As much as we all enjoy the X’s and O’s of college football and the who’s who of matchups and all the glorious analysis, sometimes it’s nice to sit back and just revere some dope uniforms. So that’s what we’re going to do. Feel free to yell at me if you have a differing opinion. I’m willing to listen, unless you think South Florida’s highlighters should be in here, which is just a wrong opinion.
Top 10 Uniforms:
10. Navy – Week 15 vs. Army
If this was a ranking of the best photoshoots of the year, this would take the cake. I love anything space-related, and Navy’s NASA uniforms were epic. I will say, however, that these unis didn’t quite look as good on the field, but the concept is marvelous.
9. Florida A&M – Week 7 vs. Grambling
Florida A&M’s combination of green, orange, and white is absolutely electric. It’s an incredible color combination. The Rattlers often wore these jerseys with orange pants and orange helmets, but I really enjoy the green to offset the strong orange color. The white helmet is phenomenal too. If only FAMU would slap the LeBron logo on the uniforms.
8. TCU – Big 12 Championship vs. Kansas State
You know I could’ve ranked any of the TCU uniforms in here, but these were the best in 2022. The helmet goes CRAZY, especially with the purple face mask. The balance between purple and black throughout the uni is spectacular, but I thought the purple sleeves underneath were a bit much.
7. Utah – Rose Bowl Game vs. Penn State
I was a sucker for Utah’s Rose Bowl uniforms last year, but I think these were even better. Interlocking logos are some of my favorites, but Utah bringing back the rose helmet was lovely. Red and white teams should be required to wear red and white for the Granddaddy of Em All, a game named after a red and white flower. It’s pretty rare that I think so highly of an Under Armour fit, but Utah never misses.
6. San José State – Week 4 vs. Western Michigan
Adidas gets a lot of hate for its college football uniforms being bland, but my goodness were these fire. So many teams executed the black and blue combination this season, including BYU, SMU, and Georgia State, but I thought San José State did it best. Every detail is so well-done. I don’t typically love oversized logos on the shoulder of jerseys, but the silver spartan just pops.
5. Ole Miss – Week 7 vs. Auburn
Ole Miss’s powder blues can make this list any year. Debate a wall. But there was something about the red white and blue decal on the white helmet that made the powder blue jersey pop SO much more, especially on the field. As much as I love the matching powder blue helmets, I think the white helmets bring out the best in the blue.
4. Minnesota – Week 2 vs. Western Illinois
Minnesota’s uniforms are so underrated year in and year out. The Gophers hardly miss, but I think these were my favorite that I’ve ever seen. They’ve had dark maroon uniforms before, but the black is a hit for me. And yes, I know Minnesota fans probably didn’t want black uniforms because they didn’t want to resemble Iowa in the slightest, but I think the absence of gold on the uniform removes any resemblance of the Hawkeyes. But most importantly, THE GOLDY HELMET NEEDS TO STAY FOREVER. PLEASE.
3. Oregon – Week 8 vs. UCLA
The surprise of these uniforms would’ve been more astounding had a visiting recruit not accidentally tweeted the jersey laying on Dan Lanning’s desk, but these were still incredible nonetheless. Oregon hadn’t worn pink uniforms since the Marcus Mariota days, and the last time the Ducks wore pink, they were upset at home by Arizona. But the execution of these was outstanding. I think if the wings on the jersey would’ve been pink, these would be number one though.
2. East Carolina – Birmingham Bowl vs. Coastal Carolina
Simply one of the best Adidas football uniforms I’ve ever seen. East Carolina managed to use both of my favorite typography techniques for uniforms — scripts and blocked numbers. The script “Pirates” on the helmet gets an A+ from me, but the blocked number seven completes the jersey for me. The Pirates had several odes to past decades in this uniform, including the stripe on the helmet, sleeves, and pants, as well as the aforementioned typography. I’d sign the petition for these to be brought back full-time.
1. Tennessee – Week 9 vs. Kentucky
TAKE MY MONEY. NOW. Black and orange is the best two-color combination possible, and Tennessee’s blackout uniforms were so rad. To make it even more rad, the Vols brought these two nights before Halloween. So they looked like pumpkins as they spooked the Kentucky Wildcats out of the stadium.
Top 5 Helmets:
5. Duke – Week 7 vs. North Carolina
The Blue Devil logo looks really similar to the Northwestern State logo, but it still looks sick, especially on a matte black helmet. This was one of the best uniform matchups of the season, with North Carolina wearing white with the chrome domes.
4. Youngstown State Penguin
The erasure of the Youngstown State penguin logo up until this was unveiled was disrespectful. But I’m just happy the ‘guin made his triumphant return. The “all over” design on the decal is actually well done, although his beak has weird crevices in it due to the ear holes.
3. Western Kentucky Big Red – Week 11 vs. Rice
He’s here, and he’s glorious. Big Red is a national treasure. Kids in school should be taught about the four cultural artifacts in the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Big Red. Not only is the decal perfect, but the matte black helmet itself is gnarly.
T-1. Mississippi State Mike Leach Tribute – ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Illinois
The passing of Mike Leach was felt by so many across the college football world. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it must’ve been for Mississippi State to mentally and emotionally prepare for a postseason game amid their grief. But the Bulldogs rallied and defeated Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl while honoring Leach with a pirate flag decal on their helmets. It was fitting that they won this game in a stadium with a giant pirate ship. R.I.P. Mike Leach.
T-1. Utah Utes Aaron Lowe & Ty Jordan Tribute
This hand-painted tribute helmet to Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe is beautiful. The Utah Utes wore these multiple times this season, and they also honored them all year long with the “moment of loudness,” a concept that will be a permanent fixture for the program after the tragic deaths of two of their brothers. R.I.P. Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe.
About the author
I am an Oregon Ducks fan who graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. At the UO, I did on-site reporting with Duck TV Sports and KWVA Sports 88.1 FM and have covered events such as the 2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game and the 2021 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament. I previously wrote for Ducks Digest on the Sports Illustrated network.
