Indiana Football uniforms, ranked

Let’s talk uniforms.

If you haven’t been paying attention or “don’t care what mah team wears, long as dem boys win the gosh durn football game,” then you probably don’t know about Christmas gift that Adidas delivered to the Hoosiers’ football program earlier today. Those are as close to NSFW as a uniform can get. And if the “Candy Stripes” release got you thinking about what IU’s best look was prior to today, then you’re in luck! Because here are the top five!

First, the Worst

You might be thinking that this is just an excuse to plug Bill Lynch into this article. Well, you’re partly right. But seriously, blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. That’s this uniform. First of all, mono-crimson is a tough look to pull off by itself. But when you omit any and all accent colors from the uniform, you look boring. Throw in a white facemask or even a damn helmet stripe, and we’re trending up! I’m all for keeping it simple, but this look just screams “we’re a basketball school.” Blah.

Honorable Mention

Okay, so -- wait, why are you throwing things? Stop. Please. Let me talk. I get it, the oval logo wasn’t exactly a crowd-pleaser. That’s fine. But seriously, this uniform is criminally underrated. I’m not saying this was IU’s best look ever, obviously, but come on. They look sharp (and Antwaan does nothing but help them, too), and they aren’t too hectic. The red stands out well on the white pants and jersey. I stand by it. I can’t wait for the day that they retire #11 and wear these as throwbacks.

5. White (Block I)/Crimson/White

I love this look. I think the Hoosiers look their best when they throw on the white lids, except for one thing. That stupid red racing-stripe thing has to go, though. It’s awful. This uniform would be absolutely perfect if that tramp stamp of a stripe wasn’t there. The block “I” is great. The red-on-white is great. Just spare me the stripe, please.

4. White/White/White (Chrome Accents)

They were so close with these. I’ve never seen an all-white look that I really didn’t like, but they still have some room for improvement here. Give me a crimson outline on the chrome, and we’re in business. The state flag in the numbers is an amazing look, too. Everything about this uniform has the potential to be great, but just make the things I have to read...easier to read.

3. White/White/White (Crimson Accents)

What am I going to say? JUST GET RID OF IT. THIS IS PERFECT JUST STOP WITH THE “WE JUST GOT SCALPED” LOOK. Damn. Also, I like block I more than “I” like the pitchfork.

2. Chrome/Crimson/Crimson

I made a comment the other day that likened football teams wearing chrome helmets in 2016 to people wearing Nike Shox in 2016. Chrome domes were the meteor of college football uniform trends. They were cool, and then they weren’t. But, prior to today, these were IU’s nod to the candy stripes, and they were solid as hell. They look waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better with the crimson jerseys than they did with the white ones, too. The silver of the chrome just didn’t fit well with the white. Obviously, the more crimson you can pair with this helmet, the better. (Also related to the picture above, the kick being good.)

1. Crimson (State Flag)/White/White

Whew. I need a minute.

There is literally nothing wrong with these. The state flag lids are a personal favorite of mine, and they looked glorious with the white-on-white under them. There’s also a possibility that these uni’s just look perfect in this pic because they’re in a side-by-side with those atrocities that Maryland continues to roll out, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt here. IU has to be creative with how they keep their looks fresh because they only have one true color to work with. Utilizing the state flag in a way that isn’t incredibly obnoxious is a great way to do that.