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Ranking Big Ten football uniforms from worst to best

We've ranked all 14 Big Ten uniforms based on design, color scheme, logos, and whether they are timeless/enduring.

READ: Ranking Big Ten stadiums from best to worst

#14 Maryland Terrapins

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Maryland was supposed to become Oregon East with Under Armour fully backing the program. I know Maryland loves their flag and the concept itself is cool, but the result is not. I preferred the tortoiseshell helmets even. When you go the "Oregon" route, you have to nail it or it is a huge miss. And when you have clean throwbacks like these, why even bother doing anything else?


#13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights

There are four red and white plain template uniforms in the Big Ten, and Rutgers is the worst. I like clean and traditional, and I have a feeling someone other than Adidas could make these way better. The bizarre number font, the super long Rutgers across the chest that stretches into weird iterations. The jersey is a mess. It is far better than this era, but that isn't saying much. Another instance of a team with a great throwback that could be full-time with some tweaks.

#12 Indiana Hoosiers

Red and white plain template #2. It's hilarious how similar these are to Rutgers. Quite a sight when they play each other. Every logo is identically placed. Indiana gets the edge over Rutgers because the number font is better and goes well with the IU logo. Indiana needs to lean into their tradition, which comes from basketball. Put the candy stripes on the shoulders. Rock the script helmet. That's an IU identity. Nothing can be worse than the Randel El era.

#11 Minnesota Golden Gophers

Row the boat out of town with these, please. To be fair, Minnesota is dealt a tough hand and does fairly well. They have a unique and cool M logo in the same conference as Michigan. I don't even mind the giant gopher. I know Fleck builds a culture around it, but the paddles on the helmet with a program like Minnesota bothers me. These aren't bad, and they are close to being good. Eliminating the giant collars is a start. Or, just go something in between what they have and these?

#10 Iowa Hawkeyes

Let's get this out of the way, Iowa asked the Pittsburgh Steelers if they could steal their look. So points loss for creativity, but Hayden Fry also created the awesome Tiger Hawk logo. It was also quite the improvement from this. So yes they stole the look, but it is a great look. I do wish not everything thing was the same, including the single helmet stripe contrasting the 3 tier shoulder, but it is what it is. If you're going to cop a uniform, why not go with some of the best in the NFL?

#9 Northwestern Wildcats

I may be in the minority here, but I LOVE that Northwestern took back ownership of the Northwestern stripe. Back in 1928 they were the first to use the three stripe with the heavy middle. It is everywhere in football, some teams integrating it into every piece of their look, like the Detroit Lions. They make purple and white look good. The N logo is awesome, and the fonts on the jersey match the theme well. The only thing keeping Northwestern further down the list is they can't get out of their own way and wear awful alternates instead of their fantastic primary sets.

#8 Wisconsin Badgers

Red and white plain template returns. Wisconsin benefits from the switch from their Adidas uniforms to Under Armour in recent seasons. Wisconsin has largely kept the same look, transitioning from the old W uniforms in 1991. Their current set is clean and cohesive. The helmet stripe carries over to the shoulders and pants. A nice number and name plate font that fits their identity well. Their alternates have been, interesting, but that's more of an Under Armour problem than a Wisconsin problem.

#7 Nebraska Cornhuskers

We've come to the end of our red and white train. Nebraska has kept the same plain block N since 1970. The "Winning Tradition" patch has also been around a long time. I'll be honest, this is just one of those situations where timeless takes over. There is absolutely nothing special about these, but when you can keep the same uniform for 50 years and still look good, then they are great. It's plain, but it's Nebraska. That kind of ownership means something.

#6 Penn State Nittany Lions

The leader in the plain but timeless category is Penn State. You can't get much more plain than Penn State, especially their road uniforms. I know many will call these boring, which they are, but they are also perfect. One of the best things about college football is the traditions that soak every program. Part of why this works so well, is the incredibly bright white, similar to the LA Dodgers home uniforms. The contrast to the navy is so eye pleasing. I will say, I was a big fan of their recent throwbacks that had a specific font and helmet numbers.

#5 Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue has made a lot of subtle changes over the years, but their current uniforms are awesome. They've gone all in on black and gold, eliminating the heavy white usage during the Drew Brees era. They have switched to big blocky numbers after using these odd slim italic numbers. The gold helmet pops, but the black helmet with rails is too cool. They are hardly perfect and sometimes look a lot like Colorado, but they're unique in this conference. Black and gold is mean look when it is done right, these are done right.

#4 Illinois Fighting Illini

Fair warning on bias, navy blue and orange is my favorite color combination. Orange can be polarizing but I love the way it pops against a dark blue. They have made a lot of progress since the 2000's. What they are doing now is a modern take on the Dick Butkus era uniforms. They've also added the white outlines of previous eras to the new look. Say you want it meets all the criteria. It's a great color combo and design, great logo usage, and modern take on a timeless throwback.

#3 Ohio State Buckeyes

There aren't many iconic uniforms that can be recognized easily by non-sports fans, but Ohio State is one of them. For some reason they have done bizarre alternates like these all gray and these awful helmets. Their primary sets however are all-timers. If I say helmet stickers, you think of Ohio State's. The bright silver helmet with the bold scarlet and white/black helmet stripe is classic, the matching pants, and the controversial to Buckeyes matching shoulder stripe. They check all the boxes and unlike other traditional uniforms, no one looks like Ohio State.

#2 Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans have found their uniform groove under coach Mel Tucker. Immediately after the Nike rebrand, the uniforms were too busy including bulky pant stripes and a bizarre shoulder pattern. More stripped down, Sparty nails the green and white. MSU now rotates their uniforms often and their fans get excited at the weekly reveal. Mixing and matching green and white uniform pieces and alternate helmets including the throw back S and "Gruff", the Spartans have a wide range of uniform possibilities. While the neon alternate is a crime against humanity, overall the Spartans have a great selection of uniforms.

#1 Michigan Wolverines

It's the maize and blue. The winged helmet. There is nothing more college football than Michigan's uniforms. Their home uniforms have had nothing but subtle changes for decades, while the road uniforms went through some weird times. Michigan also was unable to escape the awful Adidas alternates. The move back to Nike, specifically the Jordan brand has seen Michigan tighten up and fine tune the best uniforms in college football. A slight satin helmet that better matches the new uniform materials. A Michigan specific font. And last season, a willingness from Jim Harbaugh to mix things up a little and create some awesome new pant/jersey combos to go with the classic.

The Big Ten is lucky to have so many awesome uniforms. Full of tradition, the Big Ten conference has the most elite uniforms in all of college football. Lists of the best uniforms in college football consistently have Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State at the top. I think Michigan State belongs in that group. While many of them are great, the Jordan rebrand put Michigan back in it's rightful place as best uniforms in the Big Ten.

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