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Good Sunday Morning Uni Watchers…welcome to the first Sunday Morning Uni Watch of the 2023 season!
Yesterday, the University of Tennessee Volunteers broke out their GFGS 2023 “Smokey Grey” uniforms vs. Austin Peay. As I noted earlier this week, the uniforms pay homage to Condredge Holloway, who played for the Vols from 1971-74 and was nicknamed “The Artful Dodger.” Holloway was the first Black player to start at quarterback for an SEC program.
While the 2023 Smokey Grey’s were noticeably darker than their 2022 comparts, they didn’t really appear so in the photoshoot. On the field, however, they appeared much darker…almost black.
Putting aside for a second the untucked shirts — something that has really become a thing this season — I thought the unis looked pretty good.
Fauxing-back to a classic design, orange yoke included, actually kinda worked on the darker gray uniforms.
I’m not a fan of yokes in general, but the combo of the orange and dark gray meshed well, and the white outline on the numbers helped immensely.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised the nice matchup between the two teams.
And now, I’ll turn it over to Terry for the rest of your…
• • • • •
Sunday Morning Uni Watch by Terry Duroncelet, Jr.
How many different ways can I say this at the start of Week 2?
From Friday:
• Kansas/Illinois: The Jayhawks listened to The Rolling Stones once, and have never known peace since. Awful. The saddest part is that if you strip away the BFBS, it’s actually a brilliant uniform. Any form of “saloon” font SCREAMS Jayhawks, and I wish that they’d used this template for the new primary home and road uniforms to add some dynamic to them. Not that there’s anything wrong with their new togs, they’re just a little… SAFE.
• Indiana/Indiana State: I noticed that the number font on the Hoosiers’ unis is different from previous years (not the same number, but hopefully illustrates my point).
• Army/Delaware State: Contrast Matters: Unexpected Gem Edition. I don’t think we’ve ever had back-to-back positive Contrast Matters games in one post before!
• Wake Forest/Vanderbilt: The scrimmage match that wasn’t: much like last year’s tilt between former Big East brawlers Pitt and West Virginia, if you have two teams with identical color schemes, THIS is how you handle that situation. Well done.
• Colorado/Nebraska: An old Big XII matchup from the stone ages. Despite the big showing against the Cornhuskers, the Buffaloes were NOT going for gold with their uni combo from yesterday. Collar logo aside, there’s barely a shred of gold here! Also, this might be only the second time that Colorado has worn a black-and-white helmet (I could be totally wrong, though).
• Tulane/Ole Miss: Got enough light blue, there? Funny enough, while I normally would be neutral on low-contrast games like this, but this was actually kinda nice. To be fair, I’m already kinda predisposed to light blue, so I don’t have much ground to stand on. And I absolutely loved Ole Miss’s helmets.
• Bowling Green/Eastern Illinois: White at home for the Falcons (video because I couldn’t find a still that illustrated my point).
• BYU/Southern Utah: Wait, why do the Cougars look kinda cool?? I also kinda forgot that they play in the Big XII now.
• Michigan State/Richmond: I’m so happy that the Spartans started embracing the Greek key more in recent years, especially on their helmets (closer look).
• San José State/Cal Poly: BFBS for a team that ironically plays in the Golden State. Blech. I love the logo, tho.
• Tennessee/Austin Peay: New Smokey greys for Tennessee, featuring the return of the Condredge Holloway-era orange shoulder yolk (UW post, in case you missed it).
• Navy/Wagner: NGL, the lack of white in Navy’s new uniforms (conference patch notwithstanding) is really satisfying.
• Alabama/Texas: This new Nike template is weird. Not only do chest names ride lower than ever, creating this sort of effect (as mentioned yesterday), but one detail that I missed until last night’s game was Texas hitting CTRL+Z on their TV numbers! I was wondering why they looked whiter than ever (pic from last year). Never thought I’d say this, but the Longhorns look kinda bizarre. Still a class-A uniform, though.
And that’ll do it for Week 2! I’ve only shared a tiny modicum of the helmet mentions that Blaise D’Sylva made yesterday, but MAN, he’s got some good stuff on his Twitter (I REFUSE to call it the 24th letter of the alphabet. If Elongated Musky Husky won’t stop deadnaming his child, I won’t stop deadnaming his stupid website), so definitely have a look. Someone said it best. Hope everyone has a good week, enjoy today’s opening games for the NFL, and I’ll see you next week!
• • • • •
Thanks, TJ! Great stuff as always.
Canadian University Uni Watch
Returning for 2023 is Canadian University Uni Watcher Wade Heidt, who will bring us some looks at three-down, 110-yard Canadian university football from up north. That’s Wade to the right side of your screen (you can even click to enlarge). The shirt Wade is wearing was created by the one and only Wafflebored! Wade’s rundown will appear every week on SMUW until the season ends.
Enjoy!
• • • • •
What time is it? Time for some university football uniform watching Canadian rules style! It’s time for the CUUW!
These may be the first few games of the season. However, they are important games to establish a school’s place in the standings. The U Sports football season is not a long one so wins are crucial when you can get them.
Let’s take a look at a few of this weekend’s games. Travelling east to west as the CUUW likes to do.
• In the Atlantic conference (AUS), we had some BFBS in Sackville, NB. The hometown Mount Allison Mounties wore alternate black over black uniforms. The black jerseys featuring a crown logo on the sleeve for Mount A. Not the school’s best look. The visiting St. Francis Xavier X-Men wore white over white.
• In the Quebec conference (RSEQ), the Laval Rouge et Or broke out an uncommon uniform combo at home in Quebec City. The team looking more like the Rouge et Noir. Laval wore a black/red/red combo. The McGill Redbirds wearing a common road look for them. McGill went with white over white.
We will check out a couple of games in the Ontario conference (OUA).
• The Waterloo Warriors wore their black over yellow combo at home. Can’t go wrong with that. The visiting Windsor Lancers sporting a very basic road uniform. White over navy and no striping. Windsor still wears the unconventional helmet design. Their “W” logo on the top of the helmet rather than on the sides.
• Good news in Hamilton! The McMaster Marauders didn’t wear black pants for first time this season. It was maroon over maroon at home for McMaster. The York Lions did what many road teams did this weekend. They wore white over white.
We keep heading west. On to the Canada West conference for two games.
• The battle of Saskatchewan took place in Saskatoon. Which means lots of green. The Saskatchewan Huskies wearing their usual home look of mono-green. The Regina Rams wore white over gold. My alma mater usually doesn’t wear the gold pants with the white jerseys, but I am digging this combo.
• In Edmonton, the Alberta Golden Bears wore some new decals on the yellow helmet. New helmet striping. As well, the “Smirking Bear” logo making an appearance on the yellow helmet. This logo had previously been on the white helmet in recent years. It was the yellow/green/yellow combo for Alberta. The visiting Manitoba Bisons wearing their white uniforms trimmed in brown and gold.
Looking forward to games next week and the discovery of the unknown uniform combinations that will be.
• • • • •
Thanks, Wade! Great stuff — looking forward to another great season.
Jimmer Vilk's Five and One
Jimmer Vilk’s 5 & 1
Welcome to the Five and One for 2023!
Once again, Jim “Jimmer” Vilk (the original “5 & 1” decider) has returned.
The original concept of the 5 & 1 was simple: Jim picked five good matchups and one awful matchup. He’s still calling the project “5 & 1” but with a new twist.
You may agree and you may disagree — these are, after all, just opinions and everyone has one. Feel free to let him know what you think in the comments section.
If you have a game you feel is “worthy” of consideration for the 5 & 1, please either post it in the comments below or tweet Mr. Vilk @JVfromOhio.
Here’s today’s 5 and 1:
• • • • •
More cupcakes?? Didn’t we have enough of those last week? Oh well, another chance to give the Davids some love as they take on the Goliaths. Except for one matchup, every game has a 1-AA opponent. I didn’t plan that…it’s just that four of these schools brought their 1-A-game, sartorially speaking, to the big boy table. Let’s begin with…
5. The “You Can Tell Jerry Glanville Has Left The Building” Game:
Portland State/Wyoming
The Vikings have only made the &1 during The Man In Black’s reign of terror, so welcome to the positive side of the list!
__________
4. The “Love Me Some NNOB Unis” Matchup:
Delaware State/Army
Thanks to reader Bob Snow for pointing me to this great contrast of bright Hornets vs Black Knights.
__________
3. The “See, I Do Like An Occasional All-White Uniform” Game:
SMU/Oklahoma
I also like another Texas team saying, “Red or blue? Yes!”
__________
2. The “Color Palette Special”:
McNeese/Florida
I love me some School Name On Back as well!
__________
1. “Simply The Best”:
Charleston Southern/Clemson
Most of the Carolina schools are bringing fire so far this season!
__________
&1. “Yes, It’s Another Nice Day For A White Wedding…” Game:
Cal Poly/San Jose State
…But give me team colors instead…especially you, Mr. Penthouse-to-Outhouse Sparty West!
Now, if we’re finished with the cupcakes, can we have a lean and meaty schedule next week? See you then!
• • • • •
Thanks, Jim! OK readers? What say you? Agree or disagree with Jimmer’s selections? Let him know in the comments below.
NCAA Uni Tracking 2023
NCAA Uni Tracking
Uni Watch will again track the uniform combinations worn by college football conferences. As I mentioned yesterday, two of last year’s trackers for the SEC/BigXII (Ethan) and B1G (James) won’t be returning this season. I actually had two readers step up to agree to do the tracking for the SEC and B1G. We should be adding those to next weekend’s SMUW! I’m still looking for one more tracker to tackle the BigXII — so if you’re interested in the final slot, shoot me an e-mail (phil.hecken@gmail). OK? OK!
In the meantime, long-time trackers Rex Henry (tracking the ACC), and Dennis Bolt (tracking the PAC-12) are returning. Following the tracking, Dennis again returns with his Duck Tracking (which is the longest continuously-running feature on SMUW!)
Welcome to the 2023 Oregon Ducks Uni Tracker. This little project was originally begun way back in 2008-09 by Michael Princip, who retired after several seasons, whereupon the project was continued by Tim E. O’Brien. He, too, retired from the tracking, but the project has been ably kept up by the man who also tracks the Pac12, Dennis Bolt.
The comment about Texas dropping the TV numbers this season is incorrect. They dropped them last season (as well as the collar logo). That photo is not from the 2022 season.
Ah, I was getting the linked image results when I Googled “Texas football 2022” to verify what I was looking at. Thanks!
untucked shirts — something that has really become a thing this season
Where have you been, Phil? It’s been a thing for a few years.
Well aware. It’s worse this year.
This really does bring up a bigger issue, though….
It defeats the meaning of the word “uniform” when only a few (if any) players “match”…
Baseball “pajamas” are that sport’s best example, and now “underskirts” for football…
No socks, low socks, high socks, biker pants, long pants, rolled sleeves, hanging sleeves, no shirts,half-shirts, underskirts, long-sleeve undershirts, different glove colors, no gloves…never ends…
Gotta go now, I see some kids out on my lawn…
Oh, Mount Allison, the honeymoon is over between us. Ditch the BFBS please.
Regina looks more than fine-a with gold road pants. Hope they make it a habit!
Sorry about the Mount A news Jim. Probably the only time they will wear the black this year. They will be back in the CUUW later this year looking better! I have to find out why they have the crown on the black jersey sleeves though.
The gray of the Vols’ helmets and jerseys looked more and more contrasty as the game went on and the night got darker. The mismatch of players with orange miniskirts sticking out, biker shorts, orange leotards, orange bobby sox, orange leg warmers, bare legs… It was a visual clusterfuck. As a Vols fan, I found it hard to watch. Oh, and Austin Peay had some area code thing on one side of their helmet. Ugh. I have never been more happy to watch a Bama game right after that just for the eye bleach.
“Eye bleach…” too much
Might need more after couple of today’s games….B -D
Don’t like the mono-gray (don’t like any mono-color, except white), but that gray would look great on pants and helmets, with a white jersey.
Jerseys have a shoulder “yoke” as in oxen, not a “yolk” as in egg. But I came here to express my disapproval of any team wearing solid white below the equator.
Their yoke…
Was the color of a yolk…
( btw, I deleted “And that’s no joke”)
Minnesota and eastern Michigan had absolute no color and I’m shocked it wasn’t mentioned.
Ditto that! Alt v alt = no primary colors
Can Ole Miss go back to being Ole Miss? Such a classic uniform has been ruined by the “Lane Train”.
If Michigan State is going to use the Greek key more, would like to see them bring bronze/gold back to the color palette, loved those helmets from a few years back, and Greek civilization did come of age in the Bronze Age, makes sense….
When did Arizona tweak their blue jersey? Sleeve stripes are different and the font appears to have changed slightly from the desert swarm look they went back to in 2021.
Last season the shoulder was red-white. This season they added a bottom red stripe to make it red-white-red. The font is the same as far as I know. Eventhough I track the Pac, I have no special pipeline besides twitter and google, so I may have missed the change to font?
What did folks think about Arizona State’s unis yesterday (v. Oklahoma state)? I generally don’t like gimmick alts. But this set is pretty cool- I like how the numbers popped as well as how the helmet fluctuated colors from black to maroon in the light.
The Cowboys looked predictably gorgeous.
ASU? Not so much. If you’re going mono-black (despite it not being a school color), then you better damn well wear a black helmet. Anything else looks awful. And ASU looked awful.
YMMV
Does anyone else miss grass stains in football? I watched the Cardinals vs Washington game. It was in the rain but seemed like the players never got dirty. Just wet.
I’m raising my hand.
This is why I bristle at the phrase “That’s a clean look.” It’s football… you’re not supposed to be clean!
Glad I couldn’t see the game. I wanted to, until I found out Washington was wearing white over white. Four years and sixteen games to go until Arizona gets rid of those red costumes….
But you LOVE white helmets over mono-dark.
It looks to me that Indiana switched the uniform numbers to the custom font from their official branding vs. a traditional varsity block. Other sports teams such as basketball use that custom font as well.
The comment about Texas dropping the TV numbers this season is incorrect. They dropped them last season (as well as the collar logo). That photo is not from the 2022 season.
Ah, I was getting the linked image results when I Googled “Texas football 2022” to verify what I was looking at. Thanks!
untucked shirts — something that has really become a thing this season
Where have you been, Phil? It’s been a thing for a few years.
Well aware. It’s worse this year.
This really does bring up a bigger issue, though….
It defeats the meaning of the word “uniform” when only a few (if any) players “match”…
Baseball “pajamas” are that sport’s best example, and now “underskirts” for football…
No socks, low socks, high socks, biker pants, long pants, rolled sleeves, hanging sleeves, no shirts,half-shirts, underskirts, long-sleeve undershirts, different glove colors, no gloves…never ends…
Gotta go now, I see some kids out on my lawn…
Oh, Mount Allison, the honeymoon is over between us. Ditch the BFBS please.
Regina looks more than fine-a with gold road pants. Hope they make it a habit!
Sorry about the Mount A news Jim. Probably the only time they will wear the black this year. They will be back in the CUUW later this year looking better! I have to find out why they have the crown on the black jersey sleeves though.
The gray of the Vols’ helmets and jerseys looked more and more contrasty as the game went on and the night got darker. The mismatch of players with orange miniskirts sticking out, biker shorts, orange leotards, orange bobby sox, orange leg warmers, bare legs… It was a visual clusterfuck. As a Vols fan, I found it hard to watch. Oh, and Austin Peay had some area code thing on one side of their helmet. Ugh. I have never been more happy to watch a Bama game right after that just for the eye bleach.
“Eye bleach…” too much
Might need more after couple of today’s games….B -D
Don’t like the mono-gray (don’t like any mono-color, except white), but that gray would look great on pants and helmets, with a white jersey.
Jerseys have a shoulder “yoke” as in oxen, not a “yolk” as in egg. But I came here to express my disapproval of any team wearing solid white below the equator.
Their yoke…
Was the color of a yolk…
( btw, I deleted “And that’s no joke”)
Minnesota and eastern Michigan had absolute no color and I’m shocked it wasn’t mentioned.
Ditto that! Alt v alt = no primary colors
Can Ole Miss go back to being Ole Miss? Such a classic uniform has been ruined by the “Lane Train”.
If Michigan State is going to use the Greek key more, would like to see them bring bronze/gold back to the color palette, loved those helmets from a few years back, and Greek civilization did come of age in the Bronze Age, makes sense….
When did Arizona tweak their blue jersey? Sleeve stripes are different and the font appears to have changed slightly from the desert swarm look they went back to in 2021.
Last season the shoulder was red-white. This season they added a bottom red stripe to make it red-white-red. The font is the same as far as I know. Eventhough I track the Pac, I have no special pipeline besides twitter and google, so I may have missed the change to font?
What did folks think about Arizona State’s unis yesterday (v. Oklahoma state)? I generally don’t like gimmick alts. But this set is pretty cool- I like how the numbers popped as well as how the helmet fluctuated colors from black to maroon in the light.
The Cowboys looked predictably gorgeous.
ASU? Not so much. If you’re going mono-black (despite it not being a school color), then you better damn well wear a black helmet. Anything else looks awful. And ASU looked awful.
YMMV
Does anyone else miss grass stains in football? I watched the Cardinals vs Washington game. It was in the rain but seemed like the players never got dirty. Just wet.
I’m raising my hand.
This is why I bristle at the phrase “That’s a clean look.” It’s football… you’re not supposed to be clean!
Glad I couldn’t see the game. I wanted to, until I found out Washington was wearing white over white. Four years and sixteen games to go until Arizona gets rid of those red costumes….
But you LOVE white helmets over mono-dark.
It looks to me that Indiana switched the uniform numbers to the custom font from their official branding vs. a traditional varsity block. Other sports teams such as basketball use that custom font as well.