35 Best College Football Uniforms in 2024
November 6, 2024
What are the best college football uniforms? Well, style is subjective. Fashion trends are fickle, and the boundary between tacky and chic is vague and porous. But if we suspend our personal biases鈥攁nd here I鈥檒l zero in on the sports world鈥擨 think we can make a few uncontroversial assessments of uniform-style. It pains me to admit this as a Mets fan, but the Yankees pinstripes are classic. Elegant, even. But not all uniforms are created equal. Those mustard-yellow and brown San Diego Padres uniforms, for example? Hideous. And some of the featured throughout the MLB over the past few years have been nasty-looking as well.
It’s fair to say that there have been some questionable design decisions in college football, too. Those scaly green things meant to resemble actual alligator skin鈥斺�攚ere, and are, an abomination. And the University of Central Florida鈥檚 decision to instead of numbers was equally objectionable. But we鈥檙e not here to excoriate the awkward, ill-advised, or downright ugly college football uniforms. We鈥檙e here to celebrate the best college football uniforms, the cleanest and most classic. Check out a list of the best college football uniforms below.
Best College Football Uniforms
35) Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are a college football dynasty. They鈥檝e won 5 national titles, which makes them one of the most decorated teams in college football history, and they also fielded what many consider to be the best college football team ever. That team, led by head coach Tom Osborne and all-time great quarterback Tommie Frazier, won back to back titles in 1994 and 1995.
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The Huskers鈥� uniforms are a part of their rich football history. The straightforward red-and-whites are certainly one of the best college football uniforms being donned today.
34) Arizona State Sun Devils
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33) Miami Hurricanes
The University of Miami green and orange is synonymous with South Florida. The Hurricanes boast one of the best college football uniforms out there, plus a winning history to go along with it. The Canes have won a total of 5 national championships, and their run in the 1980s鈥攖hey won 4 national titles in a span of 9 years鈥攚as one of the most dominant the sport has ever seen.
32) Washington Huskies
The purple-and-gold might not be the most intuitive color combination, but the Huskies somehow pull it off. Plus, the colors are bold and eye-catching, so the rest of the unis can be clean and elegant.
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31) Boise State Broncos
The Broncos鈥� uniforms are enhanced by the look of their stadium. Albertsons Stadium, where the Broncos play their home games, is known for its distinctive blue turf. Fun fact: when it was installed in 1986, it was the first non-green playing surface in football history. Boise State鈥檚 all blues are one of the best college football uniforms, especially when they鈥檙e playing at home.
30) Kentucky Wildcats
29) Cincinnati Bearcats
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28) University of Central Florida Knights
The QR codes were a style misstep. Otherwise, the UCF Knights have some of the sleekest, most interesting uniforms in college football. The Knights鈥� uniforms are mostly black with gold lettering, a style which matches their moniker perfectly. It鈥檚 also a clever little play on words (they鈥檙e the knights; they wear uniforms black as night).
27) Oklahoma State Cowboys
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26) Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers鈥� black and neon-orange uniforms have a sort of glow-in-the-dark quality to them. Plus, Tennessee鈥檚 鈥淏lock T鈥� logo is one of the more recognizable collegiate logos in the country.
25) Clemson Tigers
Clemson orange has become a fixture on the national level within the last decade or so. After becoming Clemson鈥檚 head coach in 2008, Dabo Swinney catapulted the team to national relevance in the 2010s and led the Tigers to national championships in 2016 and 2018. The Tigers鈥� all orange uniforms paired with their paw-printed helmets is one of the best looks in college football.
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24) Florida Gators
I know I mentioned one of Gators鈥� more dubious design decisions in the intro, but that single blunder doesn鈥檛 take away from the fact that Florida boasts one of the best unis in college sports. Albert the Gator is one of the most recognizable mascots in American sports, and the UF blue and orange is a distinctive and iconic color combination as well.
23) Mississippi State Bulldogs
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22) ECU Pirates
21) UCLA Bruins
听Colleges, at the end of the day, are brands, and no school has done a better job of curating its brand over the years than UCLA. Both UCLA鈥檚 script logo and their royal and blue color scheme have a vintage, classic, uniquely collegiate look.
20) Ole Miss Rebels
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19) Auburn Tigers
Like most colleges, the Auburn Tigers have played with variations of their uniforms over the years, but for the most part, their navy, orange, and white color scheme has stayed intact.
18) USC Trojans
The Trojans have kept their uniforms consistent over the years, and for good reason. Their cardinal and gold uniforms are classy and distinguished, which matches their storied history. The Trojans have won 7 national titles; their last came in 2004. While current head coach Lincoln Riley hasn鈥檛 exactly lived up to expectations鈥攈e鈥檚 one of the highest paid coaches in all of college football, with a salary estimated to be around $10 million yearly鈥擴SC is nonetheless one of the most dominant college football programs of all time.
17) Duke Blue Devils
16) Oklahoma Sooners
Many of the best college football uniforms are simple. That applies to the uniforms of the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners鈥� crimson uniforms are both clean and striking, and that fits well with the Sooners鈥� immaculate football tradition. They鈥檝e won 7 national titles, the third most of all time, behind only Notre Dame and Alabama.
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15) North Carolina Tar Heels
14) Georgia Bulldogs
The simple red and black Georgia uniforms are classic, especially as they鈥檝e been coupled, over the last few years, with dominance on the national stage. The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, and they鈥檙e currently sitting at second in the AP Top 25. The 鈥淕鈥� decal imprinted on the side of the Bulldogs鈥� helmets is classic, too.
13) Michigan State Spartans
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12) Virginia Tech Hokies
11) TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs deserve a spot on the list of the best college football uniforms for being bold. Their silver, purple, and black color scheme is certainly a statement, and it may be the most eye-popping uniform on this list.
10) Maryland Terrapins
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9) Louisville Cardinals
8) Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks have rocked some great uniforms over the years, but this year鈥檚 get-up is a beautiful distillation of their past styles. The all-green uniform with yellow trim鈥攑lus the classic, cartoonish Oregon Duck on the sleeve鈥�.
7) Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns have one of the best college football uniforms, hands down. Both the burnt-orange-and-white color combo and the steer logo are classic, and of course Texas has a rich football history to go along with the look. The Darrell K Royal-led Longhorns were a dynasty in the 1960s, and they last won a national title in 2005, behind an all-time season from quarterback Vince Young.
6) Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State navy and white is an all-time college football look. The Nittany Lions鈥� uniforms suggest tradition and the glory days of college football.
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5) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish uniform is another iconic jersey that conjures up images of the good-ole days of college football, and their traditional navy blue and gold color combo has withstood the test of time. Notre Dame, in addition to being one of the best dynasties the sport has ever seen, play in one of the most storied stadiums in the country, Beaver Stadium, which has a capacity of 106,000. And the Notre Dame-USC rivalry is one of the fiercest across all of college football.
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4) Alabama Crimson Tide
As I crafted this list of the best college football uniforms, I often wondered why we attribute adjectives like 鈥渃lassic鈥� and 鈥渋conic鈥� to certain team uniforms but not to others. Many of the schools on this list aren鈥檛 exactly surprising; most well represented here are the established college football dynasties. So maybe the aesthetics of the uniforms are only half the story. Maybe the other half is the ethos of the teams, their traditions, histories, and their performances over the years.
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In the case of the Alabama Crimson Tide, their uniforms have become synonymous with greatness. Yeah, they wear nice-looking crimson and white uniforms. But Alabama has been so good鈥攖hey鈥檝e so often dominated the landscape of college football鈥攖hat it鈥檚 impossible not to associate their uniforms with football glory. The Crimson Tide have won 14 national titles鈥攖hat鈥檚 the most of all time鈥攁nd a remarkable 6 of those have come since 2009. So while the Crimson Tide uniforms are worthy of respect in their own right, I鈥檓 pretty sure we鈥檇 be calling them classic no matter what they looked like.
3) LSU Tigers
听LSU is another school with both an impressive football resume and an iconic uniform. The Tigers鈥� purple and gold is one of the most distinctive in college football, and they鈥檙e a consistent powerhouse. They鈥檝e won 4 national titles, and their last came in 2019 with Joe Burrow leading the way in the back field.
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2) Michigan Wolverines
听The Wolverines鈥� home field, Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor (also known as 鈥淭he Big House鈥�), is the biggest college football stadium in the country. It seats nearly 108,000. Michigan football, in other words, is a spectacle. So it makes sense that they鈥檝e got one of the best college football uniforms. The color combination of their traditional uniforms鈥攂lue and maize鈥攊s especially stunning against the backdrop of more than 100,000 similarly-clothed fans.
1) Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State last won a national title in 2014 (they鈥檝e won 6 overall). Still, the Buckeyes are a perennial contender鈥攖hey鈥檙e currently the third-best team in college football according to the AP Top 25鈥攁nd they鈥檝e got one of the richest football traditions in the country. Plus, they鈥檝e got an absolutely classic uniform. Their silver helmets, dotted with leaves and punctuated with a single white and scarlet stripe, are second to none.
