Week 10 gave us an absolute gauntlet of football games and the uniforms were so, so strong as well. Some of the matchups I left off this list are criminal. But that’s the kind of weekend we were given, with so many visually appealing games.
Honorable Mentions:
-Air Force @ Army
-Ole Miss @ Texas A&M
-Stanford @ Washington
-Purdue @ Minnesota
-Kentucky @ Tennessee
10. SMU @ Temple
Temple stripped things way down with this throwback look to 1935. White at home is always a curious decision, but the Owls wanted to show off this specialty uniform in front of their fans in Philly. The Owls have some busier artifacts on their current set, so these are a welcome change of pace. SMU rocking their traditional home set on the road offsets the cherry of Temple.
9. Florida @ Vanderbilt
This one may catch a few by surprise, but these two teams have a lot of nice things going for them in this matchup. UF has plenty of traditional, clean, combos to choose from, but I feel that the all white look with the orange helmets goes under the radar at times. This is a very sharp look and makes the blue striping and numbers pop that much more. Vandy is going with the all black home look that is my personal favorite of theirs. I wish they would tone back the gray at times, but the sublimated anchor pattern never gets old. With just a bit more gold mixed in there, Vandy would be regulars on this list.
8. USC @ Oregon
Speaking of regulars on this list, here come the Trojans. The scarlet, white, and yellow of the SC away kits are probably one of my top 5 uniforms in college football. Oregon, to the shock of many, has not made it on my list yet. As much as the Ducks are known for their uniforms and affiliation with Nike, I am not the biggest fan of their current set. It has grown on me, such as the Nike logo centered, and even the midnight, muddy green they sometimes use is becoming more normal to me. But seriously, can we shrink those numbers just a little? Despite these monstrosities, the Ducks’ font is very sharp, and this color combo is one of their best. It also just looks so solid against the crimson of USC. The helmets are very well done too.
7. BYU @ Boise State
Boise State is obviously known for the color blue. But when a team that uses two shades of blue visits the Smurf Turf, the Broncos were wise to bust out the mono-orange look. These are not for everyone, as they are a bit out there. But I am a huge fan of this uniform set, and I think it makes it all the more wacky being played on blue turf. A blue facemask might be the only thing that makes this better. Props to the Cougars as well, as they stayed away from the royal blue this week, and kept a nice contrast by sticking with the navy-based aways.
6. Georgia @ South Carolina
Georgia does uniforms their way, and that is perfectly fine. The road set should never be retired in my opinion. These have stood the test of time. Whether it’s the sharp white facemask, the silver britches, or the red jersey collar, UGA knows it has a very reputable branding. Carolina’s throwback blacks have made my list before, and it’s no shocker they come up again now that they are the permanent alternates. There is no stark contrast in this game really. But both combos by themselves are elite, and the differences in fantastic helmets are enough for me to consider this among the week’s best matchups.
5. Clemson @ Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a college football blue blood, and definitely has the uniforms of a blue blood. Clemson may be on their way to becoming one, and their uniforms fit the bill. Most people consider the Irish’s uniforms to be among the best with the likes of Michigan, Texas, and Alabama. If Clemson had a bit more success earlier on in the program’s history, I believe their uniforms would be regarded likewise. The paw print logo is fantastic on the orange helmets, contrasting the all-gold blank Irish helmet perfectly. Also, the white britches return to bounce off the navy and gold of ND magically. This is everything a fan could have asked for.
4. Wisconsin vs. Northwestern
This one may shock a few people, but just know I am not biased. Wisconsin is up first. The all-white Badger set was made so much better when Under Armour redid their uniforms. The white facemask looks amazing on the stormtrooper look. Wisconsin doesn’t change things up, and now everyone knows why. Northwestern’s Gothic uniforms are not as great as their originals. However, it is everything you could possibly ask for in an annual alternate. Alternate color scheme? Check. Alternate design? Check. Alternate font? Check. Alternate details pertaining to the motive of the uniform? Check. NU knocked it out of the park on these, with the gold mixing so well with the black and purple, and the interesting tidbits that resemble on campus landmarks is honestly so cool. The only complaint is that I wish they would have worn these before Halloween, as it fits the Gothic mantra that much more.
3. Penn State @ Nebraska
From the homer pick, to the boring, old-school pick that everyone knows I’m a sucker for at this point. Again, this is one of those there is really not much else to say about. These are two classic programs that keep things as simple as they can. You have to respect their courage to do this when so many programs fly off the deep end with uniforms. But this is a November night game that looks like it matters. Two ranked teams helped a lot as well. The helmet stripe and pants simplicity are both unmatched by these two programs.
2. Florida State @ Miami
In this fierce rivalry, the Canes did something a little different, donning the green alternate jerseys against FSU. While history has not seen this happen a ton, I personally love it. The green offsets the garnet and gold of the Noles so much better than the traditional orange uniforms. Also, Miami’s recent redesign from Adidas is their best uniform in decades. They weren’t able to figure out for a while, but they found the winning formula. Florida State has my favorite helmet in college football, and the uniforms are fantastic too. This almost took the top spot, but if the sleeves and collar were just a tad less busy, it would have gotten there.
1. Alabama @ LSU
This shouldn’t have been that hard to predict. Two rivals with classic uniform sets. It helped this was probably the game of the season, but with everything on the line, seeing these two teams battle it out in the same uniforms every single season is pretty neat. LSU’s white at home is so unique, and the yellow pants explode off the jersey, and against Bama’s crimson and white. Alabama’s uniforms are absolute minimalistic gold, and they look all the more impressive, when going up against LSU’s fantastic and sharp striping on the pants and shoulders. This game is always one of my favorites to look at, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.
-Scott
NCAA 2020 Football Simulation 