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.

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 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 Sam Houston State Bearkats

2011

Sam Houston State Bearkats

Southland

After watching both Montana schools fall in the FCS playoffs, I thought I would cover the team opposite of North Dakota State in the National Championship game. The sad truth is that FCS teams don't get the respect they deserve, so it was really hard to find most of these pictures. Sam Houston has a really simple look, and that's good here. The helmet is orange with a white face mask to balance. The jerseys are simple and effective. I wish they could have names on the back of the uniform. I think I should also mention that Sam Houston State is the first team to get my "Poor Literacy is Kewl" hatred. (Thanks Linkara!) Seriously, cats with a "K"? I don't get it. The pants strip is a bit off, I guess I like my pant strips to be a sold consistent line, but it works. The team colors are to include blue, but I don't see any, unless that black really is a really, really dark blue, but I doubt it.

Helmet: A

Home Jersey: A

Away Jersey: A

Pants: A-

Final Verdict:

As Is

Honestly, not too much to say here. It's simple, but not unique. All things considered, I like it and hope they can keep this for a while.

And for those of you paying attention, I will review "special" or pro combat uniforms separately. So I will review the camo jerseys soon.

2011 FAU Owls

2011

Florida Atlantic Owls

Sun Belt

 

Lets go ahead and start with a positive review.

Its not easy to make a red and blue uniform. The problem is that you may use too much blue or too much red and no one is sure which is the primary color. FAU seems to use blue more than red, but finds a great balance between the two. I love the white helmet. FAU is very simple and sleek. A traditional look, but not boring like other classic looks. Having only white pants also helps balance it and gives it a clean look. I also like how you can barley see the Adidas logo, which is always nice, but there is that generic NCAA conference logo. I like how they use the FAU logo, as opposed to writing it out or just spelling Florida Atlantic to begin with. Makes it look less busy and that's always good. And one final note, I like how the helmet bumper says "Owls", that to me is the best place for it, as "FAU" is greater than "Owls".

Helmet: A+

Home Jersey: A

Away Jersey: A

Pants: A

Final Verdict:

As Is

The uniform is great. I don't see any changes that they need to be made. Perhaps a red alternate, but other than that, I can't complain.