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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/matte_purple on 2024-02-26 23:21:19.
Hello to the beautiful people of r/CFB! Welcome to my ranking of the 2023 uniforms worn by Arizona State Football! I intend on ranking most of the Big XII teams and new PAC additions (Arizona, Colorado, and Utah) very soon, and I actually just ranked Oklahoma State a few days ago. If you are interested in my thoughts regarding the Big XII uniform season, check out my 2023 Season-in-Review Post or my recent 2023 Uniform Awards post, or OSU Cowboy Uniform Ranker, which are all three in my profile. If you want to go back further, check out my profile or check out these other 2022 posts: 2022 Uniform Awards and Big XII Uniform Tracker 2022: Season-in-Review. (Sorry for the hyperlink inconvenience, but Reddit hates when I put links in the top paragraph, for whatever reason.) Alright, let’s admire some absolutely debonair suits from ASU’s last PAC-12 season! El Diablos del Sol play some of my favorite Big 12 teams in 2024, so this will be a good precursor for some Big 12 fans who aren’t as familiar with these desert dwellers. This ranking will feature some facts, stats, and history. Feel free to add on, disagree with my rankings or tell me if they hit home! I’m interested in hearing what you think, or in seeing how y’all would rearrange the rankings. All uniform comments are welcome here!
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I’m u/matte_purple, and let’s 3,2,1 go!
12. Maroon/Black/Black Week 2 vs OK-State (L, 27-15)
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There is a lot to like about this suit. I love how the helmet stripe features yellow and black on the maroon helmet, which provides that odd glowing ember color scheme. The same goes for the black pitchfork similarly outlined in yellow. The older template having the sublimated Arizona flag on the chest is a great touch. But I also don’t like other aspects of this suit. The texture is so strange, and looks almost like a heather sweater. It just doesn’t look particularly… athletic. This same color scheme would have looked great using the new suits template, sans the Arizona Flag design on the chest. I wish that would have stayed. An important caveat, I also see more recruiting photos using these uniforms than anything else, so it’s clear that people still like them. It’s just not quite my cup of tea.
11. Yellow/Maroon/Yellow Week 6 vs Colorado (L, 27-24)
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Definitely the workhorse look. This color scheme, which I will brag about here soon, is beautiful and one of the more common home combos ASU trots out. But gollee, I am not a big fan of a yellow face mask being worn here. Yellow, no matter what color it is matched up with, is always an easy color to add too much of. I would love to see a yellow facemask on a white helmet, but it’s just so bold here. Regardless, I think the new, simplified jersey lends itself well here. ASU has had uniform updates in 2011 (Nike), 2015, (Adidas), and now the new 2023 Adidas look. A filled in pitchfork may have worked better, adding to the “too much yellow” problem up top. Conversely, I actually like removing the center helmet stripe for simplicity sake here. But alas, I can’t fault an otherwise traditional look.
10. Maroon/White/Maroon Week 11 vs UCLA (W, 17-7)
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I really love the symmetry of this look. In fact, that’s the main reason I put this up so high. But just like the last rank, it’s all about the few things I don’t like being more glaring. In this instance, it’s those dang pearlescent helmets. When the stadium lights shine on them, they create a pinkish hue all around the lid that feels weird. It’s not as much of a problem in a daytime or 4:30 kick, but during those infamous PAC-12 After Dark games, it comes off as a little ugly. The same color is replicated perfectly on their pants, cleats, and accessories, but the maroon-pink candy-shell - again - just feels completely off to me. Plus, the color choice for the logo feels off as well. Yellow would have been a better choice, or use a white outlined pitchfork instead of a filled in one. Again, I liked every single ASU combo in some capacity, but these ones just have those helmets that weird me out.
9. Maroon/Maroon/Maroon Week 4 vs USC (L, 42-28)
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Affectionately called the “Maroon Monsoon” uniforms, these yearly suits strike a nice balance between aggressive and smooth, all thanks to the shade itself. The maroon in these suits is gorgeous. One piece throws that off, though. The candy-shell pearlescent helmets. It’s a real shame! If they could go back to a flat or even a matte paint job, I would be very pleased. These are accentuated greatly by the white outline around the numbers. While the pitchfork on the side of the pants decreases the versatility of the pants on various uniforms, I do like it when it’s paired with a similar looking logo on the lid.
8. Yellow/Maroon/Yellow Week 1 vs Southern Utah (W, 24-21)
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Here’s the rub: This color scheme paired with this combo is top notch, one of my favorites in college football, only matched by my pet projects OK-State, Texas State, and of course, my alma mater, KSU. Did you know the university’s choice of colors actually predates the Sun Devils moniker? Gold was chosen as the main color in 1896, picked for the mineral, sunshine, and golden opportunity that brought people to the AZ Territory in droves. In 1898, maroon and white were added to the scheme as part of the football team’s uniform. And I love it! It just screams Old West, speaks to the bad boy, “devil may care” reputation (see what I did there?) that the school’s athletic department has cultivated. It helps that it matches the colors of sunset on the Superstition Mountains, too. The only drawback to this look is its little details: there are differences in the gold shading through the entire uniform, the pitchfork and striping have that iridescent hue I don’t care for, and there’s an overall lack of anything identifying (mascot or school name on the chest, state flag was moved to the side-waist). I just need something other than a pitchfork and that out-dated “Sun Devils” wordmark on the side. I can see this look being way up on people’s lists, it’s just not as high on mine.
7. White/Maroon/Maroon Week 12 vs Oregon (L, 49-13)
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The legend of Pat Tillman continues with this Salute-to-Service look. Pat was an ASU linebacker (1997 PAC-10 DPOY) who was later drafted into the NFL and eventually gave up a multimillion dollar AZ Cardinals contract to join the Army after 9/11. He and his brother serve as Army Rangers in Afghanistan. Sadly, while on a combat deployment to Afghanistan, Pat was killed by friendly fire in 2004. Pat’s enthusiasm and dedication to service inspires us as Americans to fight for what is right, but to do it in a manner that is equally as right. He asked questions and thought critically, and should be thought highly of for doing it. Moving on, I think this look is not just a great tribute (with his badge gracing the helmet logo, back-of-the-helmet sticker, and collar logo), but a sweet look as well. Replace the logo with Sparky or a pitchfork, and you have a look that is equally good. I especially like the digital camo stripe on the helmet. These remove the dreaded maroon helmets from the equation, maintain the sleekness otherwise found in the “Maroon Monsoon” look, and look patriotic. He’s got veteran’s centers named after him, multiple statues, and a scholarship fund in his name. Hopefully those resources and his story can inspire civilians, active military, and veterans to learn more!
6. White/White/Maroon Week 5 at Cal (L, 21-24)
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This is one of two uniforms that I couldn’t decide where to rank. They’ve spanned the list, topping out at 2, but this seems like the best place to put them. First, I’ll say that the maroon pants gives this a wonderfully brighter look than we normally get with ASU’s combos. When your color schemes tend to be marrons, yellows, and blacks, home looks are these color filled, ferocious suits. These are the complete opposite. The keep a tying thread of maroon through the uniform, culminating in an anchoring set of maroon pants. The only reason they aren’t higher is because the white helmet doesn’t have a filled-in pitchfork logo. Having the maroon in outline only makes the uniform balance out near the bottom, instead of in the middle, where it should be. The maroon facemask helps in trying to bring more structure to the top, but a filled in pitchfork would really do the job. Almost the upper echelon!
5. Yellow/Black/Black Week 9 vs Wazzu (W, 38-27)
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“Legend tells of a vicious reaper, draped in black and gold, ascending from the depths of the Lost Dutchman Mine to claim the souls…” alright, I’ll quit! Originally slated to release in a big time night game versus Colorado, these “Ghost Story” uniforms ended up getting pushed back for scheduling reasons. They ended up getting worn - appropriately - on Halloween weekend. The look is wonderfully crisp and very clean by itself. My favorite fun aspect is that glow-in-the-dark trim gimmick. I don’t think the glowing really worked in the game, but it sure is good for social media. Overall, the suits looks slick. I think a white he…
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