College Football Uniform Trends to Watch for in 2015

College football has become such a multi-layered sport that just the scores and statistics are far from the only thing of importance. Over the years, the game has served as a place where fans can turn for updates in the world of technology, politics and social issues.

And let's not forget fashion.

At some point, the "what are they wearing" query became nearly as common as "who is the favorite" on Saturdays. While the final score will always matter most, how good (or bad) teams look while pursuing the goal of a national championship continues to draw our interest.

Thus, whenever a team makes even the slightest tweak to their helmets, jerseys or pants, it becomes a story. And we also start looking for trends in which direction the new gear is going.

Here's what you should be on the lookout for in terms of college football uniform changes in 2015:

Animal Magnetism

Trying to tap into the essence of a team's mascot is nothing new, but Nike and TCU took it a step further in April, when they revealed the Horned Frogs' new Mach Speed uniforms that feature a pattern embedded into the jersey and pants that are meant to resemble the leathery skin of an amphibian.

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Like the fierce, desert-dwelling mascot, the horned frog, the TCU football team uses speed, quickness and defensive tactics to outwit opponents. The horned frog's scaly body armor inspires the new sublimated pattern — a digital evolution of the program's existing lizard skin pattern. Covering the entire jersey, and extending through the pant, the motif embodies the fearless attitude that defines both the mascot and the team.

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There are white, gray and purple versions of this uniform, though the white one doesn't include any scales other than on the helmet's stripe. 

The reviews were mixed when TCU's threads were unveiled, with LostLetterman.com giving the combo a D- and calling them a "cross between Zubaz and camo gear."

TCU is the first school to go this animal-print direction on an across-the-uniform level, and who knows which teams will follow suit? Could we soon see a school with a bird or cat mascot break out a feather- or fur-lined set?

(Almost) 50 Shades of Gray

Is gray the new black?

The trend of having black be a part of a team's football uniforms, regardless of whether it's one of the school colors, isn't going away. But it might not continue to dominate the alternate-style market now that gray has become more fashionable.

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#YB #B2B #LetsEat pic.twitter.com/zjOqrRl3rI

— Coach Art Briles (@CoachArtBriles) May 29, 2015"

In addition to the TCU threads shown above, schools like Baylor, Colorado and Purdue have added gray tops and pants to their uniform selections. Illinois added a gray alternate last season, as did UCLA, while Kentucky, Miami (Florida), Tennessee and Oregon have previously had them in the wardrobe.

While having a gray outfit is pretty common in Major League Baseball, since it's the standard color for road teams, it's still relatively new in college football.

And it's not just plain gray. There's also anthracite (read: dark gray), steel (shiny gray) and smoke (that one's simple enough to figure out), so it won't be long before every shade—including ones that aren't primarily gray, like puce and taupe—find its way onto the football field.

History Lessons

Let's not try to fool ourselves into thinking that uniform changes are being done for any reason other than financial gain. Whether it's because fans will need to buy new gear to stay current or that the updates will entice some on-the-fence recruits to sign on rather than go elsewhere, the motivation is clearly tied to the almighty dollar.

But no school (or apparel company) is ever going to admit that, so instead they find different ways to justify the changes. And many of the more recent updates are getting linked to a team's past as a way of bringing them into the future.

Wake Forest's new uniforms are tied to the school's founding in 1834, and therefore the jersey numbers have "angled notches at 18 and 34 degrees, top and bottom respectively." There's also a stylized W pattern on each sleeve that is supposed to resemble the school's prevalent wrought-iron campus architecture.

For Michigan State, harkening to the school's early days wasn't far back enough. Instead, Nike felt it best to link to ancient Greece, in effect creating an origin story for the team's Spartan mascot.

There's a Greek "key pattern" on the shoulders and down the sides of the pants, while the alternate uniform includes bronze as a third color and is meant to represent Spartan shields that were used in that army's famed phalanx battle formation.

Army (now known as Army West Point) also incorporated something from its mascot's past into its brand overhaul, replacing the black knight logo with an "Athena Shield."

What will be next? Might Arizona State or Duke tap into the various tales of the Devil, or could Oklahoma throw in some imagery that pays homage to homesteading Sooners who settled its state in the 1800s?

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.