This was a solid week. Nothing more, but the entries on the back end of this list are not near some of the previous weeks’ caliber. Let’s get on to it.
Honorable Mentions:
-Georgia Southern @ Coastal Carolina
-Texas A&M @ South Carolina
-Cincinnati @ SMU
-Air Force @ Wyoming
-Georgia Tech @ Pittsburgh
10. Arizona State @ Colorado
ASU’s current uniform set took a while to grow on me. If I’m being honest, I liked the set they worse under Nike much better at first, but the simplicity of these has caught up to me. ASU’s color scheme is one of the more unique ones, and this combo showcases all three colors so well. CU goes with the traditional home combo, and boy is it ever a classic. Now if they got rid of that flywire collar like everyone else did, this matchup would be even higher.
9. Houston @ Navy
These are two of the better looking teams in the Group of 5 and this matchup shows just why. Navy’s home uniform featured by the excellent striping on the jerseys and pants flows extremely well. Houston has been on this list before, and the all-white look is extremely clean. The mono-white look with the crisp, red lettering complements the deep navy and old gold so perfectly.
8. Syracuse @ Clemson
Under Dabo Swinney, Clemson has overhauled and simplified its uniform set. However, whenever a championship can be won, the Tigers break out the “orange britches.” Surprisingly, in only Week 8, Clemson can already clinch the ACC Atlantic division with a win, with their frontloaded conference schedule. They did just that, and looked great in the process, literally. Clemson has a classic set, and seeing these uniforms just screams “big game.” We will see these again is my guess. Syracuse holds up their end of the bargain too. Not an orange overload here, as the ‘Cuse made a smart decision going with the navy pants. These uniforms are remarkably better than their old ones.
7. TCU @ Baylor
In this rivalry game, the Bears threw it back a little bit with their choice of helmet decals. BU went with the traditional all-green home look, but slapped the “Sailor Bear” logo on the helmet instead of the traditional interlocking BU. While I love the BU, who doesn’t want more of this ferocious looking bear? I look forward to seeing him once a year for a long time. TCU’s stormtrooper look lands on my weekly list yet again, and again, the contrast between the color schemes of these two teams looks fantastic.
6. Tulane @ UCF
Tulane’s uniforms in this game walk the fine line of modernism vs. traditionalism, and it works to a perfection. Tulane’s olive jersey numbers and stripes complement the light blue helmets and pants extremely well. The interlocking TU decal on the helmet looks so classy, and I LOVE the green facemask as well. UCF went with their blackout uniforms that are usually worn against rival USF. I really do like these as well, and am hopefully we see them make another appearance in the next few weeks. The chrome gold decals are my favorite part about this combo.
5. Northwestern @ Iowa
Remember what I said about Tulane’s uniform mixture between modern and traditional. Well, enter Northwestern. Perhaps the team that embodies this trend more than anyone in college football shows up in the number four spot with the division rival Hawkeyes. With Iowa, you really can not go wrong with the classic black and yellow. We had some chilly weather for this one, and this just looks like a game to be played in the cold at #KinnickAtNight. The stormtrooper look from the Wildcats is amazing, and offsets the Iowa colors brilliantly.
4. Alabama @ Tennessee
These uniforms are not my absolute favorite when it comes to the simpler ones, but I do love the simple uniforms in general, and these rivals are two of the absolute classics. There is not a lot to say about this one. Alabama is Alabama forever and always, and it fits their identity of a perennial powerhouse perfectly. Tennessee owns this shade of orange, and the home uniforms are so clean. The bright orange really mixes well with the dark red of the Tide. Both teams showcase just two colors, but in the most efficient way possible.
3. North Carolina @ Miami
I look forward to making a list of how many times each team occurs on my weekly lists at the end of the season. But with how things are going, I would be willing to bet UNC is high up on the list. Every week, I see to be writing about these fantastic Tar Heel uniforms. I am running out of things to say, but let’s just look at the argyle pattern for a bit and how intricate it is throughout. Also, it meshes with the all-orange look from Miami flawlessly. Let’s talk about the Canes too. They do not wear this combo super often, but it is a nice switch-up and picked a great opponent to don it against. The simplicity for Miami makes me think of the 80’s and 90’s. If only if they started playing like that era of Hurricanes.
2. Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma
What’s so interesting from a uniform aspect in the Bedlam rivalry, is that when you turn on this game each year, you are almost certain in what the Sooners will wear. The crimson and cream have some of the cleanest uniforms in the country, and their newly-updated Jordan set cleaned up even a bit more. But with the rival Pokes, there are dozens and dozens of combinations to choose from, so it’s quite the opposite. OK State featured black in this combo rather than orange, and it looks pretty sharp. The away jerseys are my favorite, with the parlay collar design, that is also seen on these helmets. The star plus the OSU logo is not my favorite, but it is solid enough, and I like the choice to wear it against their bitter rivals. Well done by both teams, playing to both of their strengths.
1. Ohio State @ Penn State
These two teams have littered my weekly lists all season, and this week is no shocker for anyone who has followed these week by week. Penn State’s classic home uniforms return after going with the similar throwbacks last weekend. Ohio State trots into Happy Valley in the scarlet and gray aways. The red numbers bounce off the jerseys and look great against the dark navy of PSU. The Buckeyes top my list for the second straight week, and don’t be surprised if either of these teams find their way back atop this list in the future. This game may have been the game of the year heading into it, and it is one of the best-looking you can ever imagine in this wonderful sport.
-Scott
NCAA 2020 Football Simulation 