College Football 2011: Love the Lid, Power Ranking All 120 FBS Helmets

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The college football universe is full of many arguments. Who is the best team? Who is the best quarterback? Who has the best defense?

But, perhaps one of the most compelling questions on the minds of many is...Who has the best lid?

College football style has become nearly as important as the game on the field, so it is only appropriate that we look at the very thing that caps it all off.

Who has the best lid in the FBS?

Let's take a look...

No. 120 UAB

A fire breathing what? Disney character?

No. 119 North Texas

Butch Dill/Getty Images

A mascot might be nice.

No. 118 Ohio

A helmet with just letters seems to be outdated.

No. 117 Ole Miss

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Again, letters...Ole Miss could do much, much better.

No. 116 Southern Miss

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

With a mascot like the Golden Eagles, you would think you would add that in somewhere.

No. 115 SMU

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

It is only "retro" if you have moved past it and then went back again.

This helmet is not retro.

No. 114 Michigan

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Some love it, some hate it.

No. 113 FIU

One or the other, but not both. The Golden Panther would be your best choice.

No. 112 Idaho

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Keep the logo, but reverse the colors.

No. 111 Illinois

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

They are so proud they underline it.

No. 110 Kansas

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Could go with the Jayhawk here, it might be interesting.

No. 109 Louisiana-Lafayette

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

What does a "Ragin Cajun" look like? Come on art department, make it happen.

No. 108 Rice

Bob Levey/Getty Images

You know your "R" looks like a drunk "B," right?

No. 107 San Jose

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Your helmet is wac. Need a little more from your "Spartan."

No. 106 San Diego State

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Aztecs were legendary warriors. You need a helmet that honors that.

No. 105 South Florida

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

That is a bull right?

No. 104 Tulane

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Tulane could do better. I am not sure how, after all, how many ways can you draw a "Green Wave?"

No. 103 UCLA

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

It seems a bit boring.

No. 102 Toledo

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Too much going on. Toledo and a rocket? One or the other might be sufficient.

No. 101 Tulsa

Brett Deering/Getty Images

Tulsa got new uniforms, and they are awesome. However, that same old helmet needs an upgrade.

No. 100 Syracuse

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

One team that can go without a logo.

No. 99 Temple

Rob Carr/Getty Images

It looks like it was spray painted with a stencil.

No. 98 Akron

Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

With a mascot like "Zips" I guess you can't do much. But you could do more.

No. 97 Central Michigan

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

A picture says a thousand words.

No. 96 ECU

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Not a very scary pirate.

No. 95 Florida

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Maybe just a G would be better.

No. 94 FAU

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

F-A-U shame on you. You could do better—you know it's true. A better helmet—to make it through. Try it—try it—FAU.

No. 93 Memphis

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Way too much going on with this logo.

No. 92 LSU

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

One or the other, but not both.

No. 91 Minnesota

Leon Halip/Getty Images

A W that has been knocked over? Two A's on together?

No. 90 Middle Tennessee

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

It says "MT" as in empty. Maybe just the mascot would do.

No. 89 Marshall

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Great tradition, not so great a helmet.

No. 88 Miami University Ohio

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

It's like the red version of Marshall. Better color though, so it gets a spot higher in our countdown.

No. 87 Northwestern

Elsa/Getty Images

A "Z" on its side or a uptight No. 2? The color is hard to look at anyway, but the logo makes it worse.

No. 86 Louisiana-Monroe

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Can you tell what that logo is?

No. 85 Missouri Tigers

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Pretty plain lid.

No. 84 New Mexico State

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

New Mexico State Aggies football has struggled in the recent years. Maybe it's the helmet.

No. 83 Nebraska

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Nebraska fans love their team's helmet.

No. 82 Troy

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The Troy Trojans need an upgrade.

No. 81 Wyoming

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Color and logo are not the best, other than that it is just fine.

No. 80 Vanderbilt

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Logo or letter?

No. 79 Eastern Michigan

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Can you see that small "E?"

No. 78 North Carolina

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Hard to make out the logo.

No. 77 Ohio State

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Ohio State fans love their teams traditional helmets. So this will probably not sit right with them.

No. 76 Kansas State

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Similar to Washington State's logo, but yet same type of result.

No. 75 Washington State

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Similar to Kansas State's logo, but yet same type of result.

No. 74 Western Michigan

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The logo looks like an angry cartoon character.

No. 73 UNLV

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

A rebel is a cool mascot, let's see it UNLV.

No. 72 Utah Utes

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Does that helmet even fit?

No. 71 West Virginia

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Great team, but the helmets are not in the top 25.

No. 70 USC Trojans

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

They can't go bowling, but they could upgrade their helmets.

No. 69 Bowling Green

Leon Halip/Getty Images

Not a bad helmet at all really, but at this point the helmets that are average are all going to be lumped together.

No. 68 Louisiana Tech

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

La. Tech and their traditional helmets make the list at No. 68.

No. 67 South Carolina

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

South Carolina makes the list at No. 67. They are a great program, but they could use a little bit of a makeover in the helmet area.

No. 66 Tennessee

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Tennessee has an iconic helmet, it just doesn't look as good as some.

No. 65 UTEP

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Another border line average-good lid.

No. 64 New Mexico

Another decent helmet, just missing a little something.

No. 63 Mississippi State

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Mississippi State has good colors, nice uniforms, but an average helmet.

No. 62 Kentucky

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Nice Color, nice logo, nice lid.

No. 61 Western Kentucky

Even though WKU sounds like a radio station, it has a pretty decent college football helmet.

No. 60 Colorado

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The iconic buffalo. It's a nice helmet, now they just need to work on their defense.

No. 59 Stanford

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Great quarterback, great football team, average lid.

No. 58 Northern Illinois

Could use an upgrade, but still a pretty good hat.

No. 57 UCF

Central Florida has a decent lid. It helps to have the initials of a fighting league to help you look tough. Even if they are in the wrong order.

No. 56 Georgia Tech

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Georgia Tech enters our list at No. 56. The ACC has a good set of lids in its league, but Georgia Tech's ranks near the bottom.

No. 55 Duke

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Simple helmet with a decent logo. Well done Duke. You prove that you care about more than just basketball.

No. 54 Virginia

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Nice color, nice logo, nice helmet.

No. 53 Wisconsin

John Gress/Getty Images

The Badgers have a way of making this helmet look tough. The competition doesn't like to see it coming for them, but Wisconsin fans like what they see.

No. 52 Buffalo

The Bulls of Buffalo have been improving their look over the years.

No. 51 Kent State

Greg McWilliams/Getty Images

With a mascot named the "Golden Flashes" I wasn't sure what to expect.

No. 50 Arizona

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

Red, white and blue. How could you go wrong with that?

No. 49 Washington

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Washington has a unique color, and it allows them to stand out in a crowd.

No. 48 Boston College

Elsa/Getty Images

Simple, but stylish.

No. 47 North Carolia State

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Similar to another college I won't name, but yet with with a little better look.

No. 46 Wake Forest

Elsa/Getty Images

Don't hang your head Wake Forest. You made the top 50.

No. 45 Virginia Tech

Ned Dishman/Getty Images

Easy to recognize, hard to ignore, the VT.

No. 44 Texas A&M

Sarah Glenn/Getty Images

It spells ATM, but it doesn't dispense cash, just touchdowns.

No. 43 Louisville

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Louisville is having a down year, but their helmet is up to No. 43 on the countdown.

No. 42 Pitt

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

This helmet is cool for many reasons. The traditional and iconic feel of this helmet helps it make its way to as high as 42 on this list.

No. 41 California

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

It has lost a little luster this year, but still a great hat.

No. 40 Auburn

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

This won't probably be high enough on the list for Auburn fans, but it is what it is.

No. 39 Nevada

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

The Wolfpack have a howling good helmet.

No. 38 Arkansas State

Great color combination, cool logo, good enough for top 40.

No. 37 Ball State

An upgrade from their old helmets for sure.

No. 36 Purdue

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

A very good traditional helmet that has been upgraded without ruining the look of days past.

No. 35 Penn State

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Proving you can wear white after Labor Day.

No. 34 Texas Tech

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Big T, little t, black, red, awesome.

No. 33 Texas

Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

One of the most recognizable helmets in college football.

No. 32 Cincinnati

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Very creative and well thought out logo.

No. 31 Connecticut

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Great colors, simple logo, but good enough.

No. 30 Baylor

Sarah Glenn/Getty Images

Baylor's helmet is baptized at No. 30 on our countdown.

No. 29 Clemson

Rob Carr/Getty Images

You have to love the paw.

No. 28 Utah State

Cool design, too bad Utah State keeps losing heart breakers.

No. 27 Oregon State

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

They make a beaver look tough.

No. 26 Fresno State

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

Classic bulldog, classic helmet.

No. 25 Rutgers

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

A classic helmet good enough for the top 25.

No. 24 B.Y.U.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Y pick this No. 24? Y not.

No. 23 Oklahoma State

Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

A cutting edge look with a classic style.

No. 22 Miami

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

The classic U.

No. 21 Indiana

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Hoosier No. 21 lid in the FBS?

No. 20 Houston

Bob Levey/Getty Images

So who made the top 20? Uh...

No. 19 Florida State

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Florida State has one of the most decorative helmets around.

No. 18 Colorado State

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Colorado State is an interesting helmet. Gee, I wonder what their mascot is?

No. 17 Iowa State

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

The Iowa State Cyclones and their choice of lots of red.

No. 16 Michigan State

Leon Halip/Getty Images

It's a "Sparty" party at No. 16.

No. 15 Iowa

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Recognized everywhere.

No. 14 TCU

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

They make purple look mean.

No. 13 Hawaii

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

The Warriors out on the island wear some pretty stylish lids.

No. 12 Georgia

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The classic Georgia helmet is a keeper.

No. 11 Arizona State

Norm Hall/Getty Images

The new helmets at Arizona State are inspired.

No. 10 Arkansas

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Razorbacks enter the countdown in the top 10.

No. 9 Oklahoma

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Oklahoma has staying power, and so does their helmet.

No. 8 Navy

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

In the Navy, you can sail the seven seas. Or, you can wear a golden helmet.

No. 7 Army

The Army camo helmet rocks and you know it.

No. 6 Air Force

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

They bring the thunder and the lightning.

No. 5 Maryland

Love them or hate them, they took a risk.

No. 4 Notre Dame

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Notre Dame does not need a logo of any kind to make their helmet classic.

No. 3 Alabama

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

This is where classic and traditional are good, very good.

No. 2 Boise State*

*The "Stormtrooper" helmet for the Broncos finds its way to near the top of the list. The Bronco blue helmets would be ranked top 20 at best, but this helmet is near the tops.