Indiana football should make the throwback alternates its main uniforms

Indiana football.

Many things come to mind when these two words are spoken, heard or merely thought of. Few of them are good!

Losingest program in all of Power Five football? Yeah. The football team from that school with all the basketball history? You bet. *Gestures at anything that happened in the year 2021*. That’s right.

Very few of these things are in Indiana’s control. They can win a few games, sure, but they can’t undo being the first football program to lose like 700 games, it’s not the fault of the current decision makers and there’s nothing they can do about it.

But I, for one, have had enough talk about actual football. You know what they can control? What they wear on Saturdays.

Indiana doesn’t exactly have an illustrious history in the uniform department either. You can look at the winged helmet and say Michigan, the Buckeye stickers and think Ohio State and the plain crimson and know that’s Alabama.

Indiana? Well, there’s the trident! Which, if you grew up around Indianapolis (hey there 317), you probably associate with the IU health system. To this day it’s weird to see the logo of the hospital I was born in on the side of a football helmet, but whatever man.

There were the chrome domes (which should come back!) and whatever they wore for the Maryland game in 2020 (which should be gathered up and burned in a pit before being buried lest anyone have to unwillingly set their eyes upon them once more).

And then, a true breakthrough. Indiana’s alternate uniforms from last season.

Good lord.

The red detail. The font on the numbers. The stripe down the side of the leg. “Hoosiers” written across the chest. That’s the good stuff.

Now some of you may say “But CQ, black isn’t a part of Indiana’s official color scheme!” However, I need you to consider that not only do I not care, but neither should you. It’s close enough and looks great! Who cares!

Indiana has dipped their toes into wearing these bad boys full time, doing so against Illinois this season and on the road against Nebraska. They looked incredible in the win and also during the second game which happened.

With all the stuff Indiana can control, it’s time to flex what they can. Wear these all the time.

....Then bring back the oval as an alternate.