Ranking College Football’s 10 Greatest Uniforms, Including Ohio State & Oregon

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There’s nothing better than seeing a college football team run out of the tunnel on a crisp, fall Saturday wearing uniforms covered in glory, tradition, and nostalgia.

With that in mind, here’s our list of the Top 10 greatest college football uniforms based on aesthetics, uniqueness, tradition, color coordination, and overall aura. As well as 14 honorable mentions.

Just Missed The Cut (Honorable Mentions)

Get a look at 14 teams that just missed the cut for our top 10 rankings of the best college football uniforms.

25. UCLA Bruins
24. East Carolina Pirates
23. Washington Huskies
22. Kansas State Wildcats
21. West Virginia Mountaineers
20. North Carolina Tar Heels
19. Pitt Panthers
18. Clemson Tigers
17. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
16. Arizona State Sun Devils
15. San Diego State Aztecs
14. Miami Hurricanes
13. Florida State Seminoles
12. Iowa Hawkeyes

T-10. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State’s uniforms are proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some see generic uniforms you could buy at Dick’s Sporting Goods, while others see the best uniforms in college football. While we won’t go that far, seeing those shiny white domes and navy blue jerseys march out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium in unison before a “White Out” game at night will always give us goosebumps.

T-10. Alabama Crimson Tide

Like Penn State, Alabama’s uniforms are as minimalist as you can get. White pants, one-color jersey, and plain helmets with the player’s number on the side. But there’s just something so old school about a helmet with a gray facemask that has been worn at a school since 1960. After all, these are the uniforms that have been worn by the likes of Joe Namath, Derrick Thomas, Derrick Henry, Bryce Young, and Forrest Gump. It doesn’t get any more historical than that.

9. Ole Miss Rebels

Lane Kiffin is currently the most hated man in the state of Mississippi, but he did something we should all applaud him for bringing back the Ole Miss powder blue jerseys and helmets. The Rebels’ powder blues are infinitely better than their previous navy look, and you can never go wrong with a script helmet.

8. LSU Tigers

Speaking of Kiffin, his new school also has amazing threads. LSU’s uniforms packed with purple are so regal; the purple socks are perfect, those yellow pants pop, the shoulder stripes are immaculate, and that helmet is a classic. Our only complaints? We wish the tiger on the helmet was bigger and that LSU wore their purple jerseys more often instead of almost always opting for white.

7. Tulane Green Wave

Surprised that LSU doesn’t even have the best college football uniforms in the state of Louisiana? Don’t be. Ever since Tulane brought back its “Angry Wave” logo and re-emphasized powder blue starting in 2017, the Green Wave have become the best-dressed team outside the Power 4 conferences.

6. Oregon Ducks

It’s hard to give Oregon’s infinite uniform combinations a definitive ranking since they are dressed differently for almost every single game. But the Ducks not only single-handedly ushered in the infinite uniform craze among sports teams, but they have also looked good doing it. The Ducks have done an especially good job in recent years of blending the past and present with “modern throwback” uniforms that actually use the school’s colors.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State has always had one of the most illustrious helmets in college football, as the sparkling gray helmet adorned with Buckeye leaves is instantly recognizable. And the Buckeyes also upped their uniforms this offseason by ditching the dinky shoulder stripes it has used for the last 20 years and bringing back the thick, traditional Buckeye stripe of yesteryear.

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Between the Four Horsemen, Touchdown Jesus, Joe Montana, Rudy, and Lou Holtz, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the New York Yankees of college football. And just like the Yankees, the Irish’s uniforms are timeless. While the move was ridiculed at the time, the decision to update the helmets in 2011 to go from an old, dull gold to a bold, shiny finish has made the lids even better.

3. Texas Longhorns

It all starts with Texas’ legendary logo, a silhouette of a Texas Longhorn that’s so simple but brilliant. And then there’s that trademark shade of orange known as “Burnt Orange.” While orange can be a polarizing color, there’s just something about this rugged shade of orange that’s so perfectly Texas.

2. USC Trojans

USC’s football uniforms were meant for Hollywood. The Trojan warrior logo is stoic, while the cardinal-and-gold colors are so classical and glamorous. USC playing in its home uniforms at the Rose Bowl while the sun sets over the San Gabriel Mountains and the band blaring the school’s fight song must be what heaven looks like.

1. Michigan Wolverines

Yes, we know that Michigan’s legendary winged helmet actually started at Princeton and was brought to Ann Arbor by head coach Fritz Crisler in the 1930s. But when you see a helmet with three vertical stripes adorned by wings on the side, the first thought in everyone’s mind is “Michigan.”

The school colors of navy blue and maize perfectly contrast with each other to make Michigan’s helmet and home uniforms really pop off the TV screen. Simply put, the Wolverines’ lid is the Mona Lisa of college football: An iconic work of art that’s instantly recognizable all over the world.

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