Sunday Morning Uni Watch

By Phil Hecken & the SMUW Crew
Follow @PhilHecken

The Georgia Bulldogs broke out their new black jerseys yesterday, defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in what turned out to be a close and exciting game. Georgia kinda has a checkered history with black jerseys — wearing them once in 1947 (or so history says) but not breaking them out again until 2007. Georgia trounced Auburn that day 45-20 and then crushed Hawai’i 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl while wearing them. But in September 2008, Georgia held one more Blackout against Alabama. A 31-0 halftime deficit and a 41-30 defeat later and the mystique of the black jersey’s had vanished. The team wouldn’t wear a black jersey again until 2016, when they broke them out against the ULL Ragin’ Cajuns (Georgia won 35-21).

They broke them out again last night. Except these jerseys had a little extra ornamentation:

Yep, the new black jerseys feature a graphic image of a dog collar around the neckline. They also feature a “Together Equality” patch on the chest. Yeah, we get that you’re the Bulldogs, but a dog collar? Seriously? And yes, we get that Uga the bulldog mascot sometimes sported a spiked collar. Still, you’re a ranked SEC team, not a Pee Wee football team.

For the most part, in the long shots, the collar wasn’t really visible. But in the close shots, it surely was:

And in the close-close ups…

Well, you get the idea.

The black jerseys also featured a patch of Uga, wearing a representation of the same dog collar that was on the Dawgs neckline.

I like Georgia in the black jerseys (I’m surprised they have been worn so scarcely in the past decade-plus). I also liked the throwbacks they wore earlier this season. And the block numbers on the black jerseys are so much better than the rounded, non-serifed numbers they’ve had for several years. If only the black jerseys didn’t have that collar…

Anyhoo, enough of my screaming at clouds. Here’s TJ with your…

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Sunday Morning Uni Watch
by Terry Duroncelet

Black unis. Throwbacks (or throwback-adjacent, at least). Towel theft. We got it all. Let’s jump right in.

From Friday:

• You guys… Louisville has FINALLY done it: they’re wearing a proper uniform!!! These lookers are actually modeled after the Johnny Unitas-era unis from 1951-1954. Speaking of which… peep this. Now you have this information, and you may process this however you please (original photo). The rather modern earholes had decals over them that mimicked the circular earholes of the era (the excess was cut away, of course, as you can *kinda* see in the previous photo). I also love the tan-colored bits at the ends of where the earholes are and the neck bumper. Also from that same game: rare, but welcoming orange/white/navy pairing from Syracuse. All-in-all, this game was a beaut, and a good way to transition into the weekend. Speaking of which…

From Saturday:

• Can I get a McF in the chat for Indiana Linebacker Micah McFadden’s kerning disaster on his NOB? (H/T to Brian Spiess)

• Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and Vanderbilt wore S&S decals over the weekend. I’m sure there were at least a couple more teams that I missed, however.

• One thing you can always count on regarding the SEC: the colors (and matchups therein) are AMPLE, and Mizzou’s outstanding combo against the equally-snazzy South Carolina Gamecocks is no exception.

• Rutgers wore mono-red for the first time in a long time against Michigan.

• Washington wore all-black against Arizona. There’s something about people in general –whether they’re athletes on a team in uniform or not– wearing all-black on a cold November night that just feels… COOL. Don’t get me wrong: this is still objectively BFBS at the end of the day, but in another world, this is a good look.

• Speaking of BFBS, Iowa State wore theirs against Kansas State. Again, no team that doesn’t have black in their school colors needs to be wearing black unis outside of October, but I still maintain that the Cyclones’ BFBS unis are one of the better ones in college football.

• And STILL on the black train, Utah wore theirs against USC.

• Alright, that’s enough black, so let’s lighten the mood a bit. Or should I say… WHITEN? Florida wore what I dub the Albino Gator look (all-white) against the aforementioned Vanderbilt.

• Ya know, I don’t hate the white facemasks on Northwestern’s purple lids (first time in 30 years, apparently!). Also from that same game: it’s Real Towel Snatching Hours (H/T to Timmy Donahue)

• Oregon wore uniforms in celebration of pan-Polynesian culture against UCLA. (more info here)

• Seeing Nebraska in Blackshirts mono-black is giving me whiplash.

• Penn State wore their “Generations of Greatness” uniforms against Iowa.

That’s gonna do it for Week 12. With Thanksgiving upon us, I hope you have a happy and safe Turkey Day, and as always, I’ll see you next week… provided Friday and Saturday don’t pick my bones clean first.

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Thanks, TJ! OK, now on to the rest of your SMUW…

Memal’s 5 & 1

Following in the footsteps of the original “5 & 1,” Jim Vilk, Catherine Ryan after him, and finally Joe Ringham, in 2019 we introduced a new “5 & 1” (five good looking and one stinker) uni-vs-uni matchups — Michael “Memal” Malinowski. Like Joe, Catherine & Jim, Memal will pick HIS 5 best looking/1 awful matchup, and occasionally have some honorable mentions (both good and bad). 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 Memal

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It was an interesting Saturday of college football full of hard fought rivalry games and almost as many teams going BFBS as did on Halloween! In my eyes, it was another Saturday of sensational looking matchups in a long line of Saturdays full of so many good looking games it’s become easier to sort out the best looking ones and harder to choose a match up for the &1!

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Honorable mention: Bedlam

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5. Arkansas State @ Texas State

The maroon and gold of Texas State might be my favorite color combination in all of college football. The white unis and scarlet and black helmets of the Red Wolves looked sharp against the Bobcats set as well, but the similarities between their sleeve stripes and plainness of their pants kept me from putting this one any higher.

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4. UCLA @ Oregon

The all black unis and subtle Polynesian elements looked sharp against the Bruins regular road set. I especially liked the neon green against UCLA’s true blue! The unique collar/chest design reminded me of TCU’s uniforms which also have a busy design that I really like!

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3. LSU @ Arkansas

The Razorbacks and LSU both wore their standard sets and a game that was sloppy in terms of the play and weather was made better because of it. I think the gold/white/gold combo of the Tigers looks best against any team in red and white!

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2. East Carolina @ Temple

I loved all the contrasting elements between the looks of these two teams. Between the wild stripe patterns and the clash of colors this was a game I couldn’t get enough of!

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1. Mississippi State @ Georgia

I’m not only a fan of how their black alternates look, I’m also a fan of how Georgia seems to know when to pull them out and make a seemingly regular game feel special. Mississippi State’s maroon pants pair nicely with a matching lid too!

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&1 FIU @ Western Kentucky

Sometimes uniforms just look bad, sometimes uniforms styles clash on the field, and then sometimes both of those conditions collide on the field like they did in Bowling Green, Kentucky and you get a game that the look of it just makes you shudder.

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Thanks, Memal! OK readers? What say you? Agree or disagree with Memal’s selections? Let him know in the comments below.

NCAA Uni Tracking

Uni Watch will again track the uniform combinations worn by the “Power 5” conferences. All of the 2019 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 a couple seasons ago. Ethan continues his dual role of tracking both the B1G and the SEC.

We started the year off with three conferences (SEC, B1G, PAC-12) not playing at all, but now all five of the Power 5 have returned to play.

Here are the Uni Trackers for the Power 5 Conferences (I’ve left all the previous tracker info in their usual slots, even if the conferences aren’t playing. In case you want to click on any of the links):

+ + + + + + + + + +

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

Welcome to the 2020 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!

Click to enlarge

And now a few words from Paul: Hi there. In case you missed it on Friday, I’m currently raffling off one of Austin FC’s new inaugural jerseys. USA addresses only (sorry). To enter, send an email with your name, mailing address, and shirt size, to the raffle address by 8pm Eastern on Sunday. One entry per person. I’ll announce the winner on Monday. Good luck!

While we’re at it:

•  Teespring is currently offering free shipping on orders totaling over $50. That means you can mix and match items from the Uni Watch, Uni Rock, and Naming Wrongs shops and save some coin on on the freight. Use the checkout code FREEOVER50 to get in on the deal.

• Uni Watch Trading Cards are now available at a reduced price.

That’s it from me! Now back to Phil.

Uni Watch News Ticker
By Phil

NFL/CFL News: To the surprise of exactly no one, the New Orleans Saints will be wearing mono-black against the Falcons today. … Here’s a new one: today, the Vikings will play the Cowboys in what they are calling their “Primetime Purple” uniforms. … For first time in 6 years, NRG Stadium roof will open for Texans game (Houston hasn’t opened the retractable roof at NRG Stadium for a game since 2014). … Good spot here from Matthew Toy, who noticed different fonts on the 1974 Stillers. … Some great vintage NFL finds here from Ignacio Salazar. … The 2021 Grey Cup and Grey Cup Festival logos have been unveiled (from Wade Heidt). … This Steelers Helmet Jeepster is just so Yinzer it’s great. But it’s got TWO decals (oops).

College Football News: Did you ever want to know the “strange” history of the Georgia Bulldogs’ black jerseys? Well, here’s your chance. … Shortly after their game ended yesterday, BYU teased a future BFBS game.

Hockey News: The Vancouver Canucks have worn quite a different number of uniforms and styles in their existence, and this article attempts to rank every one from worst to best. … Lots of juicy uni nuggets in this article on the Avalanche’s 25 anny, including a pretty good photoshop of the team wearing blue gloves and breezers. … Check out the Hockey fights cancer themed jersey worn by QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Thursday night (from Wade Heidt). … Looks like everyone is getting into this reverse retro jersey trend (from Wooter Apparel).

NBA News: With all the new “City” uniforms the NBA has trotted out recently, everyone has their own hot take. Even The Onion (from Kenny Ocker). … Looks like a new Pacers jersey may have leaked (from Mike Chamernik). … Hmmm. Are the Timberwolves ad free (for now)? From Josh Claywell. Why yes, yes they are (from Elliot Mann).

College Hoops News: The North Carolina Tar Heels, who are famous for wearing “Carolina” blue, have introduced a navy blue alternate uni for this upcoming season. Because they can. … James Gilbert (see this thread seems to think the team has worn dark blue unis before. And also orange. … As a way of cutting down on the COVID, some refs are now using the “whistle mask” (from Chicago Gump).

Soccer News: Hertha’s 4th shirt won’t have the fan design in the numerals. Club’s normal lettering is used instead (from Ed Żelaski). … Orlando City is selling playoff hero Rodrigo Schlegel’s keeper kit. If you don’t know why he’s a hero, read this (from Dave Raglin).

Grab Bag: Interesting non-sports look at aesthetics comes from this article on the outfits worn by the actors in the movie “Casino” (from Jason Hillyer). … Most of us love stripes on a uni (when tastefully done), but stripes also have their place in non-uni fashion too. … During Friday night’s TriNations match between Australia and Argentina one of Australia’s starting centre’s had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. Submitter Evan Stewart adds, “Different that the issue we saw two weeks ago where a lot of the Aussie forwards had their numbers peeling off the back of their jersey.” … “Apparently, there’s an iconic scene in the first Twilight movie with the vampires playing baseball,” writes Mike Cooperman. This article has a breakdown of uniforms and inspirations.

And finally… that will do it for this fine November Sunday. Big thanks, as always, the the entire SMUW crew for making your football Sunday’s possible!

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving — whether you’re visiting/receiving friends and/or family, or if you’re staying home this year. Please be safe! I’ll catch you next weekend.

Peace,

PH