10 Best Uniforms from 2014-15 College Football Season
Oregon made the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, so there was no way to grade the top uniforms of the season until now. We never know what the Ducks might have up (and on) their sleeves.
But the all-white uniform Oregon came out with in Arlington was a lot like its effort on the whole: solid, respectable, but underwhelming. It was not enough to even flirt with making this list.
The 10 best uniforms from the 2014-15 college football season, as judged by a panel of one, is an obviously subjective science. Some people love chrome helmets and hate throwback jerseys. Others hate chrome helmets and love throwback jerseys. Neither is objectively better than the other. Different strokes.
Here is a full gallery of alternates from NFL.com. Feel free to peruse that list and come up with your own ranking of 10.
And don't forget to share it down below!
10. West Virginia (vs. Kansas State)
1 of 10
West Virginia rocked the sweetest lids in college football against Kansas State, breaking out its 1979 throwback.
Awesome.
The only reasons these don't rank higher are (a) because he 'Eers also wore them against Texas in 2013, and (b) because the rest of the jersey went unchanged. It was only a change to the helmet.
Still, helmets this cool cannot be ignored.
9. Oregon (vs. Washington)
2 of 10
A throwback to the Oregon of yesteryear—1994: before the massive Nike endowment—the uniforms the Ducks wore against Washington were easily a highlight of the season.
The kelly green is always a plus, and the colors clash loudly without sounding disharmonious. The whole thing just looks clean, which is sometimes hard to say of throwback uniforms. From the outlines on the numbers to the lettering on the helmets, everything about this is confident.
"They're pretty dope," offensive guard Hamani Stevens said of the throwbacks before the game, per Andrew Grief of The Oregonian.
The ninth-dopest look we saw all year.
8. Florida Atlantic (vs. Tulsa)
3 of 10
Confession: I don't like chrome helmets. Rather, I hate chrome helmets. I understand them as a necessary evil (high schoolers think they look cool, and college teams care more about what recruits think of their uniforms than the opinion of a sports blogger), but I still find them distracting. I couldn't put more than one of them on this list.
Fortunately, Florida Atlantic made the chrome look passable in 2014, and for that they deserve recognition. The helmets it wore against Tulsa were a duller chrome, and the result was sharp. They didn't scream LOOK AT ME, but they still made you look at them.
Bonus points for matching Lucky Whitehead's dreadlocks.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Texas A&M (vs. Louisiana-Monroe)
4 of 10
I didn't love this look when it was announced, but the final product Texas A&M put on the field was a happy surprise.
The leather-look helmets were a throwback to 1939, and the design matched smoothly with the rest of the ensemble. According to a release from the school, the cleats were "designed in a dark brown throwback style with a premium tumbled leather upper and metal eyelets," and they worked in giving the uniform an old-school feel.
And they did it all without feeling showy.
6. Hawaii (vs. Nevada)
5 of 10
Hawaii wore their retro rainbow unis for the second straight season, and for the second straight season they worked.
The uniform debuted when Hawaii changed its name back to "Rainbow Warriors" after dropping the "Rainbow" in 2000. The look was a fitting tribute, and continues to be a fitting tribute, to the state of Hawaii and one of the most unique programs in college football.
Next they should design a tribute to Robert Kekaula.
5. Navy (vs. Ohio State)
6 of 10
Navy started the season strong against Ohio State, playing the eventual national champion close, and doing it in spiffy alternates.
The helmet was inspired by a Naval officer's cover, and the way it flows down the jersey is expert. The color scheme is neat and consistent and faithful to the program. From the anchor to the deep blue, the entire look feels nautical.
Ironically, this clean, sharp, understated look came from Under Armour, which the past few years has been famous for dressing Maryland in messy, loose, ostentatious uniform combos. The company did a better job with the team from up the Beltway.
4. Texas Tech (vs. Arkansas)
7 of 10
Texas Tech give the throwback a modern twist, staying faithful to the Zach Thomas-era uniform but cleaning up the rough ends.
The result was one of the Top Four uniforms of the season, a look that stood out, in large part, because of the silver pants. The pants were nostalgic, and even though they did look a little jarring, they didn't make the Red Raiders look as Pop Warner as probably feared.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has a clause in his contract that allows him to design the team's uniforms. He knocked this one out of the park.
3. Arizona State (vs. Arizona)
8 of 10
A long-time personal favorite, the Jake Plummer-era Sparky helmets made their return in this year's Territorial Cup.
There's no need to waste time over-analyzing; there's an oversized devil with a trident on the helmet. That's about all that needs to be said. It's one of the iconic looks of the 1990s, and it worked better with yellow pants than it ever did with darks.
Also of note: Those white and yellow gloves are fire.
2. Ole Miss (vs. Memphis)
9 of 10
Powder blue and red is a rarely used combination, but Ole Miss found a way to make it work—and to make it look easy.
More than that, though, the throwback was to honor former Rebel Chucky Mullins, who was paralyzed against Vanderbilt in 1989. These are replicas of the uniforms worn by Ole Miss that season.
"Coach [Hugh] Freeze and I are big believers in tradition," said Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork. "That's our staple. Gray pants, red or blue jerseys, white jersey on the road, traditional helmet, but in this particular case, it was about honoring Chucky."
Well done by the folks down in Oxford.
1. Oregon (vs. Florida State)
10 of 10
Oregon brought the Big O back to its helmet for the Rose Bowl, forgoing its usual winged look for a modern take on a classic logo.
"While I think the winged helmets were a big improvement over the previous helmets with the O, these ones are the best I've ever seen from Oregon," wrote Sean Larson of Addicted to Quack. "It's a blend between clean and classic and sleek and modern."
To call something the best helmets Oregon has ever worn is a loaded statement. In this case, though, I agree. The kelly green and yellow created a memorable image, especially as they were juxtaposed with the (still infuriating) new-age uniforms of Florida State.
Oregon wasn't the best team in college football this season, as Ohio State made clear in the CFP title game.
But it's still the king of the uniforms.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
