College football roundtable: Best uniforms – ESPN (blog)
We continue our national roundtable series with a fun look at which school has the best uniforms in each Power 5 conference. This topic is sure to inspire debate among fan bases across the country. Here’s how our panel voted:
ACC: Pittsburgh
We’re traditionalists here, and few uniform changes got us more excited recently than Pittsburgh’s decision to revert to its signature script logo. The look harkens to the good ol’ days of Panther greats like Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino, and it has been well-received in virtually every corner so far. The logo was used from 1973-96, and the alternate versions now even feature a matted navy helmet. (For the record, Florida State’s old uniforms would’ve been our pick here, but the Seminoles changed jerseys in 2014.) — Matt Fortuna
Big Ten: Michigan
The Wolverines’ winged helmets are as iconic as any single uniform article found on the football field. Michigan has been wearing variations of the design since 1938, when coach Herbert “Fritz” Crisler made the change after arriving from Princeton. One consideration for the switch came because Crisler thought his quarterbacks might be able to see receivers better down the field. In his first season there, the Wolverines nearly doubled their passing yardage total from the previous year, and the pattern has stuck ever since. For something to withstand the test of time, particularly in an era in which some programs use dozens of uniform combinations, is truly special. Throw in the block M and a maize-and-blue color scheme that is now more than 100 years old, and it’s easy to see why Michigan takes the top spot in the Big Ten. — Jesse Temple
Big 12: Baylor
The Big 12 has several squads with great uniforms from Oklahoma State and TCU’s new looks to classic uniforms like Texas and Oklahoma. At least half the conference has a strong argument. Yet none of those are better than Baylor’s endless uniform combinations featuring black, green, white, silver and gold. The Bears’ all-black look may be the best single uniform in the conference and the ability to swap in those other four color choices ensures that Baylor always takes the field looking clean. –Brandon Chatmon
Pac-12: Oregon
It’s tough to go against the traditional approach at USC and the Cougar head from Washington State is among the best logos in all of sports, but Oregon — at this point more than any other school — is known for its game-day threads. Love them or hate them, the Ducks turned their uniforms into a recruiting tool and much of the country followed suit. There have been a few awful combinations over the years, but recently they’ve hit much more than they’ve missed. Want to find your favorite? Take a whirl on OregonLive.com’s Dress a Duck feature. — Kyle Bonagura
SEC: LSU
There are several good choices in the SEC but we on the SEC blog went with LSU’s white jerseys with the gold (or yellow, more accurately) helmet and pants. Alabama’s look (particularly the helmet) is definitely a classic and worthy of consideration but there’s something about the Tigers, who got an exception to the NCAA’s “must wear color at home” uniform rule granted in 1995 when then-head coach Gerry DiNardo was determined to restore their uniform tradition. Maybe it’s because they’ve played so many memorable games on Saturday nights in Death Valley wearing that particular uniform (when at home, they now only wear whites for the home opener or SEC games), maybe it’s the fierce Tiger head under the letters L-S-U on the side of the helmet or the purple-and-gold stripes on each shoulder but the Tigers’ whites are appealing to us. — Sam Khan Jr.
