Sunday Morning Uni Watch

By Phil Hecken, with the SMUW Crew
Follow @PhilHecken

Gray is the new…something.

A week after THE Ohio State Buckeyes put on mono-gray costumes and slayed mighty #2 in the polls Penn State, yesterday the Iowa Hawkeyes donned a gray-accent-heavy black costume and slayed…The Ohio State. Funny how these costumes work.

It’s an odd look for a school who prides itself on copying the look of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yesterday’s uniforms were mono-black, with most of the gold elements swapped out for gray. Numbers were gray with a sort of sort of interlocking brick pattern and outlined in gold. The pants stripes were truncated at the hip and mimicked the numbers. It wasn’t a bad look — it just wasn’t Iowa.

They weren’t the only team playing dress-up yesterday — Kansas wore some kind of superhero helmet (yes, I know it was the “Jay Hawker” gimmick) and ASU wore their Desert/Pat Tillman costume.

Those and more will be covered by my right-hand man, TJ Duroncelet below as he brings you Week 10 of…

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Sunday Morning Uni Watch
By Terry Duroncelet, Jr.

November pressure, weather delays, blackouts, and a Spooki Night special? Welcome to Week 10.

From Tuesday:

• Kent State got into the holiday spirit by dressing up as Pikachu for Halloween. On a serious note, it’s nice to see a school have a little fun with (and pride in) their team name, especially one as fun as the Golden Flashes. Also, Golden Flash player Mandela Lawrence-Burke has an interesting NOB treatment (PC: Kyle Good/@kylejgood). Obviously, unless they find tackle twill numbers as thin as most bottled, ready-made “sweet tea” (if you can even call it that), he can’t exactly go with the Maurice Jones-Drew treatment.

From Saturday:

• Kansas wore their Jay-Hawker uniforms against Baylor. You can read more about the details surrounding the unis here. In addition, Baylor wore some simple (but effective) white helmets in that same game.

• Northwestern wore white versions of the helmets that they wore last week, sans-gold trim, of course (closer look).

• The Ohio State Buckeyes played against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday. Wait, then why are they using Iowa’s tigerhawk logo? At any rate, this of course, is not the first time that Iowa has worn a one-off. Just last year I believe, they wore these unis against Minnesota [Actually, it was 2015 — PH]

• Don’t you just love it when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights wear scarlet on the field? They really understand the importance of living up to your team name. Just LOOK at all of that scarlet. It’s almost too much.

• Nooooooooot sure this is what most people have in mind when they think of a “golden shower”.

• Today’s tight-fitting uniforms are the only things that tend to be a bit clingy. Kudos to Kevin Clark for the pic.

• Miami (FL) has one of the most State-appropriate color schemes in college football (and college sports in-general, for that matter). So why NOT wear all-black? Makes TOTAL sense.

• Penn State Running Back Saquon Barkley is what you would call a “tough mudder”. (PC: Onward State/@OnwardState).

• Indiana wore S&S decals (meh) with my favorite Hoosier jersey tops against Wisconsin, who (as shown in that last pic) chose to stick with the white facemasks for (at least) a third time this season.

• …I want no context for this. PC for the screenshot goes to Mike Dahlstrom/@mikediddy12.

• Miss. State wore mono-black against UMass.

• Sooners vs. Cowboys… a classic matchup (PC: Mike McLaughlin/@mclaumar).

• I LOVE… l o v e … these Tulane helmets. Paired with the blue-over-white (that’s the full gallery, BTW), and this was one of my absolute favorite looks from Week 10. My only nitpick is that the metallic green should be darker. Not that light blue and metallic kelly don’t look good together, because they certainly do! It’s just that the kelly clashes with the dark green on the rest of the uniform. Other than that, these are probably my favorite Tulane helmets to-date.

• Broc (@brok1984) on Twitter notes that Florida State WR D.J. Matthews wears a helmet that uses an older shade of gold, the one the Seminoles were using prior to their 2014 rebrand. I unfortunately have no way of confirming this, but going off of what the old and new lids look like with just my raw vision, Matthews’s helmet does seem to be a bit more yellow tint-inclusive than the new lids, and it does seem to be more evident in the picture that Broc provided.

• Several teams wasted no time shifting gears to honoring the military for the entire month of November, including (but not limited to): Kentucky (here’s the chinstrap that they used), the aforementioned Indiana, Purdue (full shot), and many more that I almost definitely left out unintentionally (apologies for any teams that I missed), and I’m sure there will be more to come in the following weeks.

• Of course, one of those teams were the Arizona State Sun Devils, who wore this in their game against Colorado. These are their Brotherhood uniforms, all of the detail of which can be read here. And here’s a look at their endzones.

• Boise State wore some pretty sweet helmets against Nevada.

That’ll do it for Week 10. How appropriate that Week 11 will fall… on the 11th. Have a good day everyone, and I’ll see you next week.

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Thanks, TJ! Week 11, aside from falling on the 11th, also happens to be Veterans Day — so we can be certain there will be plenty of camopander and GI Joevember unis next weekend…right?

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Joe Ringham’s 5 & 1

Following in the footsteps of the original “5 & 1,” Jim Vilk, and Catherine Ryan after him, Joe Ringham is back again for 2017 to make his “5 & 1” (five good looking and one stinker) uni-vs-uni matchups. Sometimes he’ll have some “honorable mentions” and sometimes there will be more than one “bad” game. 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.

Here’s Joe:

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Good Sunday, everyone! Now that we’ve all gotten that extra hour of sleep back, let’s see who tops the list this week…

5) Navy at Temple — To Thursday we go for this entry. The Middies’ gold/white/navy road look is always a favorite of mine. Here, it really pairs up well with the cherry/cherry/black of the Owls. A really superb looking game on a Thursday night at the Linc.

4) Bowling Green at Kent State — To a Tuesday night in the MAC we go. I have to admit, this was headed for the +1 at first, mainly for Kent State going mono-gold (I mean, they are the Golden Flashes). But, surprisingly enough, it works well here against the orange/white/orange of the Falcons. It may not be for everyone’s taste, but it helped make for a surprisingly good-looking game.

3) Charlotte at Old Dominion — I love games that just sneak in under the radar, like this one. Really dug the 49ers matte green/white/green road look, especially with the gold numbers. Put that up against the white/navy/white that the Monarchs went with at home and you had quite the sharp-looking game in Norfolk.

2) Baylor at Kansas — This game really stood out to me, while going through the early slate of games. Baylor looked strong in white over green with the new white hats. The Jayhawks, though, looked equally as strong in red/blue/red at home. The contrast of the two made for such a fine-looking game.

1) LSU at Alabama — This game makes it’s yearly appearance atop the list. I don’t need to say anything else.

And, finally…

+1) East Carolina vs Houston — Mono-red vs purple/white/purple just doesn’t look good at all. Just… no.

Enjoy the week, everyone, and I’ll see you back here next week!

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Thanks Joe! You can follow Joe on the Twitter and let him know what you think of his choices or make a 5 & 1 suggestion of your own!

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NCAA Uni Tracking

Uni Watch will again track the uniform combinations worn by the “Power 5” conferences. All of the 2016 trackers are back!

We’ve got Rex Henry (tracking the ACC), Dennis Bolt (tracking the PAC-12), Kyle Acker (tracking the Big XII), and Ethan Dimitroff (tracking the B1G AND the SEC). Rex, Dennis, and Kyle and are all returning from 2015, and Ethan is back after joining the NCAA Uni Tracking last season. Ethan has stepped into the dual role of both the B1G and the SEC.

Here are the Uni Trackers for the Power 5 Conferences:

+ + + + + + + + + +

Rex is up first today (ACC):

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ACC

More Here.
Follow Rex on Twitter here.

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And now, here’s Dennis with the PAC-12:

PAC-12

More here.
Follow Dennis on Twitter here.

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And here is Ethan, with the SEC:

SEC

And be sure to check out Ethan’s WVU Mountaineer Tracker.
Follow Ethan on Twitter here.

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And here is Kyle with the Big XII:

Big XII

Follow Kyle on Twitter here.

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And here’s Ethan with the B1G:

B1G

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Welcome to the 2017 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.

Here’s this week’s Uniform Combo for the Ducks (you can click to enlarge):

You can read about this uniform, and MUCH MORE, by checking out the Duck Tracker here!

Thanks Dennis!

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MLB Playoff Uni Tracking

A few years back, reader Alex Rocklein tracked the MLB Playoffs by uniform — you guys may recall this. Here’s what his 2010 Uni Tracking looked like. Alex also tracked the playoffs for Uni Watch last season as well. Here’s how the 2016 World Series looked.

We welcome Alex back this year — and now that the World Series has been completed (congrats to the Houston Astros on their first World Series victory), Alex has completed a full batch of playoff uniform tracking, from the Wild Card games through the Big Dance. Here we go:

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Wild Card & Divisional Series

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League Championship Series

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World Series

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Record By Uniform

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Full Playoffs

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And now a quick word from Paul:

Hi there .I’ll soon begin work on my annual Uni Watch Holiday Gift Guide. If you have any suggestions for items or companies that should be featured, I’m all ears. Thanks.

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Uni Watch News Ticker
By Phil

Baseball News: Now that your Houston Astros have won the World Championship, of course they have some “new” stuff available in the team store. Submitter Nick Lineback asks, “can that be anymore lazy? They literslly just added a ‘champions’ to the WS jersey.” Apparently that’s not the first time that’s happened (from Ty Ferrin). Also, it seems to be a temporary fix — and a way to squeeze a couple more bucks from those who like to spend $200 on a polyester shirt. … Would you like to buy Mel Ott’s gorgeous 1948 NY Giants uni? It’ll cost you, but it’s worth it (thanks, Brinke). … At Friday’s World Series parade, someone dropped a cap from a high floor of a building. Trying to return it to its owner was mesmerizing (from our own Anthony Emerson). … Here’s a look at the special Arizona Fall League All Star Game cap (from Joesph Giordano). Also from Joseph, a look at some additional Fall League caps.

NFL News: Most of you probably know the Rams have been one of the more itinerant teams in football, beginning life in Cleveland. So, what did the Cleveland Rams do after winning the 1945 NFL Championship? They up and moved. Here’s a really good (and well researched) article chronicling the Rams move west to LA (the first time they’d make such a move, but not the last). … If you weren’t already aware, you will be now: the Philadelphia Iggles will be wearing mono-black uniforms today against the Denver Broncos. They’re calling it a “Sunday Blackout,” a term no doubt apt in Philly (I KID I KID!). … In 1971, the Houston Oilers visited the Washington Redskins in RFK Stadium and got trounced. “No big deal, really,” says Ray Hund. So why was it a big deal? His writeup was too long for the ticker, but you can read it here.

College Football News: “Don’t know if you have seen this before,” says Christopher (No last name given). “#80 for the Pitt Panthers (celebrating John Brown’s game winning TD) had no name on his jersey in the 1982 Sugar Bowl vs Georgia.” …. Ooooohhh — check out these Iowa State Gameday Illustrations: Drawings by Mark Marturello, and these Iowa Gameday Illustrations, also by Mark Marturello (from Cody Dannen). … Here’s a pretty good article about the OSU/UM rivalry between Woody Hayes & Bo Schembechler (from Douglas Ford). Referenced in that article is this quip: “Ohio State coach Woody Hayes has previous year’s 24-12 score emblazoned on rug leading out of locker room to practice field all year.” Here’s a picture of that rug.

Hockey News: Detroit Red Wings prospect Matej Machovsky has a mask designed by famous mask artist David Gunnarsson, called The Detroit Muscle Car mask, and it features different old school automobiles (from Ted Arnold). … The Canadian Mint unveiled a special-edition coin during an event at the #NHL100 Fan Arena in Edmonton (from Liᵱschitɀ®‏). … Before Christmas, WHL teams wear dark jerseys at home, explains Wade Heidt. They switch to the white jerseys at home after Christmas. “The Red Deer Rebels have decided to unveiled a white version of their 3rd uniforms. This way they can wear an alternate at home after Christmas.” … Tweet account Goat Jerseys says, “This Kansas City Scouts jersey was awesome, but this mask was .”

NBA News: Has the Portland Trailblazers alternate-alternate jersey been leaked? According to our pal Conrad Burry, the Blazers “City” edition uniforms will be plaid, an obvious tribute to former Blazers coach Jack Ramsay. … More (based on Conrad’s leaks) — the Miami Heat’s fourth uniform.

College/High School Hoops News: Smaller and smaller: A new picture (though not Twitter header) from North Carolina Basketball has added the ’17 jersey and trophy. James Gilbert says, “Look how small the font on the 2017 jersey is.” … Great find from Ray Hund, who downloaded the following shots from the book Shooting Star: The Bevo Francis Story (2005) by Kyle Keiderling: Quote at beginning of Chapter One: “Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald. Check out these shots: 1. Bevo in his 1952 North-South High School All-Star Classic uniform; 2. Bevo dressed in his Rio Grande College (pronounced Rye-O Grand) uniform; 3. Scorecard for 1/19/1953 game in which Bevo scored 116 points. Rio Grande beat Ashland J.C. 150-85; and, 4. Photograph of 2/9/1954 game against Hillside in which he scored 113 points. Rio Grande won 134-91. … Ad-cision: “These are the best photos I could find,” says Tanner Liby, “but this season K-State has quietly removed an ad that was placed on the court for awhile.” Here’s a comparison of the old court and the new court. … FAU men’s basketball has some new home jerseys. First one is from last year (from Jake Elman). Here’s a look at the back.

Soccer News: For those of you who are not aware, Williams College mascot is … wait for it … Ephelia the Purple Cow. So, it is of course only fitting that there is Cow-spotted athletic tape as shown here by Eph women’s soccer (from Paul Friedmann).

Grab Bag: After a rather long preamble and anecdote about the Sochi Olympix (but still entertaining), this article notes no country obsesses over its Olympic wardrobe quite like Canada, and in particular its winter ensemble (from Ted Arnold). … Paul (especially) will like this: Hoover High (Alabama) has a bowling team with a fantastic logo (from Roger Kirk). … Check out this Wartime Monopoly Set — says submitter Christopher J. Falvey, “This is fascinating, especially the special surprise set at the end.” … Zenit Kazan vball player Maxim Panteleymonenko (Пантелеймоненко), 15 letters in English or Cyrillic (from Jeremy Brahm).

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