Charles Sollars ACC, Big East Helmet Concepts

The final installment of a three-part series on faux Nike Pro Combat helmets show new looks for the ACC and Big East, including versions for the new members of the latter conference. They make Oregon’s “liquid metal” Rose Bowl lid (pictured) look simple.

• SEC, Pac-12 helmet designs

• Big Ten, Big 12 helmet designs

• Charles Sollars Flickr feed

The Eagles need a spark for their football program; we’re not sure if an all-black helmet qualifies but this winged look would definitely make the Golden Eagles stand out on the field.

We love Clemson’s normal helmet but this is a cool change of pace: An outline of a Tiger’s face imprinted on a swath of Orange with the year the school was founded. It reminds us of Northwestern’s faux lid.

With Peyton Manning now practicing with the Blue Devils, they need a helmet improvement. In a nod to the past, we love bringing back the “Hellraiser” look from the 1960s instead of the boring “D.”

We like the use of this entangled logo, which is criminally underused. The spear down the center of the helmet, instead of the stripe, is a nice touch as well.

Let’s be honest: Who is intimidated by Georgia Tech having a bee as a mascot? That being said, the image of a bee on top of the lid looks cool, even if it’s exceedingly bizarre and pretty much a lock to never be used.

We have no idea what Maryland was doing with its helmets last season. This concept is right up Maryland’s alley as it’s completely insane and makes the state flag theme even more in your face – literally. While this look is bizarre, it’s a whole lot better than the season opener look and we love bringing the script “Terps” back on the side.

This new look is fitting; The oversized green-and-orange “U” takes up the entire side of the ‘Canes’ helmet – and fits with the oversized egos and swag of the program.

We liked this helmet right off the bat. It’s a sharp look that jumps out at you and puts to shame the Wolfpack’s run-of-the-mill current look. We like the dark red mixed with black, along with the fierce wolf on the side.

There’s a lot going on here, but we think that it works. The Carolina blue color and the inclusion of a great logo that has been shoved to the side for this inferior one is a big winner for us.

We love Cavman! It’s a true representation of Virginia athletics. On this lid, his likeness is stenciled on the side. And he’s wearing a cool hat as always.

As we’ve stated many times before, we’re suckers for cartoon logos. We’re still trying to figure out what turkeys have to do with Hokies – which, by most accounts, is a nonsensical word made up for the team’s cry for spirit – but it works alongside the “VT” nonetheless.

This is a big improvement over the helmet with the “WF.” The black and gold colors always work and the sneering Demon Deacon is one of our favorite logos. What is such a unique and cool logo doing on the sideline in favor of the bland school-initials look?

Boise State is joining the Big East next year, so why not enter with a bang? This helmet style is insane, but we still like it. The lid is all blue like the “Smurf Turf” and has the state of Idaho and a Bronco in the background.

There’s not a whole lot different from the current helmet but we love the stripe down the middle that reminds us of the Jordan basketball uniforms the Bearcats used to wear.

With an intimidating Cougar like that, it’s a crime that Houston’s helmets have a boring interlocking “UH.” It’s great to see this design implement the Cougar in stark red.

We absolutely love these helmets and can’t stress that enough. The huge red “L” flows along the side of the black helmet. We think that former Louisville coach John L. Smith would appreciate this style.

The Tiger on the side of the lid – with fangs and narrow eyes – pops off the helmet, which certainly doesn’t scream pushover. The old lids are associated with losing.

Nothing will top Navy’s last Pro Combat look but why not use camouflage more often when designing helmets and uniforms for the service academies? We like it in this instance and think it works well with the block “N.”

We can never support the return of Dinocat - eek! But it kind of works with mustard yellow, which always is our preferred look for the Panthers. If the mustard helmet was brought back with the script “Pitt,” we’d be even bigger fans.

This style is an actual knight’s helmet, which reminds us of the design for Michigan State’ faux lid. There is no prominence of red, a staple of the Scarlet Knights, but we think this works anyway.

This is one wild and crazy helmet. It represents the nickname of Aztecs well, and we like peering eyes that are front and center on the lid.

Our feelings on this helmet? Luke warm. We like prominence of the red and blue SMU colors, but the outline of a mustang in red on a red helmet is a little disorienting. It would be fine for one game, max.

There’s no other way to put it: The 2000s have been a disaster for Syracuse football. So why not turn back the clock to the logo from the 1980s and ’90s when the ‘Cuse was actually relevant on the gridiron? Oh yeah, and this look is ten times better than the current lids.

This is the perfect helmet for the Knights, whose current look is an ugly and boring staggered placement of “UCF” on a white lid. The intimidation from the Knight in this helmet is off the charts.

This look really makes the “C” on the current lids look boring. The large husky dog with the wagging tongue is well-done.

The current helmets are ugly – with a “U” that has bull horns on the tips of the letter. We like this look better and think South Florida should implement these helmets that make the player look as if they have the horns themselves.

• SEC, Pac-12 helmet designs

• Big Ten, Big 12 helmet designs