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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/matte_purple on 2024-02-17 00:21:06.

Hello r/CFB! Welcome football fans to the 2023 Big XII Uniform Tracker! Let’s all get together and celebrate this wild and bittersweet season. In this extra special edition, we’ll take part in one of my favorite segments: the Uniform Awards! I’ll go over the suits, helmets, and teams that really stood out from the 2023 season in the Big 12, and maybe throw in some awards for our newcomers joining next year. If you want to see my broad thoughts on each Big 12 team’s seasons and uniforms, my 2023 Season Review post is linked below!

2023 Season-in-Review Post

Grab a cocktail, light up your celebratory cigar, and settle into your most regal chair. It’s time to celebrate a season well done! A round of applause, please, for our season winners!

I’m u/matte_purple, and let’s 3, 2, 1 go!

On the Up and Up - Most Improved Uniforms: Baylor Bears

Baylor is the clear number one pick here. Last year, the fanbase was apathetic towards the team and their uniform combos because they were so boring. The all green was worn 5 times last year, and a yellow piece was worn in one game during the 2022 season. While the team may have been a little disappointing this year, their uniforms were fun and took advantage of the 2019 update’s intended purpose: interchangeability. They added 3 new combos this year (including a fantastic Yellow/Yellow/Green combo, which was worn twice), added in a nice military appreciation helmet (we’ll see that later) and their annual Sailor Bear helmet looked great. I have no problem with the template itself, I’m just very glad we got to see more out of Baylor this year!

The Jayhawks refreshed their uniforms this summer to much fanfare and applause. KU was on this list last year, in first place actually, for finally beginning the process of getting rid of the KU wordmark in Trajan font - which was introduced way back in 2007. They also removed gray articles from their wardrobe, and replaced the silvery numbers of old with white or blue. But this year saw a much more substantial change. They replaced their uniforms entirely! Most notably, they added block KANSAS to the chest and redid the 2007 numbers for something timeless in the big block font. It’s reminiscent of the Gale Sayers era of Jayhawk Football, and when paired with those no-nonsense (albeit pretty standard) shoulder stripes we get a great new image for the new and improved KU. And that’s just the standard suits. They introduced a new blackout alternate - aptly named “the Blackhawk” - which looked great and gave the fans some intrigue versus Illinois and Kansas State at home. Kansas only had two suits that were meh, and that’s largely because they utilized the old red uniforms which will no doubt be redone this offseason.

What an update for the Cowboys from Stillwater. OK-State revamped their incredible uniforms from last year, which were last updated in 2016. The replaced the Nike Mach Speed look for the new Vapor Fusion/FUSE template, removed the slightly dated paisley design and carried over the best details. They kept the typeface developed in-house from 2019 ( it’s called “Cimarron” and looks wonderfully Western), while pairing it with the block numbers and striping from the 1980’s giving us that “Barry Sanders” feel. The 3 stripe-less pants, 4 separate jersey colors, and interchangeable logos on the helmet gives us a modern touch to a classic look while maximizing versatility. These are top notch. The only reason they weren’t higher is because some other teams went from decent to great, not excellent to fantastic. Add on a special edition homecoming suit, and the Pokes have some serious firepower.

Cincinnati was the last of the three new uniform updates in 2023. While it’s certainly an improvement, it just doesn’t have that flash or pizzazz that some of the other new updates do. The big news, of course, being the transition from Under Armour “ArmourGrid” template to Nike’s The look is utilitarian in the best of ways. The removed the red and white “zipper” stripes across the upper chest of the jersey in lieu of a collar and shoulder trim, and added their famous C-Paw logo on the middle C in “Cincinnati,” on the center collar, on the pauldrons, the helmet (of course) and the side of the plain pants. I think it’s a tasteful touch (even though there’s a ton of them) that cuts through the cleanness and adds some identity. The red collar and shoulder trim pops well against their normal home blacks, and overall it’s a much needed improvement from Under Armour. Not the best of the Big 12, but still good!

Renovation - Best Throwback: Texas Tech’s 1960s Throwback

Texas Tech RB legend Donny Anderson (aka the “Golden Palomino” ) was the inspiration for this throwback set. Donny received All-American honors twice (1964 and 1965) and was a three-time all-Southwest Conference halfback (1963–65). Anderson finished fourth in the 1965 Heisman race, is in both the Texas Tech AND College Football Hall of Fame, and had big plays in both Super Bowl I AND II for the Packers. The all-around legend wore something similar to this throwback in his Texas Technological College days (and it stretched on until the late 70s). Despite it being a tri-tone that I don’t normally like, I think these are so cool. They utilize the un-beveled Double T logo, incorporate the old school gray facemask, and have those plain white shoulder stripes that look sleek when they’re modernized. My favorite touches are the subtle grayed-out Double T patterns within the number and the vintage Masked Rider logo with the cursive “Texas Tech” script embroidered on the back collar. This was the only throwback worn by the Red Raiders this year, and if they can work the design into next year’s new uniform refresh, we’ll have a big winner on our hands. I was bearish on these at first, but the more I look at them, the more I like them. Great work!

Iowa State has a rich history. Either the first or second land grant university ever - depending on who you ask (and some semantics) - there are a ton of storylines in the big book that is the Iowa Agricultural College’s history. One of the most moving is the legend of Jack Trice. The grandson of slaves, Trice was a sophomore studying animal husbandry, who wanted to get an education to assist black farmers in the South after graduation. Jack joined the football team at 19 years old, and was the first Black player to take the field at Iowa State. In only his second collegiate showing against Minnesota - October 6,1923 - Trice got to stay at the same Minneapolis hotel as his teammates, but he could not eat with them in the dining room. That night, Trice wrote a moving letter:

“My thoughts just before the first real college game of my life. The honor of my race, family, and self are at stake. Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will! My whole body and soul are to be thrown recklessly about on the field tomorrow. Every time the ball is snapped I will be trying to do more than my part.”

During the game, Trice sustained fatal injuries after he was trampled by three Minnesota players. Though he claimed he was fine, Trice was rushed to a hospital where he died from hemorrhaged lungs two days later. These uniforms were a part of the university and athletics department’s week-long celebration honoring the 100 year anniversary of Jack Trice’s death. Outside of the stadium, university officials gave Trice a posthumous degree in animal husbandry and unveiled another sculpture in his honor, adding to his name on the stadium, a foundation awarding scholarships in his honor, and other statues on campus. The football team honored Jack by wearing throwback uniforms featuring the five chevron bars that Trice and his teammates wore in 1923. The uniforms and “AMES” helmets (harkening back to the early 1900s when ISU teams were commonly referred to as “Ames”) also featured “I will” in Trice’s handwriting from the letter he wrote the night before his last game. Sure, these may not be the sleekest or iciest alternate uniform out there. But the legacy and meaning more than make up for any perceived lack of style. After all, this throwback to the burgeoning days of college football looks pretty good. If they added a white pants alt, I could see these getting even more longevity. I’m sure the helmet will make an appearance again, as it’s the best helmet they’ve worn since 2007.

Utah’s throwbacks may not have a single inspirational story behind them like these other looks, but they definitely deserve a spot on the podium for style alone. They offer plenty of details from a multitude of uniforms including: The interlocking UU logo on the helmet and pauldrons from the 1960s; Stripes on the legs and shoulders dating back to the 1970s; and m…

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