.k, but too hard to see due to limited color contrast. Mustang needs a white outline

* Clemson - Doesn't excite me

* USC - I really like the logo design itself (even though it is a public domain design). It is a Classic with tradition. My only negative comment is that it is too hard to see, especially from a distance, due to lower color contrast of the Yellow-gold decal on a Maroon helmet.

Some not on the list I would consider for the "Logo" List:

* Michigan

* San Jose State

* Michigan State

"Letter" Only logos:

* UNC (I like the previous version with the Thicker Blue Outline better than the current one)

* Texas Tech

* Hawaii

* Texas A&M

* Oh, I give up. There are a lot of good ones in this category

Micellaneous:

* Notre Dame - Classic

* Ohio State - A Classic, but I really like the "extreme silver" metallic paint they have gone to in recent years

* Alabama - Not a fan of the Numbers. I'd rather see them use the Primary "A" style letter you see on the Coaches baseball Caps

* Penn State - Even with the tradition, the Helmets and Uniforms both are simply too boring for me

...anyway, just my two cents.

[Gary]

I'm just glad they put ASU on the list

[andrewharrington]

michigan, ohio state, and notre dame need to be on the logoless 10.

[yh]

1 rip off of the Ford Mustang (SMU)

Which reminds me, SMU plays in Gerald Ford Stadium. Even though he isn't "I invented the automobile" Ford, he's still a Ford, so I guess it isn't that much of a rip-off...

...okay, maybe it is

What's really interesting is that Gerald Ford played college football for Michigan - without a helmet (in those days they were optional).

Of course, the Gerald Ford that is the namesake of SMU's stadium is a different guy altogether, so maybe it's really not that interesting after all.

[B-Rich]

Okay, considering that it is best helmet LOGO, I guess the list is okay, but a few points of my own:

1. That SMU mustang needs to have a color change. The red on navy, without a white border, is hard to make out. Much better back in the day, when it was a blue or red mustang on a white helmet.

2. No letters (or, I'm assuming, spelled names like "Gators" or "Ole Miss"). And I'm also assuming, no "no logo" helmets (Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State). So, when you get down to it, how many college helmets does that leave? Not many.

3. Clemson's "Death Valley" stadium nickname is not "shared" with another school, it is a rip-off of another school, namely LSU.

[redlegs420]

Iowa's is awesome

[andrewharrington]

why people have been posting about the outline of the SMU mustang throughout the thread i do not know, but do your homework guys. SMU is using a slightly different helmet design in 2004 than was used last year. a silver outline has been added around the pony logo.

anyway, here are my top tens, judged on uniqueness, tradition, recognizability, simplicity, flow, and overall appearance.

LOGO HELMETS

1. Texas

2. Florida State

3. Arkansas

4. Michigan State

5. Colorado

6. Iowa

7. Kansas State

8. Wyoming

9. Southern Cal

10. Arizona State

HONORABLE. Clemson, Southern Methodist, Louisville, Fresno State

LETTER/WORD HELMETS

1. Tennessee

2. Texas A&M

3. Wisconsin

4. Oklahoma

5. Georgia

6. Auburn

7. Oklahoma

8. Virginia Tech

9. California

10. West Wirginia

HONORABLE. Miami (FL), Georgia Tech, Washington, Cornell

LOGOLESS/LARGE PATTERN HELMETS

1. Ohio State

2. Michigan

3. Notre Dame

4. Penn State

5. Boston College

6. Syracuse

7. Dartmouth

8. Colorado State

9. Navy

10. Army

This was hard because as it sits, there are a disproportionate number of each type of helmet. it would make more sense to make a top 10 logo helmets, top 15 letter helmets, and top five logoless helmets, because that is the approximate proportion of each type of helmet. i had an okay time with the logos, an extremely difficult time with the letters, and a hard time finding enough of the plain helmets. wow. any thoughts?

[winghaz]

If Florida would get rid of the script "Gators" on its helmets and replace it with the Gator logo, that would make the top five. Maybe even make first place.

[andrewharrington]

id like to see them use the ol UF logo on the helmet. i dont really like cute mascot logos.

[Swashbuckler]

While I'm no fan of South Carolina, the Gamecock-C logo on their helmets is pretty cool. When they had garnet shells with a black facemask with the Gamecock logo they had the best looking helmet in the NCAA. I'm not nearly as fond of the current black shelled helmet.

[yh]

While I'm no fan of South Carolina, the Gamecock-C logo on their helmets is pretty cool. When they had garnet shells with a black facemask with the Gamecock logo they had the best looking helmet in the NCAA. I'm not nearly as fond of the current black shelled helmet.

That garnet dominated Carolina uniform of the late 80's is one of my all-time favorites.

As far as helmets go, I have to say that my favorite letter-based design is Marshall's. It is simple yet elegant. Honorable mention to Miami, OH on the same lines.

I also happen to really like the Hawai'i helmet which I know is a minority opinion here.

So, I guess this means that (a) I'm partial to white helmets with an "M" on them and/or ( I'm a fan of green and black color schemes.

[Waffles]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writ...spot/index.html

This weekend's list is for helmets with letters, and only letters.

1. University of Miami

2. University of Oklahoma

3. University of Georgia

4. University of Nebraska

5. Washington State University

6. West Virginia University

7. Texas A&M

8. Auburn University

9. University of California

10. University of Alabama

Honorable Mention -- Florida, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin

DISCUSS! NOW!

[B-Rich]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writ...spot/index.html

This weekend's list is for helmets with letters, and only letters.

1. University of Miami

2. University of Oklahoma

3. University of Georgia

4. University of Nebraska

5. Washington State University

6. West Virginia University

7. Texas A&M

8. Auburn University

9. University of California

10. University of Alabama

Honorable Mention -- Florida, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin

I'm waiting for the next one, with mixed letters/pictures...

Two of the best overall are in that category-- South Carolina (I agree, the old garnet was best) and LSU.

Washington State is also a little tricky, with the letters W-S-U actually forming a cougar head....

BTW, I think Kansas State's helmets should have made 10 best in the logo category.....

[machpost]

[epper]

Iwill never understand how someone can hate how Penn State looks....

It is just... it's like.... perfection in a uniform. You can not get more perfect that what penn state has. No commercialisim. No Super-tricked-out marketing logo slapped on the uni.

It's pure. It's innocent. It's perfect.

i totally agree JQK. penn states image is beyond classy. one of the bets uniforms in the world today.

i too would have michigan as #1 on my list. when i think of cool college unis, the wolverines are the first that come to mind.

[TFoA]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writ...spot/index.html

This weekend's list is for helmets with letters, and only letters.

1. University of Miami

2. University of Oklahoma

3. University of Georgia

4. University of Nebraska

5. Washington State University

6. West Virginia University

7. Texas A&M

8. Auburn University

9. University of California

10. University of Alabama

Honorable Mention -- Florida, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin

How did Alabama make it? They don't have letters, they have numbers. If anything, I would've put them in the traditional category... Silly peepuls...