College football teams can be defined by their choice of helmet. Following in ESPN’s footsteps of ranking the best NFL helmets, we rank the college game’s top 20 lids.
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Note: Rankings based on aesthetics, tradition, meaning, originality, and place in college football history, among other factors. FBS teams only.
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20. Georgia
The Bulldogs’ helmet is a perfect example of putting your own spin on something and making it better. The block ‘G’ also is on the helmet of the historic Green Bay Packers. Yes, they just stole copied the decal. But Georgia’s red and black, though, gives it a different feel. If you look at Georgia’s helmet history (and who hasn’t?), the helmet has stayed pretty much the same throughout the years. The newest version has a white stripe on the top, not exactly a drastic difference from anything before it. Between the hedges, with Uga on the sideline, it wouldn’t seem like Georgia football without that regal lid.
19. BYU
The ‘Y’ on the helmets represents one of BYU’s landmarks, “Y Mountain,” which has the large letter looming over the campus. More than anything, though, it’s a representation of BYU football past and present; that’s why the school went back to future in 2005, scrapping their disastrous new uniforms for a taste of the past. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall said it best: “This is about honoring tradition. This is about respect for and accountability to the coaches and players who have made BYU one of the national pillars of college football.” If they went back to the lighter shade of blue and got rid of the ugly helmet stickers, these lids would be even higher.
18. Arkansas
Let’s be honest, there are certain helmets that fit certain schools. When you see that maniacal boar coming at you off Arkansas’ helmet, it just feels right for the Razorbacks. You think down south, old-time football. The school enlarged the decal on the helmet in 1995, no doubt to emphasis what already was awesome. From 1958-63, the Razorbacks did not have the ferocious pig, and the helmets looked like a low-rent version of the Alabama lid with the players’ numbers on the side. The change was for the better.
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17. Penn State
If you aren’t a college football fan, you simply don’t get it. Yes, that’s right. We are helmet snobs. The Penn State helmet is straightforward and clean. To anyone else, it’s the most boring thing you’ve ever seen. That’s why art is in the eye of the beholder. Think about a soldout crowd in Happy Valley waving those white towels as Penn State takes the field with their plain white helmets. Though, it wasn’t always that way. Prior to 1974, Penn State had numbers on the side of the hats. We like it much better this way.
16. Tennessee
This is the beauty of college football in “Good Old Rocky Top.” The classic orange ‘T’ fits the program perfectly. It’s not as omnipresent as the “The U” in Miami but, for generations of Tennessee fans, it’s a source of pride. Of course, the helmet is nothing more than an orange and white popsicle stick . And only in college football could a host of high school athletes hope to one day wear a creamsicle on their heads.
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15. Nebraska
This isn’t New York City or Los Angeles, it’s the nation’s heartland. And the definition of Nebraska is its proud football program, and that’s how the red, simplistic ‘N’ sits on this white background – prominent and proud. The Cornhuskers is an appropriate nickname, but how would you depict that on a football helmet? Prior to 1970, a ‘U’ accompanied the ‘N’ on the helmet, but it was removed from all helmets because there weren’t enough of the letters to go around. And that’s how the lone ‘N’ emerged as the symbol of Nebraska football, which is also a perfect symbol of life in the heartland: Plain and simple. Some of the greatest works of art come about by accident.
14. Hawaii
When June Jones arrived in 1999, he decided to makeover an already great helmet and it ended in disaster. But a year later, Hawaii got it right. The school did a great redesign, making the green helmet a staple for both home and away contests. To be honest, we prefer the silver version. But the green version – the green-on-green, to be more exact – gives you the impression you are on the lush Hawaiian landscape. And really, what’s better than that?
13. West Virginia
West Virginia has done a good job of putting a twist on a simple helmet. Not to be confused with the “Flying V” of Mighty Ducks fame, this helmet has a “Flying WV” introduced by Don Nehlen making each Mountaineer look like he’s motoring around the field. It’s a classic in West Virginia, a state in which WVU athletics is king. Of course, Mountaineers fans are known for their rowdiness, but nothing says controlled frenzy like the accentuated WV in a bold yellow against a dark background. It almost makes us want to head to Morgantown and burn some couches. Quietly.
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12. Arizona
Maybe it’s us, but the Arizona football team always looks strange out there. It’s a basketball school, and their uniforms aren’t as identifiable in the college football world. The school did a good thing, though, by switching up the helmets last season. It went back to the white ones with a blue stripe on one side and a red stripe on the other like the “Desert Swarm” days. It gave the Wildcats a unique look, one which includes the school’s colors and its classic block ‘A.’ We’re starting to come around on the Wildcats of the gridiron; we’re already sold on their helmets.
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11. Clemson
As we discussed during our uniform rankings, only certain teams can pull off orange. But Clemson is literally the only team who can have the famous paw print, the one which is placed prominently on its helmets. The school had to trademark the paw so that other schools could not copy it. Of course, tigers are perhaps the nation’s most popular mascot. Clemson’s white paw has a hook at its bottom so you can tell it’s exclusive to the South Carolina school that introduced it in 1970. Aesthetically, it’s beautiful – looking as if a tiger softly dipped its paw in the helmet’s orange paint.
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no orange and blue comments! This list is the oldest and larger schools,OK. if you don’t the UF/Gator gator helmet does not belong on that list, I agree with many of posted comments. You are blind and a water head, don’t be a gator hater. You are like a child looking at the big boys play but afraid to step up, GROW UP AND GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME SON!!!!!
This should be titled “20 Tradtional Helmets.” Many of these are the ugliest and least imaginative helmets in sports. I give them all props for tradition, but maybe 1 02 2 would actually qualify for “best.”
Your obviously blind sec biased idiots
only the caines and fsu have good helmets on this list. tenn ok the rest suck. nd, penn state always been examples of ones that really suck. clemson might b ok. but really only um and florida state hands down
First, to make a valid and intelligent argument, please learn how to formulate a sentence and how to capitalize. Since you cannot even accomplish THAT, your comments about classic helmets (PSU, ND) that “suck” are as much a joke as your painfully written d******* are. Way to use the word “suck” to end two sentences in a row! Can you even spell University? Moron.
Dear Painful,
I loved your comments and I couldn’t agree with you more. Jumpy Lane shouldn’t be allowed near a keyboard; he is verifiably illiterate. What the h*** are “caines”? Was he trying to use a shortened form of “Hurricanes”? As far as trying to understand what he was trying to opine, the world will never know….or care. He’d be better off drawing crayon pictures.
why would anyone give a sh** about what a helmet looks like? Look at the national championships behind the helmet. It is all about winning, not uniforms and helmets. The state of Alabama has more championships between Auburn university and the university of Alabama than any other state. No other state has back to back national champions and back to back heisman trophy winners. By the way, the university of Alabama has another candidate for the heisman trophy award for the 2011 season and will probably be the national champions again this year. Roll Tide.
Actually Ohio state had a back to back Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin the only player to win twice.
Supporting both schools in Alabama shows you clearly went to neither, country bumpkin.
…and it was funny, too. All the airheads commenting on here that the best helmets can only be those of their favorite teams just prove how stupid sports fans can be.
And Indiana has more National Championship with Notre Dame holding 25.
Obviously, illogical little Louie’s parents were closely related. Gee, Lulu, you like Alabama colleges; I guess that makes their helmets the best.
FLORIDA STATE NUMBER 2 JUST BEHIND BOISE STATE. ALL WHITE WITH BLUE BRONCO OUT LINE IS THE BEST.
WILDWEST, your random grouping of words doesn’t help make your point, either.
az. states helmets was & always will be an original & should be considered the#1 helmet of all time. give me a break notre dames hemet looks like a practice helmet, & any helmet with just a # or letter should not even be considered. period! it must have really took a geniuis to figure what to put on them, & even worse it takes a moron with no imagination to even consider putting them in the top 10, 20 or even the top 5,000 for that matter. the sun devils rule without a doubt. all i can say is your way of rating them is the only way to remember your a b & c’ s. as for notre dames, thats real original painting it gold & having it rated as high as you did. you must have been sniffing gold paint while all you morons were making your selections. what a joke your selections must have been made by a bunch of retards. yeah i said “retards.” what a joke just like the republican party, you bunch of friggin losers! granted, 2 or 3 were legitimate & worthy of their selections. that’s my story & i’m sticking to it. village idiots..
good helmet decal, but come on the helmet is mustard w/ a maroon stripe. Great logo, worse colors in College Football
Hey, Arthuro, speaking of morons and r*****, you’re both. If you want anyone to even consider your opinion, it would help immensely if you would learn how to capitalize, punctuate (do you even know what a comma is?) and spell properly. You should also avoid using so many abbreviations. Trying to make sense of your rant gave me a headache. A 12-year-old girl with a cell phone can express herself in writing more clearly than you can…and she probably knows more about college football, too. You’re not texting here, dumb$#!
Just like the Republican Party? Really? Are you kidding? We are talking about football helmets. You are such a r*****, please tell me I’m not paying for your defaulted loan. You should be out protesting and borrowing money from Mom and Dad, let the big boys talk sports, and stop interrupting . Now go outside and play. “Go Pokes”!
To not include the Iowa helmet is atrocious.
How about another one on the ugliest uniforms in college football? Oregon HAS to top the list. What are their colors again? Black, gray, green, yellow? Anything else in that dog vomit mix? Georgia, after last weekend, moves into the number 2 (figuratively and literally) spot.
HELMETS?!?!? We talking bout HELMETS?!?!?!? (with apologies to Alan Iverson).
Who gives a rip about the helmets? What about the quality and skills of the PLAYERS wearing them? Who wrote this article- Mr. Blackwell?
Are you an idiot? Its just a catagory for crying out loud. Your probably one of those jerk o** bosses that bore people with silly #&! opinions.
To leave out the Iowa Hawkeye helmet is about the sickest thing about this list. Put that lousy Penn State helmet and a Hawkeye helmet on a table and see who recognizes which one first. Not only do most of the teams on this list recruit illegally pro style , their helmets are ugly. With the exception of FS. Have each team recruit on personal aptitude and some athletic ability like Iowa and they wouldn’t need helmets because their programs wouldn’t exist. Iowa is known for bringing mediocre talent to pro levels. No other team in the BCS can even come close to that . Throw the best looking helmet in the mix and you have a complete bailout on the the part of the author of this sham of an article. What did you do, post the top 20 so you can go play Tiger Woods h* chaser. Your editor needs to fire your A@# !
You are not only a homer, but a hilarious one! Iowa’s entire uniform are a JOKE and a rip off of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wow, now that is ORIGINAL concept. Funny how you brought up Penn State and their classic uniforms, because they just handed it to your Suckeyes last weekend.
I loathe to tell you this, but no one outside of the inbred state of Iowa could identify your helmets, but Penn State’s look is known coast to coast.
Thank you for resisting Oregon’s “I went to a college football game and a fashion show broke out” look, and rewarding the schools who keep it simple. Too bad the players wearing them, and the coaches coaching them, and the NCAA itself are’t as classic as the logos, or lack thereof, on the helmets.
THis is simply 20 of the best traditional helmets.
Best looking…Florida State, USC and K-State.
I agree with most of the comments. This list is pathetic. #14 Hawaii, #13 WVU, #5 OSU and #1 Michigan are the only ones deserving, aside from possibly #10 Colorado and #3 Texas (although probably neither of those should be in the top 10). To the dissenters of OSU and Michigan, it’s not tradition that makes them deserving. How many helmets have the design starting on the front, using the entire helmet, like Michigan? And it’s not the plain “silver” as someone said (the Bucks are scarlet and GRAY) on the OSU helmets, as if that’s all their helmets are. It’s the buckeye leaves that make them unique and very deserving of this list. Others that should have been included are Cincinnati, South Florida, Iowa, Boise State’s helmets with the horse on one side and flowing off the bottom of the helmet, Arizona State’s new helmets, and just about any recent Oregon helmet. My top 10 would be: 1 Michigan, 2 Boise State’s single side helmet, 3 Iowa, 4 ASU’s new helmets, 5 WVU, 6 Hawaii, 7 Oregon, 8 Ohio State, 9 Cincinnati and 10 South Florida.
Not having Iowa’s helmet on here is wrong. Idiot.
How many homer Iowa posts did you put on here? Idiot.
Any school with a Nike contract should automatically be disqualified. Disagree with the order, but the group of helmets is pretty easy to defend.
Having come from Champaign-Urbana, Bob “A**”mussen is an idiot.
What about Washington State? Let’s go Cougs!!!!!!!!
thank you …. i’ve been scrolling through the comments, waiting … and waiting … for someone to mention the absolute best helmets/logo in all of college sports … i’m from seattle, home of the huskies, and i will still give you that ….
My favorite helmet was Pitt’s with the pather on the side. Too bad they ditched it. I really like Hawaii’s too. Also Iowa’s and FSU’s. But I’d like to see worst helmet’s list. Mine would have Wyoming at #1 and North Texas at #2.
Maryland Terps new helmet is awesome.
No.
The correct Top 3…..
1) UCLA
2) Michigan
3) Air Force
Nice list. Texas’ helmet is definitely top 5.
Clemson by far that helmet can be spotted a mile away
I like the UNC Tar Heels Helmets a lot…
This list is a joke. Did someone from the BCS make this list. For starters calling Tennessee orange
“creamsicle” is a complete disrespect to the school. I should know I live in Tennessee . The orange in the University is called Vols Orange . Its a mix of burnt orange and regular orange . The difference is that Tennesse has the rights to this color . You should do more research before typing or calling Vols Orange “creamsicle”. If you say that in Good Ole Rocky Top region those are fighting words. Hawaii to me looks like a black helmet nothing special . Then you ‘ve got Florida State with stickers on side of their helmets makes them look HEINOUS AND VERY HIDEOUS . STICKERS SHOULD BE ON THE BACK OF THE HELMETS ONLY. JUST LIKE THE GOOD OLE DAYS .USC with grey facemask is ranked too high .There’s nothing about the color grey that has anything to do with USC . What do you think of color wise when someone says USC ? burgandy and gold . Why is Boise State, TCU, Vanderbuilt, Middle Tennessee State , or Michigan State not on this list? Is it because BCS PERSONEL DID THIS LIST !!!
A half-witted one, too! Just because you live in Tennessee and capitalize entire sentences doesn’t make your opinion any more valauable than anyone else’s, not even that of the idiot who made the selections and wrote this moronic and pointless article. Also, how can you NOT spell Vanderbilt correctly? That wasn’t a typo or simple mistake either, you’re just a twit. Quite obviously you didn’t go to any of these schools. And you bring up Middle Tennessee State…is that a junior college or a vo-tech school? Whoever heard of it but you? Finally, making fun of an ugly color constitutes “fighting words” in your state? Get a life! And try traveling out of your home state once in a while.
Arizona State once had the coolest helmets and uniforms. They done ruined them this year.
OSFG
Clemson’s is distinctive and striking- truly iconic. Michigan would be next best.
Thats right that the U of M Wolverines have the BEST College Football Helmets!!!!! GO WOLVERINES!!!
You can’t beat a wolverines helmet or fight song
Michigan # 1??? Those are the ugliest helmets on the planet!
It’s the U helmet of course, the program with 5 rings., the most players in the NFL and the most first round draft picks of any collegiate program since 1983.
Any helmet, heck any uniform, that uses orange is wrong! Its a color on a football player that only a fashion designer could love. Tennesse’s is the worst shade of orange. Whoever came up with that couldn’t have loved the school.
No doubt, Michigan’s is the most distinctive and has great roots. People that don’t follow college football know who that piece belongs to.
I have a problem with any helmet that has a college insignia on it that’s too small to make out unless your tackling the guy. LSU out to get rid of that little circle cause no one but Tigers know what’s in it.
5 of the TOP 20 were from the SEC and the rest just need to get over it. THE SEC rules
The SEC sucs.
Will someone who knows, please tell me why the longhorn steers on Texas U. helmets, have one of the horns on each side with one horn longer than the other. It looks silly.
It’s always a plus to see WV make it in the top 20 in football helmets! Hail WV Hail!
Just because you’re from Wet V*****? Who cares? I doubt even your sister/mommy cares. Her pimp might, though.
Jealous?
By any measure, Nebraska, Penn State, Alabama, Notre Dame and BYU’s helmets are BORING! Miami and Clemson have atrocious colors. Colorado, Michigan, Florida State, USC, LSU and Ohio State have terrific helmets. The rest are ok. Schools with nice helmets but not listed are Iowa, Washington State, Cincinnati, and Iowa State. Michigan State’s would be cool if they were silver where there is white.
There are like 5000 college football programs and he looks at the lids of the top 20 schools. Musta written this while driving to work. Nebraska??????????
I agree that helmets are pieces of sports ‘art’. So with that said why did you waste our time. Want to talk about traditions, thats one thing, but to say that Tenesee’s T and Nebraska’s N is better ‘looking’ than Marshall’s M or Syracuse’s S is stupid. (Oh..by the way…another school that pulls off orange…even if they don’t play football well)
The article was on best helmets. No Boise State? No K State? No Oregon? No Gators? (I agree on the fashion show comments but the look is far more ‘artistic’ than the garbage in this article).
I still give props to the NFL’s Cinncinnati Bengals. Best design change ever! Remember when it just use to say Bengals on side (oh..yeah..and orange).
It’s easy to tell the age of the posters in this list. The young posters just go for flashy colors and don’t take any tradition into account. This is the ADD generation. The same kids who love the ugly a** Nike uniforms that so many teams are wearing now.
I’m a traditionalist. I agree with most of this list. I’m a Longhorn grad but even I can agree that Michigan’s helmets are the best.
Glad the kiddos took time from World of Warcraft to comment though. It shows they can actually concentrate on more than one thing at a time.
Whoever made these selections and wrote this article should get a real job — doing ANYTHING except writing or comenting on sports of any kind. His silly jokes and simpleton logic serve no purpose. I’ve read wittier comments on bathroom walls…in grade schools…and they were much funnier. As for who is responsible for inflicting this nonsense on the rest of us, if the idiot who insisted on running this poorly written piece still thinks this is journalism or entertainment, at least don’t try to pass off something that is so obviously just one person’s opinion as some kind of educated, expert analysis. Geez, I should’ve wasted my time watching those ugly, spoiled, narcissistic Kardashian half-tards shaming themselves with their dysfunctional, inane, and self-absorbed nonsense on television.
Pitt Panthers used to be the very best. I loved the panther on the side of the helmet.
Can anyone tell me why the Notre Dame helmet is ranked on this list, but the Navy helmet isn’t. They seem identical. Is this a case where the program makes the helmet? And the Army traditional helmet only differs in that it has a black stripe down the middle of the gold. Since Navy played its first game (1882) five years before Notre Dame, I’m giving them the helmet edge. No, I don’t know if they even wore helmets back then, but if they did I’m pretty sure they were leather. I’m an LSU fan, but I don’t think I would put them in the Top 20 helmets. Certainly not in the Top 10. I actually loved the old gold helmet that Nike had in the LSU one-game uni last year. Michigan and FSU at 1 and 2, or 2 and 1, is fine. The best helmet in Louisiana is at Louisiana Tech, but this writer didn’t stray too far from the “major” schools. But these are his opinion, and that’s fine. There is another site, SI I think, were they rank the top 120 and Michigan is very high on the list, like in the 100s. This is all subjective and fun to think about. If you don’t like it, make your own list. It seems anyone with a computer can write for most of the websites. Go for it … and I’ll probably find your list somewhat interesting as well. I would prefer a small disclaimer, like what is your bias, going in. And give me some parameters — best design, best traditional, best looking? Don’t like Penn State because it’s plain, and then like something else because it has spears or buckeye stickers. It’s apples and oranges (especially in the case of Clemson, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas and others).
Where is The Oregon Duck’s helmet at? The Ducks have several great looking Helmets!
i like tutles…………………………i like turtles!
As a Kansas resident and viewer of years of Big 8/Big 12 football, I’ve always thought that Oklahoma had sharp helmets…
Iowa’s helmet deserves to be on this list.
I really like the U. of Texas helmets the best.