Top 10 New Sports Uniforms for Fall 2016

The impending arrival of fall marks the return of several marquee sports, leagues that bring must-see new threads with them.

Whether it's an NFL team shaking things up with an alternate for the first time in a long time, an NBA team redoing the entire kit or one of the many retooled college football uniforms, there's a little bit of something for everyone.

Violent or endurance-based sports or not, teams, leagues and outfitters make sure these world-class athletes look good doing what they do. Below, let's take a look at the 10 best uniform changes hitting the sporting realm this fall.

10. New York Giants

Sometimes, it's the littlest change that makes the biggest difference.

When fans think of the New York Giants, they think of one thing—blue tops, gray bottoms.

Not anymore.

It's white-pants time in the Big Apple, with the Giants announcing they'd make the official switch during home games this year:

Per CBS Sports' John Breech, it's the first major uniform change for the Giants since 2000—the team switched to the gray pants that year.

The Giants are back in white, and it's hard to hate the look.

9. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic made waves in the jersey realm recently with an innovative new alternate that is quite the departure from its normal look. 

The "Stars" design is a must-see affair:

Seeing as NBA jerseys stand as collectibles more than any other sport, this was an important revelation for fans. Though just an alternate, it could also hint at the team willing to be more bold moving forward with future changes.

8. Ohio State's Alternate

Alternates dot the landscape of every sport. Some hit, some miss. 

Rarely do they land on a list like this, but Ohio State has absolutely knocked it out of the park in 2016 while drawing upon an epic bit of history.

Via a press release from the Buckeyes, Eleven Warriors confirmed the team will don these beautiful jerseys sometime in 2016:

The uniform honors the one Chic Harley wore in 1916 when he led the Buckeyes to their first conference championship.

While not for everyone, these alternates have the perfect mix of history and style.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins

Champions have every right to do as they please with their uniforms. 

So it goes for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who announced after beating the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final they'd wear new uniforms in 2016:

The Penguins only wore this look as alternates, the "Pittsburgh Gold" helping propel them to the title.

This is the first major change for the Penguins since 2002-03. Look what a championship run can do for a franchise stagnant in its appearance ways.

6. Rutgers

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights hope for a complete change of direction for the program under the guidance of new head coach Chris Ash after last year's four-win campaign.

This includes in the looks department, with Rutgers taking the Nike treatment in the clean direction and keeping the slick-looking chain-mail pattern on the shoulders:

The changes include a new secondary logo, a full-blown effort to remake the image of the team as it attempts to compete in the Big Ten.

At the least, the team will sit pretty when it comes to appearance rankings.

5. Virginia Tech

It's the same story for the Virginia Tech Hokies, a team that got a bowl win in the 2015 Independence Bowl against Tulsa but only finished 7-6.

If the Hokies are to get back to their 11-win ways from 2011—the last time the program broke the double-digit barrier in the win column—they'll do so in style.

The program offered a look, which boasts a cleaner design and bolder numbers and names:

Practically speaking, the Hokies have a harder time with unconventional colors than most.

That said, this makes the feat here all the more impressive—those bad boys will look good on the gridiron this fall.

4. Oklahoma State

Unlike some of the teams on this list, the Oklahoma State Cowboys didn't have many problems last year, winning 10 games and seven in the Big 12, though the team did take a loss to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.

Alas, Nike thought wise to implement changes to an already strong jersey, such as going for a barbed-wire look around the numbers:

The noticeable design around the neck and the lettering down the side of the pants only make the entire package even better. That neck design is meant to resemble a bandanna, while the barbed wire pays ode to the settlers from the area's history.

History and innovative design combine for one of the globe's best jerseys here.

3. Notre Dame

Under Armour has outdone itself this year for Notre Dame's Shamrock Series.

This year, the Fighting Irish collide with Army on Nov. 12 in San Antonio, and they will do so in arguably the best design yet for the Shamrock Series.

The program provided an all-encompassing look:

The helmet, of course, is the star of the show:

It'd take a long time to break down the inspiration behind the many things going on here, so UA Collegiate Fan did the honors in a smooth image:

Some might dislike the rather olive-looking attire here, but Notre Dame has decided to go bold in a new direction while paying homage to the past. Love it or hate it, there's no discrediting the Fighting Irish for trying.

2. Michigan

It took a season, but the Jim Harbaugh era in Michigan gets a complete redesign to complement the 10-win team and triumph in the Orange Bowl that started the era.

A Michigan-Nike-Jumpman partnership made too much sense not to happen, so one can understand why the internet almost blew up when the photos went live:

Michigan was too traditional to change much about the uniforms, but fans around the globe seem to agree it's good to see the Wolverines away from Adidas and under the Nike umbrella.

As far as changes go besides logos, the numbers look better, and the yellow is more, well, yellow. That's not a bad thing, especially when everything else looks so good to begin with.

1. Sacramento Kings

Slowly but surely, the Sacramento Kings continue to hint at one of the more notable turnarounds in any sport. So it goes with DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein underneath the basket.

To help propel the image many have ingrained in their minds when it comes to the Kings, the team did a retooling of the jerseys and presented the new look with the help of WCS:

It's a fresh new look for the Kings, with an innovative logo on the shorts and a bold name and number design set to stand out:

The baby blue alternate is just a nice touch, the proverbial icing on the cake here. 

For a team trying to remake its image, the Kings just took a step into the realm of modern jerseys and will now act as an influence to what other teams might plan in the future.