College football's 30 best uniforms ranked ahead of 2023 season

Which college football programs have the slickest uniforms entering the 2023 season? New threads, updated templates and alternate jerseys for the upcoming campaign will start to trickle in after spring practice when teams really use social media to get through the dog days of the offseason.

For now, we'll grade existing options with many of the nation's most iconic looks at the top. Colorado coach Deion Sanders once coined the phrase "look good, feel good, play good" during his career at Florida State when he helped make the Seminoles' wine and gold combinations iconic. And now, uniform options are showcased during recruiting visits as the front step inside nearly every program and football facility nationally.

Making the most of your brand is vital in marketing and many of college football's blue bloods are graced with iconic uniform looks that haven't changed much — if at all — over the years. Storied programs with multiple championships rarely take part in the apparel craze. But for some, ones not enamored with tradition, new alternates or updated templates of a previous set can be momentum-shifting within the locker room and and brings energy for those who get to wear it.

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We've ranked college football's 30 best uniforms entering 2023. Check them out below.

30. ECU Pirates

ECU summoned one of the nation's best throwbacks uniforms this season and luckily for us, wore it a couple times during a successful campaign for Mike Houston's program. The Pirates are rarely shown love from uniform enthusiasts, but deserve some recognition for what they've brought out in recent years with Adidas.

29. Nebraska Huskers

At Nebraska, the Huskers have donned several alternates during their partnership with Adidas, including throwbacks and black alternates. Still, Nebraska's recognizable "N" logo on its white helmets with the patented red stripe defines tradition. The Huskers have always had one of the best looks nationally and does more with less.

28. Boise State Broncos

From orange helmets to black jerseys, Boise State has pushed the envelope over the years when it comes to alternate looks in the Group of Five ranks. There's nothing like the blue turf and sporting a contrasting combination always looks great. Still, Boise State's all-blue is the preferred choice.

27. Washington Huskies

Washington has one of the more underrated uniform designs in the Pac-12 and if you're following along, we're a big fan of purple here with splashes of gold.

26. Cincinnati Bearcats

One of several new programs joining the Big 12 this season, the Bearcats will strengthen that league's look on the field along with several others in this year's uniform ranking. Cincinnati's alternate road combination with a crimson helmet, white jersey and black pants (as pictured) ranks among the nation's best threads.

25. Kentucky Wildcats

Ever since Kentucky incorporated a chrome alternate helmet several years ago, the Wildcats' uniforms have improved as a result under Nike. They even donned an alternate Wildcat logo this season for the first time on helmets, but they received mixed reviews. Kentucky's black alternates or all-blue get up is its best looks.

24. UCF Knights

No program in college football with a black and gold-based color scheme does it better than UCF. The Knights have several different helmets (black, white, gold, alternate) and have been on the cutting edge of design in recent years. For the past six seasons, UCF's "Space Game" uniforms have always included an interesting reveal and backstory. Mission VI, the Knights' 2022 template, featured a uniform design inspired by deep space and exoplanets with a gradient helmet logo.

23. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee has experimented with Smokey Grey alternates in recent years and the fans love them, but black is the new alternate color expected to return in grand fashion for the 2022 season. At UCF, Josh Heupel and the Knights led the uniform craze with Nike and he's been unafraid to make subtle changes changes in Knoxville while keeping the recognizable 'Block T' as the featured logo. When you hear the phrase "orange and white," you think Tennessee.

22. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State has tweaked its alternate logos several times in recent seasons and nothing seems to be off limits to Mike Gundy in terms of uniforms. The Cowboys have a white, black, grey and orange helmet option, all with different graphics.

21. Miami Hurricanes

Green, orange and white of Miami defined the bad boy era of college football in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Miami has donned several different black-based 'Miami Nights' alternates during its run with Adidas, but the Hurricanes' base green and orange is still their best look.

20. Tulane Green Wave

Another Group of Five program with great uniforms, Tulane put its best on display during the Cotton Bowl against USC with green helmets and pants. The white helmet with the chrome-style primary logo is another win. Green and light blue just contrast so well.

19. Clemson

Clemson's brand visibility has soared over the past decade under Dabo Swinney and the Tigers' orange and white combinations are some of the nation's best. Clemson's alternate monochromatic purple look needs to come out more and is rarely worn.

18. Florida Gators

As long as the Gators never gain don the "gator-skin" green uniforms, Florida will remain one of college football's uniform meccas. The all-orange alternate is a player favorite and it's growing on fans. The Gators' monochrome blue get-up is still a preferred home alternate. Florida’s current script-style helmet logo on its orange lids has been around since 1979 and is one of the SEC's most iconic looks. The Gators have a chance to be one of the SEC's torch-bearers in the uniform department under the Jumpman umbrella.

17. Ole Miss Rebels

If we're giving out awards for helmets exclusively, perhaps the Rebels' light blue alternate lid is the nation's best. Seriously, Ole Miss should wear that more often, no RealTree needed. With a nice blend of white, navy, red and light blue, Lane Kiffin has done a great job bringing the program more exposure through apparel during his tenure at the Sip.

16. UCLA Bruins

Is there a more aesthetically pleasing combination nationally than UCLA's light blue and gold? It works under the California sun to near perfection. There's an ideal amount of contrast with the program's jerseys and the script "UCLA" wordmark has been around a long time.

Two of the best uniforms in the ACC belong to Miami and Florida State, but the Seminoles take the cake here. FSU's garnet and gold with the iconic spears conjures visions of speedsters dancing the night away in Tallahassee against hapless defenses during the successful Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher tenures. In recent years, the Seminoles have donned a variety of combinations under Mike Norvell, including a nifty all-white get up — helmet included — with garnet and gold flare.

Auburn has tinkered a bit with its game-day garb over the years including a stylized chrome helmet decal, but the navy, orange and white scheme remains unchanged. There's been recent talk about an orange alternate jersey or perhaps a new helmet being worn down the road, but we haven't seen it yet. Auburn's marketing under Under Armour reached its height during Cam Newton's run to a Heisman and national championship in 2010. The opportunities since, outside of one additional BCS Championship Game appearance, haven't been as prevalent from a national perspective, but the traditional look on game days is undoubtedly iconic.

Few helmets glisten in the sun like Oklahoma's iconic crimson shell and the home uniform for the Sooners is near perfection — not too much going on with an emphasized word mark across the chest. The cream alternates sometimes worn in big games is another fan favorite and an option that should be worn more often. But the best is the all-white road combination with crimson accents and the usual crimson lid. You know Oklahoma is playing when those flash across your TV screen and have been a program staple for many decades.

USC's cardinal and gold swatch screams tradition and the Trojans have rarely strayed from the norm outside of a chrome face mask in recent years. With Lincoln Riley's arrival, perhaps USC will unveil revisions in the coming years with alternate jerseys or subtle changes to the Trojans' recognizable look on game days. This is a program that was featured several times in the national spotlight last season. West Coast football is back and that'll continue to be displayed prominently once the Trojans are in the Big Ten.

Rarely do the Tar Heels bring out their throwbacks, but those should appear more often as some of the best in college football. North Carolina's most recent uniform change came in 2018 when the Tar Heels added argyle patterns almost everywhere in accent spots on its Jordan Brand design. The program's inclusion of navy in recent years as a secondary color corresponds well with the Carolina blue and white looks. North Carolina joined the chrome helmet fray several years ago with a blue hue and the oversized secondary Heel logo looks great.

If you're expecting Alabama to wear an alternate uniform in your lifetime, it's likely not happening. You've seen the program's crimson and white uniform so much over the past decade you're probably tired of it by now — and still, with all the spotlight opportunities as college football's most impressive dynasty under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide have never once gone outside of the box and altered their classic combination. We've seen mockups, but you don't mess up something that works and Alabama isn't going to change its traditional garb. From the numerals on the helmets with the single triple to the block numerals, the Crimson Tide's look on the field is A1.

Plus one for silver britches. Georgia's red and black is one of the classic untouchables, but the Bulldogs have given Nike some flexibility over the last two decades in the uniform department. Georgia has worn black jerseys a few times (four to be exact since 2007) and sported an all-red Pro Combat get up in 2011 vs. Boise State (too many jeers for that to return). And much has been made about the shade of grey on the Bulldogs' pants, which has been dulled a bit since a shimmery look in the early 2000s. Kirby Smart said last summer that the black alternate jerseys should make their return soon.

Oregon has led the college football uniform discussion for a decade plus and there's no way you can omit the Ducks from rankings centered around on-field apparel and not respect what this program has done. We've ranked Oregon No. 1 several times in helmet and alternate uniform rankings over the years because the Ducks' flashiness is attractive to all. They've worn so many different styles and templates, it's hard to pick a favorite. For starters, Oregon's winged chrome helmet that made its debut in the 2012 Rose Bowl was pure eye candy for uniform enthusiasts and has been mimicked by several programs since (with differing levels of success). Oregon has donned chrome, matte black, white, green, yellow and other lids since, but some variation of chrome remains the Ducks' best look on game days.

TCU looked its best in the College Football Playoff this season from a uniform standpoint, bringing out its all-white look for the semifinal win over Michigan before sporting its black alternate helmet in the final against Georgia. There are more traditional uniforms in the Big 12, sure, but TCU's are extremely clean and seem to pop with silver and purple accents everywhere. The Horned Frogs debuted a wild alternate with vibrant red and purple accents against Texas in 2019.

From Shamrock special alternates to mustard gold pants, Notre Dame has changed things up a bit during its era with Under Armour. But the Irish's traditional navy blue and gold color palette has stood the test of time as one of college football's best. Kelly green is a third color and pair well with navy, but Notre Dame stays away from too much usage of green on game days for a more traditional look. Notre Dame recently went back to its gold shimmer helmet with grey face mask after doing a more dull version of the gold lid in the past. The shimmer is a nice touch for the Golden Domers.

Navy and white were made for each other in terms of perfect contrast and the Nittany Lions have refused to interrupt program tradition. The familiar white helmet, blue jersey and white pants combination has been a part of Penn State history for more than a half-century, but the program has allowed for subtle variations and one-offs over the years. The program's vertical numeral on jersey sleeves and its oval primary logo at the crest of the Nittany Lions' current Nike look are dynamic details that set this uniform apart from others. It's hard to place Penn State outside of the top 5 in a uniform ranking. This set is iconic.

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When burnt orange and white are paired together, the Longhorns provide us with one of college football's greatest uniform combinations of all-time. From the steer on the white shells to TEXAS across the home jerseys, the Longhorns' primary logo has stood the test of time. The "stormtrooper" away combination — all-white with orange accents — is another classic. For the first time in 10 years last season, the Longhorns logo will not appear at the crest of the jersey neckline and there will be no visible numbers on the top of the shoulders or sleeves.

Royalty. That's the word that always comes to mind when LSU's recognizable purple and gold graces the field. For the most part, we only get to see LSU's preferred look on gamedays (white and gold), but during prime-time games in Death Valley, the Tigers do bring out their purple jerseys, completing the SEC's best look on gameday. The Tigers' Nike template remains unchanged and the wide vertical shoulder stripes are defining details. LSU's rare helmet alternate option worn a few years ago was incredible — a purple color-change paint with a stylized decal. The rare white helmet is also visually-pleasing.

Mix classic uniforms with Jumpman flavor and the results are legendary. The Wolverines' recent move to the Nike subsidiary brand was a blockbuster deal that intertwined one of college football's most iconic uniform templates with the leading streetwear supplier in athletics. The results were jaw-dropping to say the least, adding flare to an already majestic appearance. Maize and Blue has never looked better on the field, especially with the inclusion of navy pants to be worn with home or road alternates. Michigan's helmet "winged" tradition started in 1938 when Herbert “Fritz” Crisler left Princeton University to coach in Ann Arbor, where he brought with him the intriguing concept that has now become synonymous with greatness.

Another nod to tradition, Ohio State's silver helmets with the black, white and scarlet stripe and leaf decals is top-shelf. Buckeyes fans have gotten used to Nike's uniform takeover of the Michigan game in recent years with a plethora of alternate uniforms saved for the biggest contest of the season. Ohio State's traditional scarlet and gray is a delight, but the recent infatuation with Nike's envelope-pushing secondary options in Columbus keeps viewers guessing on game days against nationally-ranked opponents. That strange all-black get up in 2015 versus Penn State reappeared a couple seasons ago against Nebraska, but fans are split on the look. One of the Buckeyes' most daring alternates in the past decade was an all-gray getup which featured a wolf-fur pattern on the helmet, numerals and cleats.