Best Uniform Matchups of Week 9 & 10 – 2021

While we had some travel commitments this past week, we weren’t able to get out our Week 9 uniform post. Naturally, we felt it was right to give you a double dose of unis this week!

Week 9

Honorable Mentions:

-Purdue @ Nebraska

-Troy @ Coastal Carolina

-Washington State @ Arizona State

-Miami @ Pittsburgh

-TCU @ Kansas State

10. Iowa State @ West Virginia

Here, we have two recently rebranded Nike schools from the Big XII, both avoiding one of their school colors: yellow. The Mountaineers all-blue is pretty great, and I think this is ISU’s best road kit, with the cardinal-white-white.

9. Iowa @ Wisconsin

While 50 degrees is a bit chilly, this uniform matchup feels right if the temperature was in the 30s. Still, these are two schools that don’t change things up often look quite good here. I don’t love the white facemasks with the red jerseys for the Badgers. However, it’s still good enough, as these two clash off each other wonderfully.

8. Ole Miss @ Auburn

Ole Miss avoiding navy blue against Auburn is the smart move. I think I would have like gray pants better, but this ain’t bad at all. Auburn sticks with the classic homes, and this game has some great striping to boot.

7. Texas @ Baylor

THE SAILOR BEAR IS BACK. Baylor’s all greens pop against the stormtrooper look of the Longhorns. That logo is magnificent. I can’t explain how great it is. Two animals on the helmets was a nice touch, and I think BU was smart to avoid yellow in this one.

6. UCLA @ Utah

I didn’t think I’d be ranking this one this high, mainly in part to Utah’s odd striping. But, the color combination, fonts, and logo is amazing on Utah’s side. I love when UU uses black and red, and they should really do it more often. Also, UCLA is one of the best-dressed out there as well, which props this game up a good deal.

5. Georgia vs. Florida

While this matchup has been known to go color vs. color in recent years, they’ve changed it up to the more traditional route as of late. In almost all cases, I do enjoy the more old-school look. Thus, the normal home and away sets for both teams look very clean against each other. Two of the more iconic helmets take center stage in this one.

4. Florida State @ Clemson

While the game itself hasn’t been as great as it once was, the uniforms haven’t taken a step back at all. Another fantastic helmet matchup here in this one. Clemson and FSU never disappoint when they play one another, and I’m glad the ‘Noles stuck with the traditional gold pants in this one. Now just fix that collar.

3. North Carolina @ Notre Dame

These are most definitely two of the top twenty or so best dressed teams in the country, and this game showed why. UNC’s all whites need to be used more often, but using them in South Bend was a perfect move. Notre Dame’s two colors of navy and gold bounce off the whiteout look. ND’s simplicity and UNC’s argyle patterns look fantastic together.

2. Michigan @ Michigan State

While, I do clamor for the return of Michigan’s maize pants, their uniforms are fantastic. I love MSU going to white helmets against Michigan’s classic lids. There’s something about the white-green-white that makes this matchup look 10 times better than it usually does.

1. Penn State @ Ohio State

In a not-so-rare occurrence, the best game of the week had the best uniforms of the week. There’s not too much to say here. These are two blue-bloods, with two classic uniform sets. Thank goodness OSU didn’t go with those silly red pants.

Week 10

Honorable Mentions:

-Wake Forest @ North Carolina

-Navy vs. Notre Dame

-Colorado State @ Wyoming

-Michigan State @ Purdue

-Florida @ South Carolina

10. Tennessee @ Kentucky

While I am not the largest fan of Kentucky’s chrome helmets, they have grown on me, and I’m glad they’ve at least owned them by using them consistently. And I will say, avoiding white against the white-heavy UT Vols, was probably the right move. Tennessee always looks sharp, and the royal blue and Vol orange clash so well.

9. Tulsa @ Cincinnati

Two AAC teams face off here in the #9 slot. While Tulsa seems to play it safe by keeping it a little too simple with their uniforms, I do really like the gold-white-blue look the Golden Hurricane don here. This is their best look on the road by far. Cincy really needs to wear red a little bit more than they do, particularly this combo. These uniforms have modern classic potential.

8. Tulane @ UCF

In yet another AAC matchup, the Green Wave make a return to our rankings. The Angry Wave is a Top 10 logo in college sports, and the return to powder blue vaulted Tulane’s uniforms up a notch in the FBS. This combination is pretty clean, and I’m surprised how well the olive, blue, and white match together. UCF has plenty of options, but I think UCF’s gold helmets are severely underrated, and the Knights always look best in black.

7. Pittsburgh @ Duke

Duke doesn’t make these countdowns too often, even though they have pretty solid uniforms. The fact that Pitt looks so good really helps out this ranking. Pitt’s classic road set looks even better against the white and black of Duke. The “Blue” Devils avoiding blue might upset some, but I do really like the way this looks against a blue team in Pitt. Duke’s script helmet really props this matchup up a good deal.

6. Baylor @ TCU

These rivals both went with combos that define them as programs. If you turn this game on TV, it doesn’t take long to figure out who’s who. I think the offsetting white articles from both teams work wonders here, and this is a great matchup between two colors we don’t see a lot of in college football.

5. San Diego State @ Hawaii

Two very intricate designs are featured in this Mountain West showdown. SDSU and Hawaii have wonderful details throughout their uniform sets, and seeing them face off really makes you appreciate those details even more. Another interesting nugget is Hawaii going with the alternate greens, which is very refreshing to see against another black-heavy team. This might be a top 3 game all year uniform-wise between Group of 5 teams.

4. Auburn @ Texas A&M

While the previous matchup had lots of intriguing, small details, these two are pretty barebone and simple. That’s okay, mind you. Auburn is one of the best dressed teams in the nation, and I honestly think they might be in every one of my countdowns. TAMU doesn’t look quite as good, but the uniforms are classic, and their custom font really pops.

3. Iowa @ Northwestern

Northwestern has plenty of combos, but avoiding the black against Iowa was very smart, fitting for a school like NU. Iowa is Iowa here, and you might be shocked to see this one so high. However, these uniforms are modern classics for both squads, and I always love watching this one each year.

2. Oregon @ Washington

This rivalry has two polar opposites. Washington is pretty consistent with their uniforms, and the classic homes are always a crowd-pleaser. The shade of gold perfectly matches between the helmets and the pants, an issue many gold teams have. Oregon, on the other hand, changes things up. Like a lot. But this set is a pretty simple one, and it works really well! I like this one a lot, as the green helmet really pops off the all-white. I’d like to see this one used each season.

1. LSU @ Alabama

This one is the magnum opus. I’m looking to do a top 10 uniform matchups by the end of the year for the whole season. I’m willing to bet this one makes the list. There’s really not much to say here. Two classic sets. Two rivals. Crimson and white against the white, purple, and yellow. It’s always the same uniform matchup no matter the location, which just adds to the mystique of this one.

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