Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Best: College Football Helmet


Welcome to "The Best," a new series from the people who brought you "Would You Do," "Blogger Interviews" and "What Really Grinds My Gears."

It's just what it sounds like: what's the best ______? "Best" is such a subjective word and that's really the point -- let's get you guys talking! If this works, there will be intelligent, thoughtful debate on the day's topic. And if it doesn't work, well, back to the drawing board.

College football. Fucking love it. The pageantry, fans and classic unis make it perhaps the best sport of all (until December, anyway, when the BCS bends it over and shoves a 4-iron up its collective ass.)

With so many teams, there are bound to be some fantastic helmets. Some horrible ones too (Oregon, you sick fucks, we're looking at you and your 18 different helmets).

But what constitutes the best college football helmet?

Some things to consider:

-Logo vs. school initials
-Colors
-Helmet stickers (or lack of)
-Tradition

This is a toughy, but here goes:

5. Alabama
4. Georgia
3. Miami
2. Texas
1. Penn State

We surely forgot some goodies. The omissions and your favs in the comments, please.

28 comments:

rstiles said...

Didn't you ask us this before?...

1. Michigan
2. USC
3. Texas
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia Southern

Unknown said...

1)Alabama
2)Auburn
3)Ohio State
4)Bowling Green
5)Texas

Anonymous said...

Definitely cannot omit Michigan from the list

Anonymous said...

Michigan, even though they stole it from Princeton, if you like Penn State you have to like Notre Dame, I honestly don't think USC's helmet is really anything special, and if you love merit stickers you have to like Ohio State... and I think Florida State is often overlooked. Oh and I like LSU's.

Anonymous said...

5. Cal
4. Florida
3. Ohio State (covered in buckeyes)
2. Wyoming
1. Alabama

*Write in - Colorado State

GMoney said...

Florida State's are the best. Syracuse and Bowling Green have the worst. Texas's entire uniform is awesome.

Anonymous said...

cal? really? I assume you're talking about before they added that stupid ass yellow stripe this season. Honestly I think if you're going with a cursive script helmet that UCLA's might be better.

Anonymous said...

1. Michigan
2. Ohio State (As long as it is on fire and someone is pissing on those stupid buckeye stickers!!! You have to admit merit stickers are worthless when the kicker has a helmet full of buckeye stickers.)
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame

Anonymous said...

Don't confuse the most well-known helmets with the coolest helmets. Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame are just plain. The schools' tradition might be intimidating to play against, but the helmets are lame.

Same goes for other minimalist helmets like Bama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Georgia.

Best helmets:

1.Michigan
2.Texas
3.FSU
4.Iowa
5.Clemson

Hon mention: Toledo, UAB

Anonymous said...

For the love of God, how about throwing the good old UW a bone. We may suck major balls right now, but the helmet is pretty sweet. The gold is way better than the purple thing we had to put up with for a few years. I will also accept Florida State.

Anonymous said...

good call with Clemson, Iowa and UW. Kansas State is pretty good.

The Big Picture said...

UW is a great helmet! thought I sounded like too much of a homer if i said it. Go Dawgs baby!

Anonymous said...

5. Georgia
4. Oklahoma
3. Nebraska
2. Texas A&M
1. Alabama

I think simplicity is badass. Admittedly I'm being a Big 12 homer, and I am disappointed with G Money's omission of the Huskers.

I also love Florida State, Penn State, Michigan, San Jose State and USC.

The ugliest have to be Iowa, Kansas, Southern Miss, Florida, Virginia, and Duke.

I would also like to say that collectively, C-USA put some ugly shit on their helmets.

Anonymous said...

Miami at #3?

Terrible. Tsk. Tsk.

Miami helmet needs to go back to the eighties and stay there. The only way it could be worse is if it was camoflaged to match the uniform's pants.

Anonymous said...

whoa whoa whoa Robinson - UVA belongs nowhere on an ugliest helmet list - sure the 2 "pro style" orange stripes need to go, but the V swords logo is great and the colors are nice.

TMould said...

This is a TOUGH list, because the question is whether tradition or new age is better. I believe that the helmets that withstood time and continue to be flashy are the best. It allll has to do with the logo and colors. My top 5:

1. Texas - best colors and the longhorn is a staple of their program.
2. Michigan - there is no other helmet like it and the helmet distinguishes their uniforms.
3. Florida State - They are being overlooked because of their poor performance lately, but these helmets are unmistakably one of a kind.
4. Miami Hurricanes - the symbol on the side of the helmet is amazing. The colors are amazing. The helmet is just phenomenal. Only if the rest of their uniforms would go back in time.
5. Notre Dame - The most well-known helmets in all of college football. Their tradition makes them worthy of list list.

Honorable mention: USC - would have been on the list but I think they're ugly
OSU - GREAT helmets, especially with the buckeyes, but not as good as the others.
Alabama- traditional, but almost too traditional.

Anonymous said...

Michigan did NOT steal their helmet design from Princeton. The winged helmet was first introduced at Princeton by their head coach Fritz Crisler, who in 1936 left Princeton to take over as head coach of Michigan, and he brought his helmet design with him. Yes, it appeared at Princeton first, but the man who invented it brought it to Ann Arbor, which hardly constitutes stealing or copying.

Anonymous said...

Re: Mouls said...

This is a TOUGH list, because the question is whether tradition or new age is better. I believe that the helmets that withstood time and continue to be flashy are the best. It allll has to do with the logo and colors. My top 5:

1. Texas - best colors and the longhorn is a staple of their program.
2. Michigan - there is no other helmet like it and the helmet distinguishes their uniforms.
3. Florida State - They are being overlooked because of their poor performance lately, but these helmets are unmistakably one of a kind.
4. Miami Hurricanes - the symbol on the side of the helmet is amazing. The colors are amazing. The helmet is just phenomenal. Only if the rest of their uniforms would go back in time.
5. Notre Dame - The most well-known helmets in all of college football. Their tradition makes them worthy of list list.


In response to No. 2 on this list: Check out the University of Delaware's helmet design. Looks like Michigan's to me. Other schools that use the winged helmet design: Shaw University, Grove City College, Gustavius Adolphus College, Middlebury College, Nichols College. UM — or Princeton — might have used them first, but they're certainly not unique.

Anonymous said...

Whether you consider Michigan's helmet "stolen" or not, the fact remains it WAS copied from Princeton. The "wings" were to represent the pulled back ears of the tiger when it is roaring and the stripes are obvious. When the coach went to Michigan he tried to "morph" it over into a wolverine...which for those of us who have actually seen a pissed off wolverine is a bit of a stretch. Still a distinctive helmet with, now, a great history from both schools. Remember, the Ivy league had a great college football history before the presidents "de-emphasized" athletics in the late 50's...

Anonymous said...

Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame...what is this best helmets or most popular teams? Those helmets are plain jane..why don't you pick Army, Navy, Princeton, etc. if you are gonna pick those. I would say the coolest helmets are:

1. Florida State--the spear/arrow with the red and white against the gold helmet is very sharp.
2. Iowa--fierce looking hawk with the Pittsburgh Steeler colors. Very fierce and intimidating looking.
3. South Carolina--Fighting Gamecock on the helmet with the C, plus sharp black and red colors.
4. Arkansas-cool running hog. Always one of my favorites.
5. Texas--cool orange with bevo on the helmet.
5. (tie) SMU--running mustang is pretty cool. A little biased here as my high school football team had same emblem.

Hon. Mention: Virginia, USC, Clemson, LSU, Utah,Air Force, Wazzou (my school), and Northwestern.

Chris said...

5) USC (West)
4) Texas
3) South Carolina
2) Oklahoma
1) Florida State

FRC said...

Do you know what the V on the allstar college football helmets represent. Allstars usually stick on several decals and I always see the large V.

Anonymous said...

1) Texas
2) Michigan St. ( Spartan helmet logo)
3) Wyoming
4) Virgina (minus the stripes)
5) Army
I don't understand how everyone can vote in a helmet like ND and omit a similar one like army or navy

Dotbo said...

The "V" during all-star games is for the Valley, as in Fresno State's green valley. Fresno State has the green V on the back of their helmet.

My top helmets:
Nebraska (homerism)
Michigan (copied from Princeton, yes, but more distinctive colors).
Miami - very 80s, not as much history, but very styled.
Bama

Penn State has the best overall uniform, but the helmet is only part of it. Notre Dame would have great uniforms if they could ditch the teeny emblems under the neck.

Florida State's is Unique?!? Hardly. See the Redskins' helmet of old.

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helmet stickers said...

hmmm
1.Michigan
2.Texas
3.FSU
4.Iowa
5.Clemson

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