This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/matte_purple on 2024-04-15 02:05:14.
Good evening and welcome back to my annual Big 12 Uniform Ranker! You may know me for my weekly Big 12 Uniform Tracker, but in the offseason, I like to go through each team and point out my favorite looks. Today’s team is the 2023 Colorado Buffaloes! They have a lot going on: a new conference move, star studded fanbase, and Deion Sanders at the helm, but I want to check out their style in preparation for their new uniforms coming before this fall. I intend on ranking most of the Big XII teams and new PAC additions (Arizona and Utah are left) soon. In fact, I already went through the season’s looks from Oklahoma State, TCU, and Arizona State, which can all be found on my profile. If you are interested in my thoughts regarding the Big XII uniform season (plus the four new PAC bros), check out my 2023 Season-in-Review Post or my recent 2023 Uniform Awards post, which are also in my profile. If you want to go back further, check out my 2022 Uniform Awards (pinned) and Big XII Uniform Tracker 2022: Season-in-Review post. (Sorry for the hyperlink inconvenience, but Reddit hates when I put links in the top paragraph, for whatever reason.) Alright folks, let’s do this. The uniforms from new Big 12 addition Colorado’s 2023 showing, featuring some facts, stats, and history. As always, feel free to disagree with me or tell me if my rankings hit home. I’m interested in hearing what you think, or in seeing how y’all would rearrange the rankings!
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I’m u/matte_purple, and let’s 3,2,1 go!
12. Black/White/Gold - Week 13 at Utah (L, 23-17)
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If you’ve followed my tracker for a while, you’d know that I have a disdain for “tri-color” uniforms. The general exception to my rule is schools that use neutral colors, like black, white, gold, and gray. But this look would have looked way better with some black pants. The light shading on the bottom makes the look feel so top heavy. If you wanted to contrast Utah further, you should have gone with a mostly white look, topped off by a black or gold helmet. Adding gold pants gives us a jumbled look (especially considering how different each of the gold shades look). New uniforms should help give us a consensus gold shade.
11. Black/White/Black - Week 6 vs ASU (W, 27-23)
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I think this look would have been better if we saw the last spot’s away uniform to compliment that gold facemask. The facemask and other gold accents on the helm just seem a little jarring compared to the rest of the black/white balance. Add the gold leaf jersey variety to this combo and you’re golden (ha, get it?). I do, in general, like these “Oreo” combos, but the gold was just a tad much without other points to tie into.
10. Black/Gray/Gray - Week 5 vs USC (L, 48-41)
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Gray (or silver) is a divisive color for CU fans. Colorado actually lists their official colors as silver and gold, which were adopted in 1888 as an homage to the vast mineral wealth of the state (the area was originally settled for mining). But in 1959, the athletic teams started using black and gold, as the silver color looked too much like a dirty white. In 2007, silver jerseys were brought back, but there’s just something about them that feels off. It can be a great color, but the only way this would really work for me is if there were white helmets/pants paired with it to help the look feel light and symmetrical. Certainly, a better gray option than some other teams I’ve seen, but it’s hard to match a good black or gold combo.
9. Black/Gray/Gray - Military Edition Week 11 vs Arizona (L, 34-31)
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Like I said on the last one, I know silver is a historic school color. I think the reason I like this one more is because of its special designation as a Military Appreciation uniform. Colorado is certainly defined by the black and gold look, but these are already angling to be different, so the silver option feels more apt here. Plus, that Buffs logo with the flag in it looks amazing!
8. White/White/Gold - Week 4 at Oregon (L, 42-6)
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This is a good execution of the black-font away jersey. The Week 1 gold leaf would have felt weird. The only real gripe I have is from the odd shade of gold on the pants. I love white shell of the helmet, which took a hiatus from 2019-2023. It’s versatile, but desperately needs to be updated into a new template. I’ll take this brief opportunity to discuss CU’s logo and mascot. Colorado teams have been known as the Buffaloes since 1934, when a student rented a cowboy’s buffalo and its calf for $25 from the Trail’s End Ranch in Fort Collins. The buffalo was trotted onto the field on CU’s last game of the year and required four students plus the cowboy to control the animal. The tradition stuck. The first buffalo-oriented logos popped up around the mid 1960’s. The logo was then replaced by the Block CU design in 1969, before being combined with the iconic logo used today in 1981. Designed by Terry Heckler Associates in Seattle with Craig Marocco as the artist, the logo has remained beloved and largely unchanged (aside from a few small tweaks in 2005). And I am very glad the logo is back in the Big 12!
7. Black/Black/White - Week 2 vs Nebraska (W, 36-14)
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This combo feels like a good mix of new and old, with the crisp white pants providing a touch of new age to the more classic black jersey and helmet. The only thing I don’t like about this look is the lack of gold. The standard white and gold Buffs logo on the helmet would have done wonders for this look. But other than that small gripe, it’s a pretty normal, middle of the road CU look. It paired nicely against NU’s red and white. Also, other black jerseys worn this year appear to have gold arm cuffs, but this one doesn’t. I’m not sure what that’s about.
6. Gold/White/White - Week 12 at Wazzu (L, 56-14)
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The steadfast constant of the gold helmet mixed with standard white away duds. It’s a standard, but efficient look! It definitely feels the most cohesive, aside from the top spot, but it doesn’t feel as ambitious as some other combos we’ve seen. The helmet takes the brunt of the gold proportions, which balances out the white and black in the rest of the suit. In fact, I think the gold helmet may be one of my favorites for the Buffaloes, because it really feels like the truest shade of gold they have. Hopefully, it translates well into the new template.
5. Black/White/White - Week 9 at UCLA (L, 28-16)
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The most ambitious and intriguing choice of the repertoire, largely due to the filled in Buffs logo, this definitely feels like some experimental choices straight from Deion. There hasn’t been a “filled-in” logo remotely close to this version since 2020, with a charcoal logo on a black shell. It feels very different. The logo itself is a great complement to the gold leaf lettering on the jersey, but it still feels a little jarring. Points for creativity, and points for experimentation, but there are still better suits out there.
4. Gold/Black/Gold - Week 7 vs Stanford (L, 46-43 2OT)
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This reminds me of the 1990 Colorado squad, tearing up the Big Eight, kicking ass and taking names, eventually coming home with a National Title. It’s an undeniable fan favorite and classic. The gold helmet is by far CU’s most worn lid, for good reason. While it needs an update (hello glaring Nike Flywire collar), they still remind me of Colorado’s best team in a long time. Iconic! You can’t beat a symmetrical uniform these days. While I love it, I like a few more entries just a tad better!
3. Gold/Black/Black - Week 3 vs CSU (W, 43-35)
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Teams that have black as an official color should very much utilize that. This uniform is a nice showcase for the bold semi blackout look, because you get the classic feel of the gold helmet while adding the fun touch of something different in the black jersey and pants. It’s annoying that the cuffs and collar trim aren’t the exact same gold shade, but they’re older uniforms. As I stated before, the gold helmet is a favorite of mine, and it just feels so right in this heavy, mean uniform. It looks especially good in a rivalry game.
2. White/Black/Black - Week 10 vs Oregon State (L, 26-19)
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Obviously, these are neck and neck with the previous entry. Their similarities put them in this upper echelon, but the white helmet makes the difference. The standard CU black jersey and pants are combined with a helmet we saw in Week 1, against TCU. That helmet has been one of my favorites of the season, and these look amazing underneath the lights of Folsom Field. I love the exclamation point from the gold CU in the helmet logo. I don’t think a blackout look would look great for the Buffs, so I think this is a great compromise for a night game.
1. White/White/White - Week 1 vs TCU (W, 45-42)
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Not only did this matchup rank very high on my uniform matchups list in the 2023 Uniform Awards, Colorado’s suit is incredible! The Buff’s gold and black details on this immaculate whiteout look is a fresh,…
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