College Football Uniforms: Ranking the 2011 Nike Pro Combat Uniforms

There is no denying it, Nike is changing the way fans watch college football. Every season they set aside teams to showcase their creativity with their Pro Combat uniform line.

Sometimes it breaks tradition, other times it attracts recruits, but it always gives the team wearing them some swagger. In this countdown we rank the filthiest uniforms in the game and look at what makes them so great and what they could have done to make the uniforms perfect.

Enjoy.

9. Army

It's not like this design isn't sweet, but compared to all the other uniforms it doesn't have as much flash.

Highlights:

-The numbers resemble the font of a combat uniform. Suiting for their Army program.

-The base layer with the "A" on the front and the traditional stripes on the sleeves.

-The all-tan shoes and socks

-The patch on the sleeve that reads "Honor, Duty, Country."

Where they could have improved:

-Really, no camouflage?

-No helmet decal, no fun.

8. Georgia

When the Bulldogs faced Boise State to kick the season off they looked more like red Power Rangers. Don't get me wrong, Power Rangers still look awesome.

Highlights:

-Dual-colored face mask. Not sure if that would be distracting to the player, but it sure looks sweet.

-The glove salute with the Georgia logo with a studded collar around it.

-The big red stripe running down the helmet, sticking with the red theme and matching the middle of the face mask.

What they could have improved on:

-Ditch the black socks for either red or silver. No need to throw another color in there.

-Same goes with the shoulder stripe; silver would have looked better.

7. Ohio State

Ohio State looks to dethrone Wisconsin after the Badgers handed them their first loss in 2010. Fickell and the boys will look decent if they lose, but the jerseys will look amazing if they win.

Highlights:

-The buckeye tree-bark base layer. Have you ever tried to tackle a tree? Not easy.

-The dark silver pants and socks combination.

-The collar pays homage to the 1961 National Champs by embedding "1961" in the collar.

What they could have improved on:

-No "O" on the glove? Well, at least they won't get flagged for doing the glove salute.

-A giant buckeye or "O" on the helmet would look better than numbers.

-No name or team name on the back of the jersey.

6. Navy

Just like Boise State vs. Georgia, you will see two teams duke it out in Pro Combats. Army and Navy will both be rocking the jerseys in their showdown at FedEx Field.

Highlights:

-The base layer in this uniform is the best one in the group. Red and white stripes with "Don't Tread On Me" displays the patriotism that will be displayed in the game.

-The gloves with the Navy anchor emblem could be hard to show since it is very detailed, but if it is done to perfection then it looks incredible.

-Ditching the gold helmet for one game and putting the anchor on the side is a brilliant touch.

What they could have improved on:

-Going with a blue helmet to go blue head to toe. It's a dark enough color where they wouldn't look like smurfs all game.

-Put a military patch on there somewhere, just like the Army uniforms.

5. Stanford

Stanford, the alma mater of Nike chairman Phil Knight, tunes up the darkness of their Pro Combat uniforms. They're darker, more intimidating, and will make Andrew Luck look like he just swam in Kool-Aid.

Highlights:

-The number font is a forward move from their standard numbers. It gives it an edgier look that works well with the dark colors.

-Great use of black accents on the pants and jersey. It introduces a new color, but not to the point where it becomes too much.

- The black socks and red cleats combination looks slick.

What they could have improved on:

-Commit to the color and make the helmet red with a black stripe.

-Throw the cardinal tree on there, perhaps on the glove instead of the boring "S" block letter.

-It's a small detail, but a black belt would have been a good placement for secondary color.

4. Boise State

After Nike suited Virginia Tech and Boise State with sick jerseys to kick off the 2010 college football season, fans expected Nike to one up themselves this year. Last year the Broncos were given grey and blue jerseys, and this year the Pro Combats that they're wearing are clean white uniforms.

Highlights:

-The giant Bronco logo on the helmet is astonishing. It looked awesome on last year's blue and this year's white helmets, and I'm convinced they will look sleek on any color.

-The glove salute with the blue Bronco logo. It looks as if the bronco is running out of the glove, just how the Broncos were running to the end zone all over Georgia.

-Writing "Broncos" on the side of the pants rather than placing a stripe there. It makes the uniform look cleaner and fast.

What they could have improved on:

-White socks. Why stop at the calves with the all-white theme?

-White shoes with a hint of orange. Same reasoning as above; why not fully commit to all white when it looks that sweet?

3. LSU

When taking on the 2011 BCS Champs, the LSU Tigers will don all-white uniforms when they look to thrash Auburn.

Highlights:

-The gloves. 'Nuff said.

-Look closely on the helmet, and you will see faint tiger stripes running over it.

-Same goes with the numbers. May look pretty average, but lean closer and notice the purple tiger stripes in the numbers.

-Instead of yellow, Nike places a gold accent on the jerseys and helmets. 

-"Rulers of Fall" is sewn in the collar. Wonderful way to pay homage to Billy Cannon.

What they could have improved on:

-Nike loves breaking tradition, so it's a little confusing to see that they didn't tinker with the helmet logo.

-Another color would have brought a little bit of attention to the pants. Pretty boring with just plain white.

2. Michigan State

Michigan State will play in-state rival Michigan, looking to make it four wins in a row, and they will look sweet doing it. The Spartans used this uniform to resemble ancient Greek Spartan warriors.

Highlights:

-The base layer (Nike's specialty) has a print of a giant bronze shield on the right side of the torso.

-The entire helmet. It strays away from the traditional green and white, obviously, but it gives it the look of a bronze helmet Spartans used in battle. Down the middle is a green stripe with a Greek accent, and on the front the phrase "Molon Labe" (come and get them!) is there in an ancient font.

-Again, the glove salute. A lot of teams seem to have a good looking set of gloves, but what separates MSU from the rest is the accent that the Spartan logo rests over.

-The bronze-colored cleats look as if they are the footwear the ancient warriors used in battle

What they could have improved on:

-Should have used green pants. Black is just another color that doesn't really blend well and it looks like they are throwing in black pants just for the sake of having the color black in there.

-Really, not even an inch of white?

1. Oregon

Nike's best friend gets the nod here as the No. 1 spot. Out of the trillion uniform designs, the one they rolled out against LSU is the best one.

Highlights:

-You guessed it, the base layer. The bright yellow numbers on the side make it pop out and keep it from being just a boring black sleeve.

-The black wings on the shoulder made a dark uniform even more intimidating than it already was.

-The black numbers with the bright yellow outline showcase the great eye-popping color, but doesn't overwhelm the jersey. Just the right amount of neon.

-The matte black helmet with the neon yellow really puts focus on the "O"—a very iconic logo in college football.

-The gloves. They do their own talking.

What they could have improved on:

-Replace the silver with black on the shoes. Why bring in silver all of the sudden on the feet?

-Neon yellow socks like last year's BCS National Championship game would have brought in just enough of that bright color.