This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/matte_purple on 2025-02-09 23:06:02+00:00.
Hello r/CFB! Welcome all to the 2024 Big XII Uniform Tracker! 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 excelled look-wise through the Big 12 2024 season. If you want to see my broad thoughts on each team’s seasons and uniforms, my 2024 Season Review is linked at the bottom of the post!
Grab a drink, light up your big-game victory cigar, and settle into your comfiest chair! Let’s all get together and celebrate this inaugural, record breaking, highly entertaining new era of the Big 12. A round of applause, please, for our season winners!
I’m u/matte_purple, and let's 3, 2, 1 go!
A Class of their Own - Best Conference Matchup: Arizona State vs BYU
Two BYU looks! Both have their strengths. For 1st place, I really enjoy the interplay of the white colors here. ASU’s facemask and number outline tie into BYU’s… well, everything. The maroon and gold contrast beautifully against that punchy royal blue, AHH! A supreme matchup that captured my heart. And the game itself? Hot damn. I promise, it’s just a coincidence that all of the Big 12 uniform matchups I picked happened to be barn burner games. Two symmetrical outfits that perfectly contrast. You can’t ask for much better. As for number two, it was an obvious choice. One of the few color on color matchups in the Big 12 this year, it was an iconic red vs blue matchup utilizing some very stylish outfits. This was also the very first time in Holy War HISTORY where both teams wore a monochrome suit. Making history! The clash was beautiful, the suits were beautiful, and the rivalry is special. What more could you ask for?
K-State rocking the silver, Colorado kicking it with the gold. Two awesome accent colors paired together in a whirlwind. CU’s new updated black uniforms (which we’ll talk about later) look awesome - especially those sweet gold decals, modified “Flatiron Mountains” traditional striping and the all important gold facemask. When paired against K-State’s ultra traditional 1989 silver away threads, you get a treat for the eyes. The gold chrome feels so incredibly fresh to me, while still very much keeping in line with the Buffalo’s feel. No other notes! A damn good ball game is just the icing on top!
The chrome helmet really sets this TCU matchup apart. There were some other great colorful matchups in the Big 12 this year, like Colorado vs KU, but I feel like the chrome helmet really stands out as the focal point of both team’s uniforms. The small pops of red from Cincinnati really demonstrate how it’s the little things in a football uniform that set apart a uniform. I’ll also mention this further down the line, but TCU’s uniform downgrade was really horrendous. One of the few things that went right for the Horned Frogs this year was this chrome helmet reintroduction. It’s a brilliant use of chrome matched to an already gray standalone logo, all the while a light snowfall creates a truly beautiful scene. Perhaps not as flashy as the picks before it, but certainly deserving of mention.
The Year of the Update - Most Improved Uniform Team: WVU Refresh
There were a whopping 6 teams in the Big 12 (the ones here plus TCU and Baylor). Which is highly unusual! Out of those, there are four that really killed. WVU and TTU both knocked it out of the park on their respective updates, but what really sets the Mountaineers’ wardrobe apart is their non-standard suits. Both introduced one brand new alternate, but WVU really messed around with fun decals and ended up putting together a great blackout and “fauxback,” both of which we’ll discuss later. These teams were the most certainly the teams that needed updates the worst. Each of them delivered, though I will say Tech may have had worse options before this year (Here’s what TTU and WVU looked like in 2023). Both teams brought back classic, historic designs with clean lines, fan favorite ideas, and just enough detail to set them apart from their past renditions while not overdoing it. Special shoutouts to the Flying WV logo on the Mountaineer’s suits (returning for the first time since 2012), the shoulder stripes that actually have a clean, contrasting border on all sides for the Red Raiders, and the new or revamped wordmark on the chest for both. Great job and kudos to both of these teams!
Iowa State also had a stripe-centric refresh. Their brand-new shoulder decor is actually one of my favorites in this round of updates; something about these unique, dual-colored stripes really gets me. They also subtly altered their numeral design to one a little less, err, twisty, if you will. The cyclone numbers were one of my biggest gripes in the 2019 set, so their slight deemphasis pleased me. Finally, and arguably most importantly, ISU started to break into their vast collection of old helmet logos again! This is by far one of my favorite developments from 2024. I was pleased to see a helmet change in the Jack Trice throwbacks from 2023, but seeing change in non-alternate suits makes me very happy. Next up, I would love to see the use of Walking Cy, the Tornado Bird logo from 2003-2007, and the star logo from 1979. For now, I’m quite happy with where Iowa State is uniform-wise. Maybe just cut back on the black uniforms a tiny bit!
Colorado fans, for the most part, rejoiced when the Buffs trotted out of the tunnel to pay NDSU in their new suits. The new Flatiron Mountain design is very well done. While it looked wonky on some suits, the mountains looked great on most. I’m not crazy on the geometric mountain design on the pants, but it was only there occasionally, often getting replaced by the traditional stripe design (the mountain design was cleverly implemented within the center stripes on the pants and shoulders) or straight up removed. Like always, the facemask and logo game from CU is on point. I think the Boulder team just needs to sit with these suits a little and find out what works for them! These uniforms will feel more lived in next season. For the most part, I love how the creative design fits with CU’s vibe, and I’m finally glad they finally replaced those 2012 era “FlyWire collars” from Nike. A great update worth mentioning!
Fresh Coat of Paint - Best Alternate Suit: Arizona State “Golden Sparky”
Goodness gracious, hot damn, this is a damn good Sun Devil uniform. The white “Sparky face” helmet makes all the difference here. Different from the standard Sparky logo, we still get all of the important colors, emphasizing gold, but still creating contrast to the bright gold remainder of the suit. The perforated numbers, Vegas gold outlines, and big shiny pitchfork on the leg added just enough to pique your interest, and the addition of the wordmark up top makes a world of difference next to the base uniforms. I originally was more bullish on full body sparky over just his face, but I’ve begun warming to the Sparky face simply because it’s more versatile from a color perspective. A very nice helmet this go around, which crowns one of my favorite alternates I’ve ever seen from ASU!
UCF’s Space Game Uniform is a wonderful homage to the school's roots. This year’s “Mission VIII” theme is “Return to the Moon,” paying homage to NASA’s Artemis program and recognizing UCF's Exolith lab, the world's largest simulated lunar surface. The state-of-the-art facility allows space companies, faculty and students to test how moon dust interacts with hardware that powers space missions. The collar features the old school Citronaut logo. The helmets utilize a UCF stack logo with slight Canaveral Blue accents, and lunar dust speckles on a black shell. The back bumper, also Canaveral Blue, displays the university's motto, "Reach for the Stars." And they pack in even MORE fun details; the shoulders display constellations Orion and Pegasus, the name of the road around their stadium and UCF’s academic symbol, respectively. The incredible looking helmet details, and the unconventional gradient design, these are bursting with fun details and personality. Add in the little extra kick of blue that UCF fans and nerds like me crave, you've got a great uniform. UCF always kills the Space Game. May next year’s be even better!
The return of the Luv Ya Blue alternates for Houston! These maintain the same traditio...
Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/1ilry4j/big_xii_uniform_tracker_2024_the_uniform_awards/