The North Face, the Power Rangers and the Brown Banana

The North Face, the Power Rangers and the Brown Banana

Just because it’s late November and we’re nearing the end of the college football regular season, and just because we’re deep into the NFL season, doesn’t mean it’s too late for another round of Uniforms Gone Wild. With it being so far into the season, we’re beginning to see some repeat offenders who are clearly gluttons for punishment. The good news is that some teams saved their best (or worst) for last.

What’s most common this time of year is coaching changes. Last week we said goodbye to Derek Dooley and his orange pants. This week we say goodbye to Gene Chizik and his white ski jacket. That jacket has seen some serious wear. I mean he wore it indoors, outdoors, cold weather, hot weather, you name it.  Now armed with $7.3 million and plenty of spare time, ole Gene can finally wear it on the slopes. Maybe he can even become a model for The North Face...nah.

Repeat Offenders:   

I would like to personally thank The University of Maryland and Under Armour for plenty of material this year. Maryland’s getups were consistently ugly this season and this week's combo was no exception.  I think we have our first nominee for WOY (Worst of the Year).



They say some people just can’t stand prosperity. After being recognized for being part of a beautiful two-color game last week versus USC, UCLA did a 180 and went away from their classic powder blues and broke out this mono-navy joke of a uniform.  Why UCLA, Why?

The Hokies of Virginia Tech doubled our pleasure by wearing their Fightin' Gobbler helmets once again. I suggest that if you're going to use cartoon farm bird on your helmet, why not go with one of my personal favorites, Foghorn Leghorn.

 I said, I said, I said look at me when I'm talkin' to you, boy. Virginia Tech gets a Personal Fowl for this one.



No one does a better job of mixing up uniform combos than the Oregon Ducks. But, with a new combination each week, there are plenty of opportunities for a uniform to go wild. This week, the Quack Attack's bright yellow britches and helmet were simply too much. No stadium lights necessary because the Ducks were glowing in the dark.

More college offenders:

The Arizona Wildcats broke out these all-red atrocities. Red pants, red jerseys, red helmets, red face masks, red shoes, red everything.

They reminded me a lot of this guy, the Red Power Ranger. Regardless, after blowing a late lead against Arizona State, I'm sure RichRod and the Wildcats were seeing plenty of red.

The Ohio State Buckeyes decided to wear these alternate getups against their hated rivals Michigan. The Buckeyes usually sport one of my personal favorite uniforms. The scarlet and grey are synonymous with The Ohio State University. However, there's one thing that's always bothered me about OSU's jerseys, and that's the massive font of their numbers. This week they changed their giant digits to grey instead of their usual white. They also used a very wide stripe on the helmet topped off with green hologram buckeye stickers. Overall, not bad. I just hope they realize that it's best not to tinker too much with such a classic uni. 

Here's a closer look at the hologram stickers on the helmet.

Like Ohio State, Mississippi State made a numeral change by going with gold  in lieu of the usual maroon in this year's version of the Egg Bowl. The Bulldogs not only lost the game, they also lost substantial style points for the gold digits.

 Our final college entry comes from Wyoming. The Cowboys have made a feeble attempt to spruce up their uniforms this year with a variety of combinations. I will, however; give the Cowboys a ton of credit for sticking to their school colors. As a matter of fact, I can't think of a more difficult color scheme to work with than brown and yellow. It's reminds me too much of a rotten banana. I think the 'W' on their helmet simply stands for 'Wrong'.

On to the NFL

 For those of you who've been keeping up, you know that I'm not a fan of all-black uniforms, especially if black isn't one of your team colors, or if you wear black socks to create a leotard effect. This week the Saints and the Jags both wore all back. At least black is part of the Saints' color scheme. The Jags who looked more prepared for dance practice than a football game, were quite the contrast to the Titan's light blues (which I can't decide if I like or not). 

Speaking of light blue, I'm very happy to report that the San Diego Chargers wore their classic powder blues versus the Ravens. This vintage look is one my favorites in the NFL. I wish the Chargers wore these every week.

That's it for this week (and next). I'll be back in two weeks as we begin the nominations for worst uniforms of the year.

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