Nike Pro Combat Uniforms: Grading and Ranking New Look For All 10 Teams

As college football season draws ever closer (can you taste the tailgate barbecue yet?), more and more uniforms are being unveiled. 

On Wednesday, Nike unveiled it's second-generation of Pro Combat uniforms. Last year's were met with some mixed reviews, depending on the team you were looking at. 

With new teams on the slate this year, there are sure to be some definite winners and losers among the unis. I bring you one of the most comprehensive rankings you'll find this side of Paul Lukas.

10. Virginia Tech Hokies

Blech.

Virginia Tech goes all black for their clash with Boise State on September 6th. This is my least favorite uniform of the bunch, and here's why. 

Jersey: A classic case of black for black's sake. It's not one of VT's colors, and it doesn't belong as the primary color on this jersey. The shoulder stripes are odd, and I'm not a big fan of this whole circuit board thing Nike's been doing with a lot of their uniforms. I get that no one really knows what a Hokie is, but I feel like Nike didn't put forth much effort in this one. The maroon in the numbers makes the tops of them difficult to read against the black, and it'll only get worse once someone sweats in it. Grade: D.

Pants: Not too bad, although, once again, we have that ridiculous circuit board print. The VT motto Ut Prosim, or "That I may serve", is printed on the back of the pants, and makes it look like the players are wearing a fanny pack. Grade: C+.

Helmet: Black, with orange writing, and a two tone, thick stripe down the middle. It starts out maroon, but turns orange! I dig the motto here more than on the pants, and, despite the darkness of the whole helmet, it's not the worst. Grade: B-.

Overall: A poor second effort from Nike. Too much black, weird stripes, and the circuit board all turn me off. Grade: D. 

9. West Virginia Mountaineers

Could have been awesome.

Jersey: I get the coal thing with the sleeves and the numbers, I just don't like it. It makes the jersey busy and takes away from what would otherwise be a not too terrible shirt. Grade: C-

Pants: Nothing really going on. Some odd stripes on the back, but they aren't too bad. Grade: B-.

Helmet: More coal black, and it blends with the blue of the logo to create some issues. They didn't give WVU a slogan, but, hey, could be worse. Grade :C.

Overall: Not Nike's worst effort, and points for trying with the coal. But it didn't work. Grade: C

8. Boise State Broncos

Why so boring?

Jersey: Not a huge fan of the grey; where does Nike come up with these colors? The blue is nice, and I like the numbers, but the shoulder Bronco is a bit perplexing. I don't know what to make of it Grade: C.

Pants: The blue complements the grey of the jersey well, but the bronco on the hip is way too big. Grade: B-

Helmet: The worst helmet of the group. I don't like the bronco at all; it's way too big, and it should really be orange (since there's so little of it on the jerseys). Grade: D.

Overall: They could have done so much with Boise's colors, but the went as bland as possible. Shame on Nike. Grade: C. 

7. Miami Hurricanes

No Parking!

Jerseys: Orange has never been too high on the "Colors that are awesome on a jersey" list. This shirt proves why. The Hurricanes look like traffic cones. Grade: C-

Pants: The random stripe down the side perplexes me, because there are no stripes on the jersey at all. Still, other than being bright orange, not much to say here. Grade: B. 

Helmet: I don't like the green helmet, although they couldn't go orange, otherwise they would actually be traffic cones. White always worked best with MU's two tone logo, I don't know why they can't figure that out. Grade: C.

Overall: Given Nike's history, this could have been waaaaaay worse. Overall: C+

6. Florida Gators

How many gators had to die so Nike could make those helmets?

Jersey: Nike needs to understand that patterns on numbers is kind of dumb. There are weird flecks of color on the upper torso that don't really seem to go to anything. But, at least it's Florida's colors. Grade: B-. 

Pants: The blue is really nice, and works with the white. Solid, but unspectacular. Grade: B.

Helmet: HAHAHAHAHAHA!! I take back what I said about Boise's helmet. This is the dumbest one of the group. Grade: D.

Overall: Not a bad effort, if a little bland. The helmet almost kills the whole thing, though. Grade: B-.

5. TCU Horned Frogs

If only they didn't have asphalt on their pants.

Jersey: Black is one of their colors, and I dig the purple shoulder stripes. Very simple, yet modern jersey. Not a fan of the textured numbers, though. Grade: B. 

Pants: Looks like asphalt. Grade: C-. 

Helmet: More asphalt, and not enough team colors. Grade: C.

Overall: A decent effort, considering last year's shoulder mess. Grade: B-.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Do you see a difference here?

Jersey: Other than the odd texture, which I assume is an ode to Bear Bryant's hat, this looks the exact same. This is the one instance where I like the pattern on the numbers. Grade: B+.

Pants: Same as the jersey. Whats the difference? Solid effort, recognized that they were fine. Grade: B-.

Helmet: Patterned stripe down the middle. That's all that's new here. Grade: B.

Overall: Nike knew better than to do too much to this uniform. They kept it simple, and the pattern actually works. Grade: B.

3. Pitt

Classy.

Jersey: Simple, understated, perfect color without too much going on. The script for the numbers is awful, but the color works with the jerseys. Grade: B-.

Pants: Simple. Monotone, but not bad. Grade: B. 

Helmet: Were it not for the weird script, this would be an awesome helmet. Grade: B+

Overall: Weird font, otherwise, not much going on to complain about. Grade: B.

2. Oregon State Beavers

An instant classic.

Ah, the one with the potential to make us all go blind. 

Jerseys: Pretty much perfect. Understated, right amount of striping and contrast, decent script. Grade: A-

Pants: The white is perfect for these jerseys, complements them well. Plus, I'm a sucker for sock stripes. Grade: A-.

Helmet: Reminiscent of Penn State in it's simplicity. A lackluster effort from Nike there. Grade: B+

Overall: A classic. Modern throwback. It's just what that team needs to get away from their awful uniforms last season. 

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

The best

The Buckeye faithful don't like you messing with their uniforms, and with good reason. But this year's Pro Combat jerseys and pants are the best of the bunch.

Jerseys: The crimson is fantastic. They don't throw a bunch of funky crap in there to clutter the look of it up. I LOVE the script for the numbers. Grade: A +

Pants: A bit dark for Ohio State, but otherwise not too bad. Grade: A-.

Helmet: I know the purists will be up in arms about the red helmets. But I love them. Simple, modern, perfect for this jersey. Grade: A.

Overall: The cream of this year's crop. Maybe a positive reception will convince Nike not to clutter up jerseys anymore. Or, maybe it wont. Grade: A.