Anyone who knows me and my weird sports habits will tell you I’m kind of obsessed about uniforms and logos. I analyze critique, bash and appreciate all the little things in a jersey. When I saw Uni-Watch do their
countdown of all 122 uniforms in the four major American professional sports recently, it made me go for my own rankings in SEC football. Lists are always great but even better for this year, because several schools have fresh looks for the coming season, including our two new friends from the west.
The rules of the Power Rankings are simple: It’s all opinion-based. The rankings consider school colors, how they utilize them, uniform elements such as an old school classic look as well as new-age designs are measured and each valued equally for what they bring to the team and overall look, as well as small bonus items like a nice helmet or extreme detail will bump teams up, or down if they do it wrong.
Here is part one of the SEC Football Uniform Power Rankings: Nos. 14 thru 8. Part two, Nos. 7 thru 1 will come tomorrow.
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No. 14 — Tennessee: Ugh.
Creamsicle orange is just the worst. In addition to just being downright ugly, the Vols also have a bad history of doing really stupid things: Like these
black tops, these
checkerboard tops, or full-fledged
Creamsicle pop from top to bottom. And then
there’s this. And
also this. Tell me how surprised you
aren’t right now.
There is really nothing good to say about Tennessee or their uniforms, other than the less Creamsicle, the better. If any team should do
all-white all the time, it’s these guys.
No. 13 Texas A&M: This is maroon done in a really average fashion. Adidas is trying hard to keep up with Nike and their Pro Combat uniform revolution, but they just aren’t up to par.
It looks like they took the same template for Mississippi State and applied an identical look for the Aggies. It’s simple, flat (in terms of sheen), and look just like their new SEC West foe, which ranks just one spot ahead. The worst part about the Aggies look is that
gigantic logo on the helmet: not at all necessary. And the
beveled edge on the numbers doesn’t look great either. If it were up to me, I’d stick to something closer to the
old uniforms.
No. 12 Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had a new uniform design and it’s not so drastic from the
old one. They added a bigger and bulkier “Mississippi State” logo to the front, which isn’t so eye-catching, but threw a stripe on the shoulders which does flow well down the arm to cap off the banner look which “State” is inscribed on in their logo. Still, it’s nothing special, and for that reason they do not rank well. I do think the
road whites looks better than the full-body maroon, too. I just hope they keep the
matte finish helmets they had last season, because those are cool.
No. 11 Georgia: Georgia is one of those teams that always think they’re really good — and they’ve had some great teams and tradition — but more recently they are remembered for Mark Richt just being Mark Richt. They could benefit from going out of the box on the uniform design and doing it well. They tried to be unique last season and failed miserably with
this abomination that resembles a Power Rangers costume more than anything. The logo will always remain, but the rest of the get-up could use some spice, because everything about Georgia’s uniform is
just generic.
No. 10 Ole Miss: The Rebs uniforms just scream for an update. There is nothing overly wrong with the design, they are classic and certainly get the job done — but Ole Miss is a program in the dumps. A new look could go a long way to (sort of) reviving the program. The
alternate red unis make a regular appearance year after year, but if it were up to me, that should replace the
blue tops which are the worst-looking of the lot. Looking the three jerseys over, it just seems like something is missing from the Ole Miss uniforms. Maybe it’s the
lack of trim, because overall I expect more from Nike than this really mediocre ensemble.
No. 9 LSU: The LSU Tigers have probably had the same uniform dating back to the dawn of time. It’s classic, people like it, but they get major points docked (actually, there is no point scoring system) for only having
one uniform combination.
White on yellow is the only uniform they have. Ever noticed they wear road uniforms at home? So when they actually do go on the road, they wear their road uniforms again. I get purple isn’t an easy color to incorporate, but a lot of people like what
TCU has done with their uniforms. Nike does have a
purple top the team has worn before (and a
Pro Combat white one as well), but they should use the color more regularly. Really, just stop being dumb by wearing whites at home. And while we’re at it, stop
marking every five-yard line on the home field, instead of how it’s normally done every ten yards. It’s like they’re being different just to annoy me.
No. 8 South Carolina: Under Armor doesn’t make good jerseys, and that is just not debatable. Their crazy concept last year to
honor Wounded Warriors was different to say the least; a great idea, but overall poorly executed. That’s not South Carolina’s fault, but they had to wear them so they get docked. The worst part was the lack of last names, and replacement with
random feel-good words, like “Courage,” “Commitment,” “Service,” and “Country.” Hard to hate on something honoring veterans, but they just weren’t all quite there. As for the
traditional uniforms, there is nothing eye-catching about the Gamecock’s look. They get the job done, but they haven’t updated it in some time, so you see it, pass over it, and don’t think about taking a second glance.
Helmets are great, with a nice looking logo and classic triple stripe down the center.
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There you have the bottom half of the SEC Football Uniform Power Rankings. Where did I go wrong? Did I value a team too highly or too critically? What is the worst uniform in the SEC in your opinion?
Check back tomorrow for part two where the top seven teams are revealed in order. There are some really sharp uniforms in the top half; you don’t want to miss it.
No. 14 — Tennessee: Ugh. Creamsicle orange is just the worst. In addition to just being downright ugly, the Vols also have a bad history of doing really stupid things: Like these black tops, these checkerboard tops, or full-fledged Creamsicle pop from top to bottom. And then there’s this. And also this. Tell me how surprised you aren’t right now. There is really nothing good to say about Tennessee or their uniforms, other than the less Creamsicle, the better. If any team should do all-white all the time, it’s these guys.
No. 13 Texas A&M: This is maroon done in a really average fashion. Adidas is trying hard to keep up with Nike and their Pro Combat uniform revolution, but they just aren’t up to par. It looks like they took the same template for Mississippi State and applied an identical look for the Aggies. It’s simple, flat (in terms of sheen), and look just like their new SEC West foe, which ranks just one spot ahead. The worst part about the Aggies look is that gigantic logo on the helmet: not at all necessary. And the beveled edge on the numbers doesn’t look great either. If it were up to me, I’d stick to something closer to the old uniforms.
No. 12 Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had a new uniform design and it’s not so drastic from the old one. They added a bigger and bulkier “Mississippi State” logo to the front, which isn’t so eye-catching, but threw a stripe on the shoulders which does flow well down the arm to cap off the banner look which “State” is inscribed on in their logo. Still, it’s nothing special, and for that reason they do not rank well. I do think the road whites looks better than the full-body maroon, too. I just hope they keep the matte finish helmets they had last season, because those are cool.
No. 11 Georgia: Georgia is one of those teams that always think they’re really good — and they’ve had some great teams and tradition — but more recently they are remembered for Mark Richt just being Mark Richt. They could benefit from going out of the box on the uniform design and doing it well. They tried to be unique last season and failed miserably with this abomination that resembles a Power Rangers costume more than anything. The logo will always remain, but the rest of the get-up could use some spice, because everything about Georgia’s uniform is just generic.
No. 10 Ole Miss: The Rebs uniforms just scream for an update. There is nothing overly wrong with the design, they are classic and certainly get the job done — but Ole Miss is a program in the dumps. A new look could go a long way to (sort of) reviving the program. The alternate red unis make a regular appearance year after year, but if it were up to me, that should replace the blue tops which are the worst-looking of the lot. Looking the three jerseys over, it just seems like something is missing from the Ole Miss uniforms. Maybe it’s the lack of trim, because overall I expect more from Nike than this really mediocre ensemble.
No. 9 LSU: The LSU Tigers have probably had the same uniform dating back to the dawn of time. It’s classic, people like it, but they get major points docked (actually, there is no point scoring system) for only having one uniform combination. White on yellow is the only uniform they have. Ever noticed they wear road uniforms at home? So when they actually do go on the road, they wear their road uniforms again. I get purple isn’t an easy color to incorporate, but a lot of people like what TCU has done with their uniforms. Nike does have a purple top the team has worn before (and a Pro Combat white one as well), but they should use the color more regularly. Really, just stop being dumb by wearing whites at home. And while we’re at it, stop marking every five-yard line on the home field, instead of how it’s normally done every ten yards. It’s like they’re being different just to annoy me.
No. 8 South Carolina: Under Armor doesn’t make good jerseys, and that is just not debatable. Their crazy concept last year to honor Wounded Warriors was different to say the least; a great idea, but overall poorly executed. That’s not South Carolina’s fault, but they had to wear them so they get docked. The worst part was the lack of last names, and replacement with random feel-good words, like “Courage,” “Commitment,” “Service,” and “Country.” Hard to hate on something honoring veterans, but they just weren’t all quite there. As for the traditional uniforms, there is nothing eye-catching about the Gamecock’s look. They get the job done, but they haven’t updated it in some time, so you see it, pass over it, and don’t think about taking a second glance. Helmets are great, with a nice looking logo and classic triple stripe down the center.
**************
There you have the bottom half of the SEC Football Uniform Power Rankings. Where did I go wrong? Did I value a team too highly or too critically? What is the worst uniform in the SEC in your opinion? Check back tomorrow for part two where the top seven teams are revealed in order. There are some really sharp uniforms in the top half; you don’t want to miss it.
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