Uniform Manufacturers

Upon looking at the new NCAA Football 13 Teambuilder, I realized that every single team had a manufacturer's logo on it. This is something I hate, more over, I thought to myself who all the manufactures were.

Out of the 124 FBS teams:

78 Nike sponsored teams
31 Addidas sponcered
10 Under Armor
5 Russell

So over 60% of all teams are Nike branded teams. I first see the problem with actually knowing by looking at their uniforms and further, why are these the only four companies? Where is Sportsbell, Gilden, New Balance, Puma, and all the others? How can only four companies have a corner on the market and Nike almost have a monopoly on that market?

Top 10 FBS stadiums I'd like to visit

For those of you who are not aware, I am a videographer with an FCS football team. My primary job is to film practices and games for coaches. Within the last year I worked all the home games for my school, going into my sophomore year I will not be able to travel to at least one road game. Unfortunately the slate of road games this season dose not offer for any "unique" or interesting travel destinations. True we are going to California, which is always nice, but we don't have any interesting stadiums to play in. Our schedule also lacks an FBS opponent, meaning that some of the most unique venues in college athletics will not be available to us. This is my countdown of the top 10 FBS stadiums I would like to visit, meaning I wish my school could schedule these teams so that we can go play there, and I get to come along. Keep in mind these are the stadiums I would like to visit and are all opinionated. These are just places I want to go, not necessarily where everyone wants to go.


10. Virginia's Scott Stadium

This may seem an odd choice to most people, but for me, its common sense. My father is from Charolettesville, Virginia and has been a UVA fan since he was in to womb. If my school was to schedule them, I know my father would take off a week from work, drive the eight hours to Charlottesville, visit his brothers and sisters, and they all would get tickets to the game. His son's school versus his favorite school would be too much of a chance to pass up. So this choice is more for my father than me, but nevertheless, I would still like to go back and see UVA again, it is a beautiful campus and frankly, we might have a chance to beat them.

9. The Rose Bowl

I think that any trip to Pasadena would be amazing (just as long as I don't have to drive myself though LA traffic). The Rose Bowl is a logical stop as I don't really like USC's stadium as well as some aspects of USC itself. UCLA is more along the lines of what I would want in a school if I had a choice between the two (FYI, both schools rejected me upon applying). The Rose Bowl just has more history, tradition, and is on more hallowed grown than the Coliseum is. Plus any chance to play UCLA in those "True Blue" blue tops is just beautiful!


8. Marshall's Joan C. Edwards Stadium

Marshall is a school and stadium I have always wanted to visit. I was never aware what was so special about Marshall, besides their national championships and all star players, until I watched "We Are Marshall". I now understand what is special about the Marshall football program. I can still remember the days of Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich being carried down the field by his linemen. I even had a high school teammate go to Marshall. So to me, it would just be fun to see the school and this team play, even if some of that history if forgotten in the public eye.

7. Louisville's Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium

This is going to annoy a lot of my friends back home. So I was born and raised in Louisville, about 70% of my friends went to Louisville, and Louisville football is king in the city, which is odd for a basketball state. Now I have worked int he stadium several times when my high school team would play there and every time it was fun. A return home to watch my college play Louisville would be sweet. Not to mention Louisville is always flat in the first game of the season and we would have a legit shot of beating them and silencing all of those obnoxious Cardinal fans back home.
 

6. Northwestern's Ryan Field

I have always loved visiting Chicago, but never once have I been to Northwestern. I always plan on visiting the school but never got the time. Evanston I am told is really nice and beautiful, a far cry from the hectic city streets. I love the B1G and it will always have soft spot in my heart (look at spot #3). I love the hill in the end zone because it reminds me of my high school days when I would run up the hill after scoring a touchdown. And as far as the city, going there to visit Navy Pier, the Field Museum, and Soldier Field would be welcomed places to revisit. Northwestern was another school I wanted to go to, but sadly, I was not good enough. On the bright side, being an academic school (I know right?) we would have a good chance of knocking them off too.

5. Kentucky's Commonwealth Stadium

So with 70% of my friends going to Louisville, the rest pretty much went to Kentucky. Many close friends and lovers all went to UK and in all of the times I visited Lexington, I never once went to the campus or visited the stadium. The sea of blue is really cool and the uniforms (besides the black) are really cool. I hate the SEC, so to play UK and have a fair shot of winning is just an awesome notion. My conference is 0-9 against the SEC and I would love to at least see one win in my lifetime. And I must say, my mother is a die hard Wildcat fan... sadly. Although she likes basketball more, I know she would jump at the chance to drive to Lexington to see the game, and if UK did win, I would have to hear about it for the rest of my life.


4. Boise State's Bronco Stadium

The Smurf Turf. My brother's teammate played for Tulsa, and back when both schools were in the WAC, Tulsa would travel to play them. He told me that it was one of the best college football experiences he has ever had. There is a mystique about Boise and the blue turf, I can't explain it, but it makes me want to watch Boise every chance I get. Not to mention the Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma really excited me about this program. Unlike the teams so far on this list, we would get pummeled by Boise, but that doesn't matter. To me, whats important is going to watch my team play Boise as they wear all blue and try to find them hiding between the hash marks.

3. Michigan State's Spartan Stadium

A few years ago my school played MSU in East Lansing, unfortunately I was not with the team at that time and I hope that sometime soon we get to go back to Michigan. You see, MSU holds a very special place in my heart. A few summers ago I dated the most beautiful girl while she was at MSU. For reasons that are beyond my understanding, she did not last. Nevertheless, the campus if full of fond memories that I wish to revisit. I even attended a 2010 contest between Illinois and MSU with her. It was the most fun I ever had at a college football game. She is long since graduate and moved away, I may not ever see her again. But while I fell in love with her, I fell in love with the Spartans. The green and white uniforms, the "What is your profession?!" blaring on the speakers, and the Red Cedar River. Oh what I wouldn't give to go back to those days. So while my school would be smashed to atoms by the Spartans, the chance to relive my past, is too good to pass up.

2. CenturyLink Field

So this is obviously not a college stadium, its home to my favorite NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks. The reason that its on the list is because Washington and Washington State have been known to play home games here. For the 2012 season, as Husky Stadium is undergoing renovations, Washington is playing all of their home games at CenturyLink. The honor of playing the Huskies this season from the FCS is Portland State and I am extremely jealous! I love the Seahawks, I love Seattle, and I love the PAC-12. The opportunity to go to Seattle and play the Huskies in the same stadium that Matt Hasslebeck and Shaun Alexander won the 2005 NFC championship in is a dream come true, next to actually playing the Seahawks that is. Hopefully the renovations at Husky Stadium will take a bit longer and we would have a slim chance of playing them. On the other hand Washington State always plays one home game at CenturyLink and while this is usually reserved for a conference opponent, there is always a chance they could schedule us.

1. Hawaii's Aloha Stadium

This choice is a no brainier and I shouldn't have to spell out to you why I would want to play here, but I will anyway. Hawaii is by far my favorite college football team (from the FBS). Its college football... in paradise. I don't know or understand why five star athletes would want to go to Alabama or Georgia or South Bend, when they could play in Honolulu! Its a beautiful location, beautiful women, great history and tradition, and frankly for any team its a reward to go play there. Nuff said!



So that's my list, those are the places I wish my team could play so I could visit. Tell me what you think of my choices, where would you want to go? Leave comments below!

2011 Iowa State Cyclones

2011

Iowa State Cyclones

Big XII

Helmet: B+

Home Jersey: A

Away Jersey: A

Pants: A

Final Verdict: 

As Is

A lot of people have expressed their hatred of this uniform. Frankly, I don't understand why. When I first saw these uniforms, I really liked them. True they looked a bit too much like USC (which may be the reason for some hate, in part), but I thought it was a good look. The logo is simplistic, but in a good way. Not overly complicated. I do question putting a red "I" on a red helmet, but the outline in yellow and "State" in yellow helps it pop. The gray facemask is bothersome to be sure, but no major objection. The word here is "Simple" and everything about the uniform is simple. However, that is a good kind of simple. The uniform is not busy, it utilizes both team colors without resorting to adding other colors like black or white. The numbers are easy to read and I like the font on both the numbers and the chest text. The stripes on the pants are good, no problems there. Overall this uniform is simple and I find unoffensive. I guess most people don't like it being so simple and that perhaps offend them. I like that a school can have a simple look and not look dull. I really hope that Iowa State keeps these uniforms for years to come. And here's hoping that one day they may join the B1G with the Hawkeyes.

2002 Michigan State Spartans

2002

Michigan State Spartans

B1G

 

Helmet:  A-

Home Jersey: B-

Away Jersey: B-

Pants: A

Final Verdict:

Good Riddance

This is an odd little number from recent MSU history. While this may not be the worst uniform the Spartans have ever had, it is the most unusual and bland. I get that they were trying to do something unique, but its rather uninspiring. The helmet is fine, other than the "S". It has always been my understanding that the "S" was the academic logo and the spartan helmet was the athletic logo. The numbers are fine, but they should be on the sleeves. They obviously left out the numbers for this strange piping. I know I have seen that design before, not on a football uniform, but I don't recall where. It just doesn't look right, kinda makes the arms look puffy. In addition, the "State" on the uniform is kinda lackluster. Tons of schools have "State", this should be unique. Not much to say about the pants, they are fine as is. All in all, Michigan State has one of the best uniform histories, but this is not one of the high points. Thankfully this uniform only stayed for one season then left like Bobby Williams.

2001 San Jose State Spartans

2001

San Jose State Spartans

WAC

Helmet:  A-

Home Jersey: F

Away Jersey: B-

Pants: F (black), A (white)

Final Verdict:

Good Riddance

Welcome to my first "Retro Review". This is where I take a specific uniform set from the past and do a review of it. Since the uniform is typically no longer around, the gradeing scale is now: "Good Riddance" or "Should have left well enough alone". Basically the former meaning I am glad they got rid of it and the latter being they should have kept it.

I really feel bad for San Jose State sometimes. Not only are they the only FBS team in California with no respect, but they play in an area dominated by the Raider, 49ers, Golden Bears, and Cardinal, and continue to get buried each year. I just want to see these guys be competitive for once. Or at the very least, have good uniforms. This should be filed under the "what were they thinking" category. I think this is an early example of BFBS before it became popular. Not only does black consume the uniform as the symbiote consumed Peter Parker, but it makes the team look bush league. Lets start from the top. The helmet logo is great and a year before these uniforms they had their best helmet, with a yellow facemask. Here, however, its black and it really darkens the color of the helmet. The yellow numbers are OK, but what is that stripe they have? I can see it better on the away uniforms, but I can't tell what it is suppose to look like. At least the white uniform had an absents of black and looks rather decent. And whats up with the "S" and the "E" spelling both "San Jose" and "State"? I mean I like that they have it written there, and yes I understand that "San Jose State" can be a bit wordy for a uniform, but its just so weird, hard to focus your eyes kinda. I'll grant its unique, just not very good. Black pants? Nope. And really adding the blue and yellow stripes did not help. The only good thing about this uniform is that the away uniform looked good. Granted the strip on the side made no sense, but it look descent. I don't know what compelled SJSU to do this, but I am glad it didn't last long. But ever since this, it seems SJSU is still struggling to find a descent uniform. Its one thing to be a bad team or have a bad uniform, but both is just a crime.

2011 Florida State Seminoles

2011

Florida State Seminoles

ACC

Helmet: A+

Home Jersey: A

Away Jersey: A

Pants: A+

Final Verdict: 

As Is

Frankly, I don't have much to say. The FSU uniforms are 99% perfect. Why 99%? Well first I will say that the helmet itself is perfect, perhaps the top five in college football helmets. The tomahawks for helmet stickers is great. The pants, also perfect. They don't need any stripes or anything, just the chief on the hip. I love the cuffs of the neck and sleeves have the feather print, very unique. Numbers are classy and stand out well, and there are even shoulder numbers. Now I appreciate that FSU added the "FSU" text to their uniforms, but where I have a problem is; FSU means more than just Florida State. Usually when I read FSU, I think of Fresno State, but that abbreviation is FS, which is commonly a secondary logo for FSU (you see the confusion). So I think that the FSU is a bit unclear for anyone outside of Florida, myself included. Really, it should be Florida State spelled out or Seminoles. And I take exception to Seminoles being written out because Seminoles is in recognition of a proud people and I have no problem with that name being there over the Florida State name. And of course the Nike logo is too big and predominate, and the NCAA triangle is there, but not counting those, this is a uniform that needs to stay around forever.

2011 Memphis Tigers

2011

Memphis Tigers

C-USA

 

Helmet: B

Home Jersey: A

Away Jersey: A

Pants: A (grey) A- (white)

Final Verdict: 

As Is

In light of the fact that Memphis will be moving to the Big East, I thought it only right to comment about their uniforms. I was not aware until recently that Memphis had new uniforms, and they are an improvement over last year's. The helmet is still the same. Of course, I don't like the black face mask, but more importantly, the logo blends into the helmet. Its a good logo, but since most of it is blue on a blue helmet its hard to really see it. The white outline helps, but not much. The jersey style is that of the current (2011) Miami uniform. The "bars" (I guess you would call them) add much needed color to the away uniform and the grey on the home makes it balanced. The numbers with the black outlines are good, makes them pop and easy to read. I don't get why the plain "M" is on the chest. Frankly it looks like the Montana State helmet logo. You would think that the chest would either say "Memphis" or have the "M" with the tiger, like on the helmet. And the C-USA patch is boring. I remember a time, back when Louisville was in C-USA, that all teams had "C-USA" written on the uniforms, kinda makes sense to keep it that way. I just don't know what people making uniforms think I guess. In any case, the pants are great. The grey ones I like and I am glad they did not go with all all blue uniform. As I have said before, I like the team name being written on the pants, but I am curious as to why the white pants have "Memphis" in grey and not blue, its so hard to read. Frankly I always enjoyed this Memphis uniform, but for what they have, its good, its simple, its clean, and it should stay for a few years.

2011 Idaho Vandals

2011

Idaho Vandals

WAC

 

 

 

 

Helmet: A- (standard), A- (alternate)

Home Jersey: A+

Away Jersey: B+

Pants: A+ (gold), A (black)

Final Verdict: 

As Is

This is the example to which Vanderbilt needs to look at for their uniforms. Idaho is a very simple black and gold. And frankly those two colors together look good, but teams like Vanderbilt can mess it up sometime, not in the the case of Idaho as a whole. The helmets are great. Simple with black face mask and gold shell. I gave it an A- simply because I am still a bit unsure about the logo. Same with the alternate. I don't think that Idaho has a unifying logo to put up there. Teams like Miami and Texas have an iconic logo that works on their helmets. Idaho tried two logos this year and neither really stand out as iconic, hence the minus. I will also note that I did not review the American flag logo, simply because it was a one time thing and nothing really special (American flag logos on helmets in general). Home jerseys, perfect. Sleeve numbers, "Idaho" on the front, gold numbers with white outlines, player names, and the "WAC" logo at a good size and it predominate. The away jerseys, that's another story. I mean I like the use of gold on the shoulders, but they don't match with the home jerseys. I don't like, nor understand, why they have two different uniform styles for the home and away. So it bothers me on that level. Plus, the "V" logo is on the collar for the away jerseys, but the "I" logo for the home. Someone needs to make up their mind here. And I also don't understand why the "WAC" logo has a box around it. Gold pants, perfect. Black pants? Well... I don't get the strip. Typically that stripe is used for teams that have a bear logo (like Cal or Baylor) to represent a bear paw slashing. Dose not work with Idaho, plus it dose not flow with the rest of the uniforms. I don't like the black on black, but its not as offensive as other black on black combos I have seen. Really, if they can tweak the white uniforms and maybe the black pants a bit it would be better, but I am satisfied with the uniforms as a whole and say that they should keep this as is.

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2011

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Independent

 

 

Helmet: F (standard), F+ (sparkly), A- (shamrock), B+ (sparkly shamrock)

Home Jersey: F (blue), A (green)

Away Jersey: C (white), A (shamrock)

Pants: A (gold and shamrock)

Final Verdict: 

Overhaul

I hate Notre Dame. Why? Why not? When they say that people either love them or hate them, I am firmly intrenched in the hate category. Frankly I would have not done this review if not for a request. Now I don't want my hate for the Irish to spill over into my review, but how can it not? One of the reasons I hate Notre Dame is because of their uniforms. The main problem with the uniforms is that they are too plain. I mean there is old school and throw back, but its a different matter when a school refuses to change anything at all. And these are just so boring! The helmet gets an immediate fail. No logo, no originality, and a grey face mask. And making them sparkly didn't help at all. There was no though into this helmet at all. The jerseys are the same. Nothing except a number. True they now have the interlocking "ND" logo, but even that's boring. I'd have settled for the leprechaun over something so plain. The pants are fine because they are simple gold. Nothing really bad about that. But I will say that Notre Dame made a quantum leap in improvements with their throwbacks. Adding the shamrock is great. Why? Because it adds and identity and an icon to the helmets that automatically makes it identifiable and makes it stand out. True I don't like the grey face mask, hence the minus in the score. The sparkly shamrock helmet is good, mainly because of the green face mask added, but the sparkly "dimples" don't really add anything. And I will say I love the throwback white jerseys. A bright green, shamrocks, and shoulder stripes, almost perfect. I would say that for Notre Dame to be awesome looking in the future; make the shamrock a permanent fixture, and give a green face mask. Make the shamrock green the primary color, and adopt the "throwbacks" as your new uniforms. Plus of course names on the back and "Notre Dame" or even "Irish" on the front would be great. I can't say these changes will change my opinion of Notre Dame, but like "Rudy" will make me hate them even less... for a short time.

2011 Buffalo Bulls

2011

Buffalo Bulls

MAC

 

Helmet: A

Home Jersey: A-

Away Jersey: A-

Pants: A (blue), A (white), F (black)

Final Verdict: 

As Is 

The Bulls made an enormous improvement over the last off season with the unis. As before they looked like the Wal-Mart brand Kentucky, they now looks like... the JC Penny brand of Fresno State. Its no secret that Buffalo and Fresno used the same template, but I think Buffalo dose it better. However, that's because of their color scheme. Blue and white works better in this sense. The Blue is very vibrant and stands out well. The font on the uniform is great and unique, and the blue and white pants are great. The Nike logo is small and almost unnoticeable, which is always good. "Buffalo" could be bigger, but not really a problem. No real comment about the helmets since they are the same from last year. Now here is what is wrong. First no shoulder or TV numbers, but that's forgivable. They too have the "arm pit" stain look, but instead of using the team colors, both uniforms have a black stain. Why? You tell me. And of course, the black pants. Why? I have no idea. In any case the over all look is good. I say get rid of the back pit stains and pants and it would be great. But I am willing to be generous this time and give this MAC team an As Is ranking.

2011 Fresno State Bulldogs

2011

Fresno State Bulldogs

WAC

 

Helmet: A

Home Jersey: B

Away Jersey: A

Pants: B (red), A (white)

Final Verdict: 

Tweak 

I will be the first to admit that I did not like it when Fresno State changed from their previous uniform set to the current one. I thought it was crazy to change such a simple and classic design. However, I will admit that it looks better eight months later. The helmet itself did not change much, the strip was added, which I think gave it more color. The Fresno helmet was simple to begin with, this really didn't do much to hurt it. The pants are great, at least the white ones. They are similar to that of Arizona, in which they both have this digital tiling effect going on with the stripes. The whites are great, the reds, well, the problem is that the red and blue don't mix well, making the blue look like black. Same thing with the jerseys, the white is great, but the blue dose not look good on it. Whats really odd about these uniforms, is the "pit stains" under the sleeves. It seriously looks like, on the red uniforms, that someone sweat out that pattern. It is less offensive on the white uniforms, but on the blue it is a distraction. I am a bit upset that the "WAC" logo is mysteriously absent from the uniform and I hope that by next season the Mountain West will wise up and allow the conference patch to be in team colors and not the standard purple and silver. I think that if Fresno lightens up the blue and gets rid of... whatever you actually call that under the arms, and add TV numbers, the uniform would get a solid A.

(NOTE: I am aware that Fresno State will be in the Mountain West in 2012, but this uniform was made while they were in the WAC, thus it is reviewed under the WAC label.)

2012 Minnesota Golden Gophers

2012

Minnesota Golden Gophers 

B1G

Helmet: B-

Home Jersey: B (maroon), B (gold)

Away Jersey: B

Pants: A (all)

Final Verdict:

Tweak

So the new Golden Gopher uniforms are here, and frankly, I am unimpressed. Granted I really like the simple design they went with, but it may be too simple. First as stated in my review of the helmet, I don't like the black face mask. The face mask should be maroon or gold or possibly white (on a side note I did like the white helmet they had a few years ago), other than the that, the helmet is fine, but perhaps too dark. I do appreciate however that the rest of the uniform lacks any kind of black, except for the socks and shoes, bad move there. I have no problems with the pants, they are simple and have the proper team colors. The jerseys look decent, but a few flaws. First, I don't like "Minnesota" on the back, it should be on the front. I am a firm believe in player's names on the back of the uniforms, plus having just the logo on the front is pointless, as the logo is on the sides of the helmet. And I really hate the collar. Would someone please explain to me what that sticky, glazed looking this is on the front of the collar? I mean it looks like someone put a spider web on it or spilled something sticky on the jerseys. Every Nike team seems to be getting it and its really off putting and I hate it. I think that with a change of color on the face mask, putting "Minnesota" on the front of the jerseys, and perhaps some piping, it would get an "As Is" from me, but as it is, just a tweak grade.

For full pictures and video, visit this link:

Golden Gophers New Uniforms

SOPA Strike!

While I don't own Blogger, or any other website, I do support the SOPA Strike.

So if ANYONE is reading this (which I doubt at this point), please follow the link and support:

SOPA Strike!