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Good morning, everyone. The matchup pictured above is from a game I was planning to go to yesterday. More on that in a moment.
First, if you didn’t get a chance to see them, Phil posted three more NBA City Edition releases after my Saturday morning post. He covered the Mavericks, the Pacers, and the Kings. And he should be wrapping up his league-wide coverage later today or tomorrow, so keep checking for that. Second, we can add another college field to the list of those with Gs on the goal lines. @coachgolden2020 tweeted me that Texas A&M’s Kyle Field has the Gs as well. Thanks for the info!
Now then…it’s been 14 years since I’ve seen a college football game in person. The last one I attended was D-II Gannon University at Slippery Rock. Somewhere around here I have photos that I took of the game. I thought it was a good time to go back, but then my check engine light came on Friday. I just had two major repairs which came to more than what I make in a year at Uni Watch, so I didn’t want to risk it driving an hour and a half away from home. So I missed The Rock’s season finale against Bloomsburg University. Maybe it was for the best after seeing photos of the game. While it was a perfect cool and cloudy day, the unis were less than perfect. The Rock used to rock the block numbers, but now they look a little like Louisville, only in green. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg had a microscopic script Huskies on the helmets, maroon shoulder stripes that faded to nothing as they made their way to the front, and Penn State’s pants. Yikes.
This definitely would not be in a D-II Top Five. So who made it to our usual 5&1? Your guess is as good as mine, because I had a guest picker do the honors. We’ll find out together after we go through the rest of Sunday Morning Uni Watch, beginning with our very cordial host, Terry Duroncelet. Take it away!
…..
From Tuesday, November 12th
• Toledo/Central Michigan: The Rockets wore S&S decals in their game against Central Michigan. Somehow, this seems fitting for Toledo. Can’t explain it.
From Wednesday, November 13th
• Miami (OH)/Kent State: The RedHawks wore all-grey with their tribe helmets (in recognition of the Miami tribe of Oklahoma). This is an older article, but it’s the same uniform, and has good info on the background of the unis.
• Marshall/Coastal Carolina: Marshall wore all-black with matching helmets, which were in tribute to the 75 who died in the 1970 plane crash (closer look). In a very-cool gesture, Coastal Carolina wore ’75’ decals on the back of their helmets in solidarity.
• Jax State/FIU: More like the Florida International Padres, huh?
• Illinois/Michigan State: It wasn’t all foolishness, as you can see with this ELITE visual matchup. Michigan State maintains their position as one of the better all-white-clad teams in college football.
• USC/Nebraska: As classy as the Trojans’ throwbacks were, I do prefer their current unis, which have just enough modern flair as to not distract from a certified classic. (JV: Speaking of classics, I loved the field as well as the matchup!)
• Texas State/Southern Miss: SWT unis for the Bobcats.
• Iowa State/Cincinnati: …Sure, why not? Kinda cool with the stripes, I will say.
• UNLV/San Diego State: UNLV wore S&S decals against the Aztecs.
• Kansas State/Arizona State: You ever feel like your life’s been turned upside-down? Huge shoutout to Eric Burtis, who sent in the upside-down IIX– er, I mean XII patch.
Returning for 2024 is Wade Heidt, who’s wearing a jersey created by the one and only Wafflebored (who took the photo as well). Now, let’s enjoy Wade’s look at the three-down, 110-yard game from up north.
…..
Yes! You know what time it is. It’s time for some university football uniform watching Canadian rules style! It is time for the CUUW!
The conference champions have already been crowned. The national semifinals were played on Saturday. The Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. The winners punch their ticket to the biggest game of them all.
Canadian university playoff football can be complicated around this time of year, even for those who follow closely. So who plays in and hosts each semifinal? Sometimes a little explaining helps. The teams and host sites for the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl rotate on a six-year cycle. In the cycle each of the four conferences hosts and visits every other conference once. The Uteck Bowl is held in the easternmost of the two venues. Yep, told ya it’s complicated!
This season the Uteck Bowl had the Ontario champion visit the Atlantic champion. The Mitchell Bowl had the Quebec champion visit the Canada West champion. The CUUW always travels from east to west.
The Bishop’s Gaiters have continued to switch up their combos each time during this string of home playoff games. They went purple over white this weekend. The CUUW prefers this combo for the Gaiters. The visiting Laurier Golden Hawks decided to white it out. Laurier went with mono-white from helmets to pants.
The massive underdog Regina Rams made it this far winning road games wearing white over white. The CUUW wondered if they would wear white over white for this home game. Not the case. The Rams went green over green at home. The Laval Rouge et Or brought their gold/white/red combo for their big western road trip. Maybe homefield advantage played a part in this one? Was actually a close game with 17-14 final score.
This season, both road teams won. The Vanier Cup national championship game will be the Laval Rouge et Or versus the Laurier Golden Hawks in Kingston, ON. Laval is no stranger to this game. The Rouge et Or have won 11 Vanier Cups, with the last one being in 2022. All their Vanier Cup wins have come since 1999. Laurier has won 2 Vanier Cups. Their last championship occurring in their last appearance in this game in 2005.
BONUS
We will view the Canadian Bowl. This occurred Saturday, November 9.
The Canadian Bowl was first awarded in 1908. It is the championship for Canadian junior football. It is for the champions of the Canadian Junior Football League. There are 19 teams that make up the 3 conferences in this league.
Think of it like junior hockey. These are not school teams. The young players range in age from 17 to 22. This is not a main feeder system to Canadian pro football like the Canadian universities or U.S. colleges, but players do make their way to the CFL after a junior football career.
It was predetermined this year’s Canadian Bowl would take place at the home of the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) champion. As a result, the game was played in Windsor. Home of the OFC champion St. Clair Saints.
So, another chapter in how Canadian football can be confusing. St. Clair is a school, and they wear the school colours, but this is not a university/college team. This club used to be the Windsor AKO Fratmen and their history dates back to 1929. In 2020, the team was purchased by the St. Clair College Student Athletic Association. The prior owner retains control of football operations and they are a junior football club. The Student Athletic Association controls the business side and game-day operations.
The green and yellow-clad St. Clair Saints wore white at home for the Canadian Bowl. It was a white over white combo. A Uni Watch approved uniform no doubt because of the colours! The visitors were the British Columbia Football Conference (BCFC) champion Okanagan Sun. The Kelowna-based club wears brown and orange. They brought their brown over brown combo for that long trip east. Would have been preferrable for the Sun to pack their orange pants.
The St. Clair Saints are Canadian Bowl champions! First title for the Saints organization since 1999. Also, first time since 1999 that an Ontario Football Conference team has won it.
…..
Thanks, Wade!
2024 Uni Tracking
Uni Watch will again track the combinations worn by the Power Four college football conferences. Long-time trackers Rex Henry (tracking the ACC), and Dennis Bolt (now tracking the Big Teen) are returning, as is Zach Wooldridge (tracking the SEC). This year Derek Buchheit will be tracking the Big “XII” for us.
“Several of the teams who were on the road over Halloween, pulled out their black costumes this week: Both of the purple teams went all-black with purple and gold highlights: Washington debuted their “Eclipse/World of Warcraft” uniform; Northwestern reinvigorated its annual “Gothic” all-black uniform. Maryland wore a vibrant yellow jersey with their black.
Oregon went for black and white, while MSU went retro stormtrooper with Gruff helmet logo.
USC pulled out its 1972 throwback. Did you even notice? The numbers and shoulder stripes are slightly different than current look.
The other teams were classic and good looking, but I wish Rutgers and UCLA wore colored pants. I really only like white pants if the helmet is white.” (JV: I wish that too)
(JV: Yes, West Virginia wore the WV National Guard logo on the other side of the helmet, but since this graphic doesn’t show the other side, I’m letting it slide)
The last few weeks I got the impression that some of you could use a break from my lists. So I asked the SMUW Crew if anyone would like to be a guest picker to bring a different perspective. Our SEC tracker Zach Wooldridge volunteered, and here’s his take on the week’s games. While I still looked at every matchup, I offered no suggestions whatsoever. This is all Zach, and I’m pleased to share his 5&1 with you. Enjoy!
…..
When Jim asked if anyone was up for doing a guest 5&1, my highly-opinionated self naturally jumped at the chance. I’ve spent countless hours in group chats or at watch parties, shouting into the void about uniforms while everyone else focused on the actual game. Now, I’m excited to bring my uni-thoughts to a wider audience. Let’s begin:
5. Rocky Mountain Style Showdown:
Wyoming @ Colorado State
This one could’ve climbed the rankings if Wyoming had broken out the gold pants, but even without them, this matchup nails fall in the Rockies.
4. Condiment Clash:
Rutgers @ Maryland
Yeah, the yellow and the red are reminiscent of a picnic table on Memorial Day weekend but Rutgers’ white-heavy set keeps things tidy (like a handy stack of napkins). It’s a little quirky, but somehow, it just works.
3. Looks Like Autumn:
Texas @ Arkansas
The crimson-heavy Razorbacks and the pops of burnt orange from the Longhorns scream autumn—it’s like jumping into a big pile of leaves.
2. Gold Rush on the Gridiron:
Baylor @ WVU
I love when WVU looks like WVU and their gold-heavy set against Baylor’s bold green and gold makes this one a beaut.
1. Color Palette Special/Simply The Best:
Clemson @ Pitt
I’m not usually a fan of mono looks, but Clemson’s all-white set against Pitt’s mono blue strikes a perfect balance. With blue, yellow, orange, and purple all in the mix, this matchup had a lot of potential to clash, but the mono styles keep things cohesive yet striking.
&1 – Cincinnati @ Iowa State
It’s not that these two uniforms are bad per se, but this is just another example of the kind of bland, chess match-esque matchup that is plaguing college football of late.
…..
Thanks, Zach…very nicely done!
Well, you can tell that’s not one of my lists, and that’s what I was going for here. Always good to shake things up now and then. See you next week.
Enjoy The Rest Of Your Sunday...And Phil's City Edition Posts
Remember when I complained about Slippery Rock looking like a green Louisville? Well, let’s walk it off with the Cardinal beating the Cardinals and their bad font with a last-second field goal.
Here’s hoping you have a peaceful and relaxing day. Take care, everyone, and I’ll see you next weekend.
Notes Dame vs Virginia was a beautiful uni-matchup yesterday that could have easily made it in the top 5. ND’s helmets and pants look best together on overcast days and Virginia’s orange pants and unique striping added some nice fall color.
it seems like Pitt has been in a lot of 5&1’s this season. Not only a nice uniform but it contrasts, and allows opponents to look good also!
It doesn’t have the power to make next week’s opponent look good though.
They’re playing Louisville, so it’ll be a Pitt-free list.
that is awesome Jim that you look ahead to the upcoming week’s uniform matchups
Beautiful game in South Bend yesterday between Notre Dame and Virginia. ND’s gold helmet and pants (which look best on an overcast day) and Virginia’s orange pants created a nice fall color palette.
I totally agree and it could have been in the top 5!
I thought that Virginia, in its tastefully simple whites versus Notre Dame in its traditional look was one one of the better visual match-ups of the day.
I love the Boise St classic helmets, but they’re a little incongruous with the rest of the uniforms that have a “modern” typeface and look. Would have been nice to see them paired with a retro or throwback uniform instead.
Also here for UVA at ND.
ULM at Auburn deserves a shout-out too. Color palette special, with Auburn’s classy home set and ULM’s incredible shark-maw helmets.
The USC/Nebraska game was really good. As a USC alum, I prefer their current uniform with the 1960s shoulder stripe, but these 72-2001 uniforms looked great as a one-off. And they still looked like Trojans, which I can’t say for many schools when they donn alternate uniforms.
Can’t believe this wasn’t on the list, much less not #1.
Did anyone mention Virginia/ND as another outstanding looking game?
Still waking up, but were there six teams with all white below the neck and four of them mono-white? Don’t get me wrong, white jerseys/pants, if they have stripes, usually look great, but I’m a little suprised every game had them.
Great job crew and a big thanks to Zach for subbing in!
Wyoming looking handsome even in mono white. Underrated uniform.
As a diehard Rutgers fan, I can share s big chunk of the fan base, myself included, thinks red/white/red is their best look. But we usually only see it once a year.
I have had it with BFBS! ISU looks just plain stupid in all black! Why the fixation? Is it really an effective recruiting tool? Will their attendance really plummet if they don’t offer a “blackout”game? Do they really intimidate the opponent into an appreciable number of victories for the school? Do they have data to show that sales of ISU merchandise skyrocket with these black costumes? For crying out loud, stick to your school colors. If you want to create costumes to increase sales, utilize your school colors. If you want to use black, change your school colors!
And why the heck wear them against a team that has black as one of its colors?!?
The 5&1 featured six(!) teams wearing all white?
I don’t disagree with any of ZW’s choices, as I generally opt in when white-over-white is used by the away team…but I’m kinda sure JV was holding his tongue and his nose at those.
No NFL preview this week?
No. Had too much on my plate with the NBA City Edition unveilings. But I did note on Friday that aside from the Bengals debuting a new combination (link), every team is basically wearing its normal uniform. No throwbacks, no alternates, no alternate helmets. So because of that, I didn’t do a preview (sorry). But when you read MMUW, you’ll see that nothing “out of the ordinary” or surprising will be worn today.
Tough end to a near-Cinderella run by the U of R Rams. Don’t hate the look they sported yesterday, just wish there was a bit of that gold on the helmet, too
An unexpected run by my alma mater. Could not have predicted Regina would win Canada West when playoffs started. Let alone come close to beating powerhouse Laval.
The new helmets with white horns and mask were unveiled prior to the season and prior to the new uniforms. Thought at the time they may wear the white horns once in a while. Didn’t expect it would be the only helmet and the gold horns retired. It is basically a green and white uniform now with touches of gold trim. A lot less gold trim now even compared to the other sports at U. of R. Though other teams it is more a yellow trim than metallic gold.
I don’t mind these but I do like the old uniforms especially when worn with gold pants.
Enjoy the Grey Cup, Wade!
Go Bombers!
The Bombers are my least favorite CFL team…less than the old Las Vegas Posse.
Even though I didn’t like Toronto’s combo, I’m glad they won.
Them’s fightin’ words out here on the Canadian prairies, Phil! :P
I dislike the mono-green, but not as much as I hate the fact that they lost (though I loathe the Laval red pants even more…G/W/G is in their arsenal, right?).
I loved the Rams’ homage to the 2017 LA Rams, but I loved Laval’s gold/white/red even more.
Oooo la la Laval!
Like Boise State when they mix and match, but with the white tops all the colored pants have Boise in grey which really bothers me as sometimes there’s not other grey to be found. Although a decent amount there is some on their lids.
Wish Clemson would bring purple back. Miss the purple tops and pants. Not together, but maybe here and there.
Zach….thanks! Enjoyed the choices and look forward to you next.
I think I’m in the minority here, but I like those USC throwbacks better than their currents. Love that little bit of white in the stripes, and the numbers are better than the slightly-too-fat ones on the regular uni. And this was the best looking game of the day – two great unis, no mono, no bfbs or icy white.
I think I might as well. Maybe add a little white in the pants and helmet. I honestly wouldn’t mind them having both sets. Just have white, cardinal, and gold facemask options.
BFBS annoys me, especially when it’s not a team or school color. But black and gold were Northwestern’s original school colors, so I give them an annoyance pass when they roll out the black uni. Even though I prefer when they stick with purple and white.
Is that Baylor or the “Winter Warning” Packers?
That was my first thought as well. Too bad Baylor actually looks better than the Pack’s Winter Warning.
Most uniforms look better than the Winter Warning Packers uni, and I say this as a lifelong Packers fan.
Zach should edit that. Theirs a reason for the all blacks, Darth Vader, and his son.
Nice job on the 5&1, although I must jump in and say WVU with yellow helmets does not look like WVU…they wore navy helmets exclusively for 32 years, from 1980-2012. When I think of WVU, I think Navy with Yellow decal.
Also, the Uni-Watch crew will likely find this amusing and very pleasing to our neat-and-tidy-uni-organizational-desires: WVU somehow has a uni tracker for multiple sports, across multiple decades, all in one beautifully put together website. Who knew! link
Yep!
I’m like 99.9% positive that was begun (and may still be run) by Ethan Dimitroff, who was a Big XII tracker (and covered other conferences) for years on SMUW. He also contributed a few Mountaineer-centric articles over the years.
Good job, Zach, and I totally agree with the beauty of Pitt and Clemson as the number one and that is coming from an Irish fan who also enjoyed the ND-UVA game, also from an uniform perspective.
Notes Dame vs Virginia was a beautiful uni-matchup yesterday that could have easily made it in the top 5. ND’s helmets and pants look best together on overcast days and Virginia’s orange pants and unique striping added some nice fall color.
link
it seems like Pitt has been in a lot of 5&1’s this season. Not only a nice uniform but it contrasts, and allows opponents to look good also!
It doesn’t have the power to make next week’s opponent look good though.
They’re playing Louisville, so it’ll be a Pitt-free list.
that is awesome Jim that you look ahead to the upcoming week’s uniform matchups
Beautiful game in South Bend yesterday between Notre Dame and Virginia. ND’s gold helmet and pants (which look best on an overcast day) and Virginia’s orange pants created a nice fall color palette.
I totally agree and it could have been in the top 5!
I thought that Virginia, in its tastefully simple whites versus Notre Dame in its traditional look was one one of the better visual match-ups of the day.
I love the Boise St classic helmets, but they’re a little incongruous with the rest of the uniforms that have a “modern” typeface and look. Would have been nice to see them paired with a retro or throwback uniform instead.
Also here for UVA at ND.
ULM at Auburn deserves a shout-out too. Color palette special, with Auburn’s classy home set and ULM’s incredible shark-maw helmets.
The USC/Nebraska game was really good. As a USC alum, I prefer their current uniform with the 1960s shoulder stripe, but these 72-2001 uniforms looked great as a one-off. And they still looked like Trojans, which I can’t say for many schools when they donn alternate uniforms.
Can’t believe this wasn’t on the list, much less not #1.
Did anyone mention Virginia/ND as another outstanding looking game?
Still waking up, but were there six teams with all white below the neck and four of them mono-white? Don’t get me wrong, white jerseys/pants, if they have stripes, usually look great, but I’m a little suprised every game had them.
Great job crew and a big thanks to Zach for subbing in!
Wyoming looking handsome even in mono white. Underrated uniform.
As a diehard Rutgers fan, I can share s big chunk of the fan base, myself included, thinks red/white/red is their best look. But we usually only see it once a year.
I have had it with BFBS! ISU looks just plain stupid in all black! Why the fixation? Is it really an effective recruiting tool? Will their attendance really plummet if they don’t offer a “blackout”game? Do they really intimidate the opponent into an appreciable number of victories for the school? Do they have data to show that sales of ISU merchandise skyrocket with these black costumes? For crying out loud, stick to your school colors. If you want to create costumes to increase sales, utilize your school colors. If you want to use black, change your school colors!
And why the heck wear them against a team that has black as one of its colors?!?
The 5&1 featured six(!) teams wearing all white?
I don’t disagree with any of ZW’s choices, as I generally opt in when white-over-white is used by the away team…but I’m kinda sure JV was holding his tongue and his nose at those.
No NFL preview this week?
No. Had too much on my plate with the NBA City Edition unveilings. But I did note on Friday that aside from the Bengals debuting a new combination (link), every team is basically wearing its normal uniform. No throwbacks, no alternates, no alternate helmets. So because of that, I didn’t do a preview (sorry). But when you read MMUW, you’ll see that nothing “out of the ordinary” or surprising will be worn today.
Tough end to a near-Cinderella run by the U of R Rams. Don’t hate the look they sported yesterday, just wish there was a bit of that gold on the helmet, too
An unexpected run by my alma mater. Could not have predicted Regina would win Canada West when playoffs started. Let alone come close to beating powerhouse Laval.
The new helmets with white horns and mask were unveiled prior to the season and prior to the new uniforms. Thought at the time they may wear the white horns once in a while. Didn’t expect it would be the only helmet and the gold horns retired. It is basically a green and white uniform now with touches of gold trim. A lot less gold trim now even compared to the other sports at U. of R. Though other teams it is more a yellow trim than metallic gold.
I don’t mind these but I do like the old uniforms especially when worn with gold pants.
Enjoy the Grey Cup, Wade!
Go Bombers!
The Bombers are my least favorite CFL team…less than the old Las Vegas Posse.
Even though I didn’t like Toronto’s combo, I’m glad they won.
Them’s fightin’ words out here on the Canadian prairies, Phil! :P
I dislike the mono-green, but not as much as I hate the fact that they lost (though I loathe the Laval red pants even more…G/W/G is in their arsenal, right?).
I loved the Rams’ homage to the 2017 LA Rams, but I loved Laval’s gold/white/red even more.
Oooo la la Laval!
Like Boise State when they mix and match, but with the white tops all the colored pants have Boise in grey which really bothers me as sometimes there’s not other grey to be found. Although a decent amount there is some on their lids.
Wish Clemson would bring purple back. Miss the purple tops and pants. Not together, but maybe here and there.
Zach….thanks! Enjoyed the choices and look forward to you next.
I think I’m in the minority here, but I like those USC throwbacks better than their currents. Love that little bit of white in the stripes, and the numbers are better than the slightly-too-fat ones on the regular uni. And this was the best looking game of the day – two great unis, no mono, no bfbs or icy white.
I think I might as well. Maybe add a little white in the pants and helmet. I honestly wouldn’t mind them having both sets. Just have white, cardinal, and gold facemask options.
BFBS annoys me, especially when it’s not a team or school color. But black and gold were Northwestern’s original school colors, so I give them an annoyance pass when they roll out the black uni. Even though I prefer when they stick with purple and white.
Is that Baylor or the “Winter Warning” Packers?
That was my first thought as well. Too bad Baylor actually looks better than the Pack’s Winter Warning.
Most uniforms look better than the Winter Warning Packers uni, and I say this as a lifelong Packers fan.
Zach should edit that. Theirs a reason for the all blacks, Darth Vader, and his son.
Nice job on the 5&1, although I must jump in and say WVU with yellow helmets does not look like WVU…they wore navy helmets exclusively for 32 years, from 1980-2012. When I think of WVU, I think Navy with Yellow decal.
Also, the Uni-Watch crew will likely find this amusing and very pleasing to our neat-and-tidy-uni-organizational-desires: WVU somehow has a uni tracker for multiple sports, across multiple decades, all in one beautifully put together website. Who knew!
link
Yep!
I’m like 99.9% positive that was begun (and may still be run) by Ethan Dimitroff, who was a Big XII tracker (and covered other conferences) for years on SMUW. He also contributed a few Mountaineer-centric articles over the years.
Good job, Zach, and I totally agree with the beauty of Pitt and Clemson as the number one and that is coming from an Irish fan who also enjoyed the ND-UVA game, also from an uniform perspective.