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          The 2015 Uni Watch college football preview

          Aug 27, 2015
          • Paul LukasESPN.com
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            • Sports journalism's foremost uniform reporter
            • ESPN.com columnist since 2004
            • Also blogs at uni-watch.com
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          Every year around this time, we tell you the same thing: "This is our biggest and best Uni Watch college football season preview yet!"

          It may sound repetitive, but it's true again this year, as NCAA teams continue to tinker with their wardrobes at a dizzying pace. Nearly 80 of the 128 FBS teams have made some sort of uni adjustment this season (and that's not counting all the blackout, whiteout, camouflage, and other uniforms that will likely be unveiled throughout the season). As usual, we've prepared a comprehensive team-by-team rundown, organized by conference. If a team isn't listed here, it means it hasn't announced any changes for this year, at least that we're aware of.

          Ready? Deep breath -- here we go.

          Jump to a conference:

          ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Conference USA | Independents | MAC | Mountain West | Pac-12 | SEC | Sun Belt

          The American

          • Cincinnati has switched from Adidas to Under Armour, which has given the Bearcats an updated look, complete with some unusual striping just above the knees (here are additional details, photos and branding information):

          Also: Despite the fairly modern uniform design, the Bearcats are going with a retro approach for their season tickets this year. Check it out:

          • East Carolina has redesigned its black jersey and changed the finish on its helmet shells:

          • Memphis has added a matte blue helmet to its headwear options:

          • Tulsa has changed the finish and the face-mask color on its white helmet:

          • SMU has a new alternate helmet with a star-spangled logo. No word yet on when it will be worn, but the Nov. 6 game against Temple -- the last game before Veterans Day -- seems like a pretty safe bet:

          • Remember those weird UConn helmets with the husky peering over the face mask? That look has been dropped in favor of a more traditional approach (additional photos here):

          In addition, UConn has a new solid-gray uniform with what appears to be a reflective helmet decal:

          • If you like green and gold as much as a certain uniform columnist does, you'll flip for the new USF set, which gets Uni Watch's vote for the tastiest new uniforms of the year (here's some additional info and a photo gallery worth drooling over):

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          ACC

          • All ACC teams will be sporting a new conference logo patch, which shows the familiar ACC initials surrounded by a football shape (here's how it'll look for various ACC teams):

          • Boston College will mark the 30th anniversary of Doug Flutie's performance in the 1985 Cotton Bowl as well as his Hail Mary pass earlier that season by wearing Flutie-era throwbacks for the game against Notre Dame at Fenway Park on Nov. 21 (additional info here):

          • Former Clemson great Steve Fuller gave his permission last year for his No. 4 to be brought out of retirement and worn by freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson, and Watson also wore a patch saluting Fuller. That will continue this season, but the patch design has been updated:

          • Duke has gone back to its old Indianapolis Colts-like look (additional views available in this video):

          • Florida State's white jersey had a new collar design for the 2015 Rose Bowl. The Seminoles are retaining that change this season and have made the corresponding collar change on their home jersey, plus they've scrapped the crossed spears on the back of the helmet:

          One other uni-related note for FSU: Defensive back Jalen Ramsey is being added to the kick-return team this season, which brings up a problem: He and fellow kick returner Kermit Whitfield both wear No. 8. (Multiple players wearing the same number is fairly common on NCAA teams because of the large rosters. It's OK as long as same-numbered players don't appear on the field at the same time.) The solution: Ramsey will change jerseys before kickoff returns.

          • Another year, yet another jersey tweak for Georgia Tech, one of the last FBS teams still outfitted by Russell Athletic:

          In addition, Tech has tweaked its "GT" logo.

          • Lots of new uniforms this year for Louisville. First, the Cardinals will wear a white uni with an "L" on one side of the helmet and demonic-looking cardinal on the other, for the season-opening game against Auburn on Sept. 5 (additional photos and info here):

          Second, they'll wear a new black uni on Sept. 17 against Clemson (additional info and photos here):

          And third, they have new home and road uniforms for the rest of their games:

          • Miami has switched from Nike to Adidas, which has given the Hurricanes a new set of uniforms (lots of additional photos and info here):

          • North Carolina is going all-in on the argyle pattern, which now appears on the Tar Heels' jersey collar, pant legs and helmet (further info):

          Also, UNC has a new font for its yard markers this year:

          • NC State is the latest school to designate "legends jerseys" for uniform numbers worn by previous team stars. First up is No. 16, which is being honored for Russell Wilson -- an odd choice, given that Wilson transferred from NC State to Wisconsin for his senior year (and by some accounts was essentially run out of town). In any case, 16 is now being worn by rookie quarterback Jakobi Meyers, who'll have a patch for the occasion (further info here):

          • Syracuse is unretiring No. 44, the number worn by Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little, although it hasn't yet been issued to anyone on the current roster. Also, the Orange are introducing two new jersey combos -- solid orange and orange over blue:

          • Virginia Tech will wear white at home, with a new helmet design, for the Sept. 12 game against Furman:

          In addition, the Hokies will wear concussion-monitoring sensors inside their helmets this season.

          • Wake Forest's new uniform set includes some nifty sleeve stripes and other elements inspired by the school's history and architecture (here are additional details, more photos and all 27 possible uni combinations):

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          Big Ten

          • Illinois is adding navy to its roster of home-jersey color options:

          • No photos yet, but Iowa will wear blackout uniforms for the Nov. 14 game against Minnesota.

          • Maryland will no doubt have plenty of uni-related surprises for us as the year unfolds. For now, though, the only thing to report is this new set of cleats:

          • With Jim Harbaugh now running the show at Michigan, the Wolverines have made some changes. For starters, there will be no more alternate uniforms. Second, the so-called legends jerseys, which honored the uniform numbers of former Michigan greats, will no longer be worn, and Desmond Howard's No. 21 will be officially retired. (The other legends' numbers had already been retired before being revived for the legends jersey program.) Third, remember how the Wolverines used to award merit decals for big plays? Harbaugh might bring them back but hasn't yet made up his mind. Fourth, per Harbaugh's request, the team will now wear white pants on the road, a throwback to the team's 1974 look (further info here):

          And fifth, the "M" logo on the team's maize pants has been removed:

          Meanwhile, you've probably heard that Michigan is switching from Adidas to Nike/Jordan, but that doesn't kick in until next season.

          • Lots of new Greek-themed details, along with an "oxidized metal"-toned alternate uni, for Michigan State (here are additional details and photos), along with some 3-D nose bumper logos:

          • If you need to clean out the garage or do other autumn chores, you might want to schedule that for Oct. 24, because that's when Nebraska will wear this brutal black alternate design (further info and photos here):

          • The seven little buckeye leaves above the player names on Ohio State's jerseys, which represented OSU's seven (now eight) national titles, are being replaced by the word "Buckeyes" this season:

          • Penn State added player names to its jerseys in 2012, as a reward to the players who stuck with the program in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky/Joe Paterno scandal. But now the names are being removed, as a nod to the team's tradition. In addition, the Nittany Lions have updated their collar style and added "Nittany Lions" to their helmet's neck bumper:

          • Purdue has added a gray uniform and an alternate helmet design to its wardrobe:

          • Good news for spotters in the broadcast booth, as Wisconsin has restored the TV numbers to its jerseys:

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          Big 12

          • Baylor, which already had a plethora of mix-and-match uniform options, has added a gray jersey option (further info and a video clip here):

          • The good news is that Iowa State's jersey stripes are being extended to a better-looking length; the bad news is that the Cyclones are the latest team to go with that annoying Nike collar:

          • Kansas has flip-flopped its Big 12 and Jayhawks logo patches, changed its jersey numbers from white to chrome and added more helmets to its seemingly endless supply:

          • Kansas State has switched to Nike's Elite 51 jersey template (the same one used by most NFL teams), which among other things means they now have those annoying bands around the collar:

          • Oklahoma State has added a white version of its Pistol Pete helmet, complete with a chrome face mask:

          • TCU will wear what Nike describes as the first football uniform to feature a sublimated pattern -- suitably scaly and reptilian-looking for the Horned Frogs, of course -- throughout the jersey and pants (here's some additional info and a photo gallery):

          • Texas is changing to Nike's Mach Speed tailoring template, adding "Texas Fight" to the jersey's inner collar, and retaining the metallic helmet graphics that were first used last year against Oklahoma State (and if you're looking for the Longhorns to come out with a flashy alternate design, fuhgedaboutit):

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          Conference USA

          • Charlotte, which has graduated from the FCS to the FBS this season, is now a member of Conference USA and is marking the occasion with new uniforms:

          • Louisiana Tech has changed its end zone lettering from "Tech" to "Bulldogs":

          • The green will be a bit meaner this year at North Texas, which has a new look and a more dynamic helmet color:

          • Old Dominion has switched from Nike to Under Armour, which has given the Monarchs a simpler, no-nonsense look:

          • Upgrade for Southern Miss, which is going with a cleaner look this year:

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          Independents

          • Army's athletic program has received a thorough rebranding from Nike. Naturally, there are new football uniforms, along with a new midfield logo (additional info and photos here, and there's a nifty interactive guide to the rebranding here):

          • Notre Dame's annual Shamrock Series game will be played on Nov. 21 at Fenway Park, home of the Green Monster, so the Irish will wear solid-green uniforms. And in a first, the helmet will feature a leprechaun's head (additional photos here):

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          MAC

          • Akron's equipment staff has been tinkering with some new helmet concepts, although it remains to be seen whether any of them will make it onto the field:

          • Ball State has added four new helmets to its rotation, for a total of six designs, including a camouflage-logo version that will be worn for the season-opening game against VMI on Sept. 3 and a pink-trimmed model that will be worn at some point in October (additional details here):

          In addition, the Cardinals have a new field design:

          • It's hard to look at these new Bowling Green uniforms without thinking, "This is what the Cleveland Browns should have done":

          • Nice little upgrade for Central Michigan, whose face mask is changing from maroon to gold:

          • Lots of uniform news out of Eastern Michigan, where the Eagles will honor track and field coach Bob Parks by wearing a new track-inspired uniform design (or at least that's the idea) for the season-opening game against Old Dominion on Sept. 5:

          In addition, EMU seniors were allowed to design the team's new road uniforms. Judging by what they came up with -- big shoulder wings, diamondplate patterns and reflective number outlines -- it appears that they wish they were playing for Oregon circa 2008:

          Finally, EMU will also have a flag-themed design for the game against Army on Sept. 26:

          • Northern Illinois is marking Huskie Stadium's 50th anniversary by wearing 1965 throwbacks for the season-opening game against UNLV on Sept. 5 (here are additional details and photos:

          In addition, the Huskies have a new field design (additional info here):

          • UMass has made some tweaks to its striping and trim, and has also added -- sigh -- a gray alternate uni (good breakdown and analysis here):

          On the plus side, the Minutemen have added a Massachusetts state patch on the back of the jersey, which looks pretty snappy (although it pushes the player name down too far -- they'd be better off scrapping the name):

          • Interesting move by Western Michigan, whose new road jerseys have crossed oars on the back (to go with coach P.J. Fleck's "Row the Boat" philosophy) and "WMU" instead of player names:

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          Mountain West

          • A no-nonsense new look for Air Force (there's a good summary of all the elements here and a photo gallery here):

          • No changes for Boise State, but a team spokesman says, "We are going to be utilizing the chrome face mask more frequently."

          • Colorado State will once again honor its Aggies heritage by wearing orange jerseys for one game -- in this case, the season opener against Savannah State on Sept. 5:

          • Hawaii's new home uniform is trimmed in gray, with tribal patterns on the sleeves and pants (additional photos here):

          • New Mexico has a new uniform set, which among other things has a cleaner collar design (here's some additional info and photos):

          • San Diego State has gone all in on the Aztec theme, with new helmets and jerseys that feature graphics from the Aztec calendar (here are additional details and photos):

          • San Jose State has a new pant design, although it's hard to say which is worse -- the old lettering down the side or the new partial stripes:

          • UNLV is going for a more Vegas-y feel. The Rebels' new uniforms feature the city's famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign as a helmet decal, and the welcome sign also appears on the team's new field design, which looks like a craps table (additional photos here and here):

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          Pac-12

          • The Pac-12 is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and here's a style guide showing the conference's guidelines for the use of centennial logos, jersey patches and more. Very cool stuff.

          • Arizona State has switched from Nike to Adidas, which has improved the Sun Devils' uniforms. The pitchfork on the pants looks sharp, and getting rid of the "ASU" on the sleeves is addition by subtraction (additional info and photos here):

          In addition, ASU will wear solid white for its season opener against Texas A&M (further info and photos here):

          Also: There are reports that ASU will wear additional alternate uniforms against Oregon (Oct. 29) and Arizona (Nov. 21). A little birdie tells Uni Watch that the uni for the Oregon game will be camouflage. Stay tuned.

          • Colorado has added a gray uniform and white helmet to the mix:

          • Oregon presumably has all sorts of tricks in store for us, but the buzz at the moment is about a possible glow-in-the-dark uniform (which doesn't really make sense, because football isn't played in the dark, but whatever). Remains to be seen if it'll actually be used on the field, but it's a safe bet that the Ducks will keep things interesting this year regardless:

          Meanwhile, here are the colors that the Ducks are telling their fans to wear for home games, which will presumably match up with the team's jersey colors:

          • Oregon State's student section, the Beaver Dam, has a new logo:

          • Tree-mendous: The Stanford Tree has been added to the "S" logo on Stanford's helmets and jerseys (plus the logo has been added to the pants):

          • It takes a lot of effort to ruin UCLA's home uniform, but somehow Adidas has managed, with a laughable black alternate costume thrown in for good measure (additional info and photos here, and negative reaction here and here):

          And as an interesting side note, UCLA has been using NFL footballs in practice -- haven't seen a college team doing that before:

          • No changes this year (or pretty much ever) for USC, but there's talk of a possible alternate uniform for next season. Stay tuned.

          • Utah has a new "satin"-finish helmet with a red face mask, which will be worn for the season opener against Michigan on Sept. 3 and possibly beyond:

          Also, the Utes will wear a throwback uniform -- or, really, more of a fauxback, because it combines retro elements from several different eras -- for the homecoming game against Cal on Oct. 10 (further info and photos here):

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          SEC

          • Arkansas has always worn black cleats during Bret Bielema's coaching tenure. This year, however, they're changing to white (further info here):

          • Lots of small changes, most of them positive, for Auburn, including -- finally -- the restoration of the full-length pants striping (click on the graphic below to see a larger version; additional info and photos here):

          • Kentucky has made a subtle change to its "UK" logo. The new version appears on the team's newly redesigned field (further info here):

          • Mississippi State has been practicing in a new set of maroon pants with a distractingly large logo on the side. A team spokesman says these pants could "potentially" be worn in a game but that no decision has been made on that yet:

          • South Carolina has tweaked the striping on its black jersey to match the template of the white and garnet jerseys (and also has new practice jerseys, cleats and gloves):

          • Tennessee has switched from Adidas to Nike, which has given the Vols a new gray alternate uniform and added checkerboard striping to the team's pants and helmets (additional info and photos here):

          In addition, the Vols have a really cool ticket design this year, with a well-executed Jack Daniels theme:

          • Halloween will be a little scarier this year for Texas A&M fans, because the Aggies will wear a pretty miserable-looking black uniform (additional info and photos here):

          • Lots of new stuff for Vanderbilt: a sleeker jersey design, a new helmet design with an anchor chain center stripe and a "deep water" alternate uni:

          Also: Last year Vandy opened the season wearing black jerseys with "Anchor Down" on the back. That was later banned by the SEC, so the Commodores replaced "Anchor Down" with their star logo. This year they've added player names to the black jerseys:

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          Sun Belt

          • New unis for Appalachian State, including new gold jerseys (which will be worn for the season opener against Howard on Sept. 5) and three different helmet logo options (here's some additional info and a photo gallery):

          • Several changes for Louisiana-Lafayette. The black outline has been removed from the numbers, the nameplate lettering has changed from black to white, the shoulder logos have been replaced by TV numbers, and there's now a fleur de lis logo on the pants:

          In addition, the Ragin' Cajuns will wear a memorial helmet decal for the victims of the Lafayette movie theater shootings that took place in July. Although no photo of the decal is available, it will reportedly look like the Louisiana logo on these yard signs, which have been widely posted throughout Lafayette in response to the shootings:

          • New look this year for Troy -- three jersey options, three pants and three helmets (plus there's a rumor about a white helmet being added to the mix as well):

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          Additional notes of interest

          • The NCAA has banned "overbuilt" facemasks (further info here):

          • If you're looking to buy a jersey with your favorite player's number this year, you might be out of luck, because many schools are only offering one or two numbers on retail jerseys -- often 1 and/or 15 (short for 2015) -- because of the new legal landscape regarding schools profiting from their student-athletes' likenesses.

          • Speaking of numbers, there's increasing concern that uniform numbers throughout college sports, including football, are becoming difficult to read. There's a slideshow presentation on this topic here.

          Did we miss anything? Yeah, probably. If you know of other college football uniform changes (FBS schools only, please), send them here.

          Paul Lukas will have all of this season's NFL uniform changes in a few days. If you liked this column, you'll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so you'll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here.