Who has the best traditional jersey?
With Michigan coming to OU on Sept. 6, it will be a showdown of two programs with some of the best traditional uniforms in all of college football. The Oklahoman’s sports staff decided to tackle ranking the best ones in the sport.
Here are our rankings:
1. Michigan: OU has crimson and cream, Florida State has garnet and gold, but Michigan’s maize and blue reigns supreme. But what really makes the Wolverines’ uniforms stand out is the winged helmet. It didn’t start with Michigan, but it was perfected there. — Ryan Aber, OU beat writer
2. Notre Dame: Notre Dame reminds everyone that it’s a gold-standard program when it suits up. The golden helmet is iconic, and it shines when paired with the team’s navy and white uniforms. It’s a timeless look for a program that has maintained excellence for decades. — Justin Martinez, sports trending reporter
3. Southern Cal: Despite being hated in these parts — if you’re not sure why, ask your Sooner friends — the Trojans’ uniforms are a college football staple. The Trojan on the cardinal helmets? The simple but striking gold details on the jerseys? The gold pants? Striking. — Jenni Carlson, columnist
4. Ohio State: As long as I can remember, the Ohio State uniform has been in my life. From the buckeye leaf stickers to the scarlet and grey, my childhood with my Columbus-raised grandparents always comes to mind and makes me smile. — Jacob Unruh, assistant sports editor
5. Texas: That burnt orange isn’t too popular on this side of the Red River, but it is so unique and distinctive you can instantly identify the Longhorns. The burnt orange longhorn on a white helmet with the burnt orange jersey and white pants is classic combo. — Jenni Carlson, columnist
6. LSU: Most teams wear their color at home. Not the Tigers. LSU’s “home whites” are one of college football’s best sartorial traditions. Purple and gold is an undefeated color combination. — Joe Mussatto, columnist
7. UCLA: The gold helmet with the “UCLA” script. The powder blue jerseys with gold and white stripes on the shoulder pads. Gold pants. It all adds up to one of college football’s classiest looks. — Joe Mussatto, columnist
8. OU: Classic. Clean. Crimson. Those elements make the Sooners’ look top-notch. But even though the uniforms haven’t changed in decades, they look contemporary, too, with bold numbers and that piping down the pant legs. — Jenni Carlson, columnist
T-9. Florida State: Florida State’s gold and garnet uniforms aren’t typically listed in the upper echelon of college football uniforms, but the Seminoles’ helmets alone merit consideration. The gold helmets with garnet facemasks and the spear logo are as iconic as any. The tomahawk stickers — awarded for good plays and academic accomplishments — are as cool as Ohio State’s buckeye leaves. — Ryan Sharp, managing editor
T-9. Penn State: The epitome of tradition, Penn State has stuck by its longtime look, not giving in when other teams added helmet logos and new color schemes. Though the uniform has had additions like names on the backs of jerseys and numbers on helmets, the program always returns to its traditional look. And the White Out game is always epic. — Scott Wright, OSU beat writer
What a uniform expert thinks about OU, OSU football uniforms
Uni Watch editor Phil Hecken has made a career out of uniforms, so we asked him to critique the threads that will be worn this weekend in Norman by OU and Michigan and in Eugene by Oklahoma State and Oregon. Here’s what he had to say:
Michigan’s uniforms: “They’ve gone away from just wearing blue tops and maize pants and white tops and maize pants. They have a couple different ones, but their calling, really, is their helmet. As long as they don’t ever change that wing Michigan, you know that you’re watching Michigan.”
OU’s uniforms: “The classic crimson. You know that color. You know that helmet. It looks great. Solid, solid uniform. Probably top 20 in college in my opinion.”
Oregon’s uniforms: “I’m a big fan of green and gold, or green and yellow. So I’ve always been a fan of the Ducks. I’ve written about them now for 20 years on the blog, and I often state that I have a love-hate relationship with their uniforms because sometimes they’ll come up with something so crazy and so bizarre that I’m like, ‘I can’t like this. This is terrible.’ But the kids love it, so they’ll come up with some bad ones. … In Oregon’s case, they almost have to wear a different combo every week because they’ve been doing it for so long.”
Oklahoma State’s uniforms: “They change their uniforms up every couple of years, too. They’ve had some uniforms in the past where they’ve kind of had weird striping on them and odd signature elements. But for the last few years, they look really solid. Basically, they can mix and match any combo. … Their uniforms, depending on the combination, can be really gorgeous, but they’re almost always good looking. They never seem to have a bad combo, so I’m definitely a fan. They know how to put an outfit together.”
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
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