The Top 9 College Football Uniforms of 2011

I’ll admit it: I’m not the kind of college football fan who gets caught up in the new-jersey frenzy every offseason, but this year, there did seem to be some particularly awesome new uniforms being put out on the field.

Big kudos have to go to Nike for continuing to stay ahead of the curve, but it wasn’t the only company that made a splash with uniforms this season.

Under Armour has also been making noise for the uniforms they created for Maryland this year.

The Terrapins' season may have been a disappointing 2-9 disaster, but at least they got some publicity for their new creative state-flag inspired uniforms.

Maryland is only one of the teams that got our attention with new uniforms, though.

Here’s a look at college football’s 10 best new uniforms of 2011.

9. Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State broke out these green, black and gold Nike Pro Combat uniforms for its big battle with in-state rival Michigan back on October 15.

In my opinion, these were the best uniforms of the season, hands down.

The golden helmet is done perfectly, and the colors of the rest of the jersey mesh together perfectly with just the right amount of green and black.

The Spartans got a 28-14 victory over their rivals that day, and they better give a little credit to their  intimidating-looking duds.

8. LSU Tigers

LSU showed us all what a purple-and-gold-striped tiger looks like when the boys from Baton Rouge broke out these new Nike uniforms for their game against Auburn back on October 22.

The change from yellow to gold was a fresh look for the Tigers, and the design of the gloves they came up with was definitely a nice touch.

7. Arizona State Sun Devils

Arizona State went with the all-black look for its Friday night “Blackout” game against Missouri back on September 9.

We’ve seen plenty of teams try the black uniforms before, but the Sun Devils were definitely able to capture the desired menacing effect with the devilish yellow trim.

6. Oregon Ducks

Oregon is the original uniform king of college football, and this season, the Ducks have kept the tradition of interesting looks alive as they trotted out a few new colorful designs this year.

The best of those new uniforms was the all-dark-green attire that Oregon used for the season opener against LSU.

The Ducks may have lost the game, but at least they looked good doing it.

5. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland has had a truly terrible year on the field this season, but at least the Terrapins have managed to reel in some publicity for the uniforms that Under Armour designed for them this season.

The all-red, state-flag-influenced ensemble that they wore for their game against Clemson was my favorite design of the season, and it helped to make up for the disaster that took place on Labor Day night.

4. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State has been fooling around with a few different uniform designs this season, and while the all-grey look may have been a little rough on the eyes, the black with grey helmet pairing seems to be a great fit.

The Cowboys managed to stray from their normal, orange-jersey appearance and have finally found a fashion pattern that works quite well for them.

3. Michigan Wolverines

At first, I didn’t like the big “M” Michigan jerseys when I saw the initial prospective images that were released, but the vintage uniforms by Adidas that the Wolverines wore for their big game against Notre Dame actually turned out looking pretty good.

It also helped that Denard Robinson and Michigan managed to pull off an improbable and exciting come-from-behind victory against the Irish while wearing the special uniforms.

2. Boise State Broncos

Boise State took some fashion tips from Sonny Crockett and went with the all-white look for its game against Georgia.

While it was refreshing to see the Broncos in a color besides blue, the all-white uniforms were lacking in pizazz. But they got it right when they finally mixed in the blue pants for the UNLV game.

1. Navy Midshipmen

These all-blue outfits are what Navy will be wearing for its big annual showdown with Army on December 10.

While they may not be overly flashy, the uniforms are definitely a great representation of the Navy tradition—right down to the anchor on the helmet.