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College football uniform combinations continue to become more creative as schools look to make statements when playing on the biggest stage. Each and every week, fans get a chance to see some sort of alternative uniform shakeup.
Helmets don new logos. Jersey colors veer from the norm.
In doing so, teams recognize the past with retro throwbacks. They celebrate their cities with hometown flare. Many get the fanbases involved with specific themes, like a blackout.
Some programs do it better than others. A school like Oregon seems to have a new uniform design for every game. Others, like Alabama, keep things a bit more consistent.
In either case, the looks can be applauded. Here, we’ll do just that!
15 Best College Football Uniforms of the Year.
We’ve looked back through each week of the season to identify our favorite combos. We’ll do our best to both showcase the uniforms and provide some background into the designs.
Let’s start with a look from the Big XII seen early on in the season.
West Virginia Throwbacks
West Virginia honored the 60th anniversary of the 1965 squad. Those Mountaineers competed in the Southern Conference.
The uniforms are simple, but the helmets steal the show. That headgear reps an old logo that consists of 3D “WVU” lettering over the top of a state outline.
The 2025 team wore the getup against Utah in their fifth game of the season.
Houston Blues
The Cougars recently introduced “Houston Blues” into the uniform lineup, a combo they typically wear when facing off against an in-state foe. That rival was Texas Tech in 2025.
The powder blue jerseys pay homage to the city of Houston. The design also offers a sort of throwback look to the old Houston Oilers franchise, which played its last game in H-Town in the 1996 NFL season.
The “Blues” are not limited to football alone. You can catch any number of Houston sports teams repping the look on campus to celebrate the city.
UTEP Retros
UTEP has unveiled a number of sleek uniform options over the course of the 2025 college football season. Our favorite was a Homecoming look that threw it back to the 1980s.
The Miners travelled back in time to revive their Paydirt Pete cartoon logo donned on the team’s helmets from 1986-89. The white caps atop the orange jerseys provided one of the cleanest combos of the year.
Arizona Sandstorm
The Wildcats dropped their Sandstorm uniforms ahead of an October matchup with Big XII rival Oklahoma State. Arizona showed out in the slick combo to the tune of a 41-13 victory.
The team chose to rep an off-white jersey despite playing at home. The alternative combination also presented a move from the Block A logo on the helmet.
Instead, a retro cactus/mountains logo took the place of the traditional look. The Wildcats won the game and the week with this design.
New Mexico Turquoise
The Lobos rewound the clocks with their turquoise uniforms to celebrate the success of past teams. This particular look gave a nod to 1970s era New Mexico football.
A Zia Sun logo is seen on the silver helmets, a reference to the area’s rich history. The throwback uniforms were some of the best in college football this season.
Nebraska Blackouts
The Cornhuskers went all black for a Halloween weekend matchup in Lincoln against Big Ten rival USC. It offered a welcomed change from the Nebraska norm.
One of college football’s most recognized brands, the program doesn’t often have to stray from its traditional look to get noticed. With that being said, these sleek blackout combos were the perfect October surprise.
Montana Throwbacks
Montana celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1995 team with throwback uniforms in Week 7. They were featured on College Gameday as one of the top getups in the nation.
The Griz shifted from maroon and white to wear copper, silver, and gold. The helmets also featured a throwback logo, a move away from the “Griz” script typically seen on the caps.
Montana would honor the ’95 program with a win over Cal Poly.
Texas Tech All-Black Throwback
Wearing black is nothing new to the Red Raiders. They did so on a number of occasions in 2025. Week 7 presented a new twist, though.
Texas Tech broke out their throwbacks for a Homecoming matchup against Big XII rival Kansas to celebrate 100 years of football. The jerseys saw large lettering displaying “Tech” across the front, as well as graphics that dated back to 1931.
The helmet had stars added to the overlapping T’s, another nod to the program’s history.
Tulane City Edition
The Green Wave paid homage to New Orleans in a Week 12 meeting with Florida Atlantic. Those uniforms represented NOLA in a number of different ways.
The hand-painted helmet features cracks on a light grey base mimicking the city’s sidewalks. Mardi Gras beads also wrap around the headgear, while both the caps and jersey tops boast designs highlighting wrought iron seen throughout the local architecture.
Washington Salute To Service
The Huskies honored the troops in Week 12 during a game vs. Purdue. While the team stuck with its purple tops, those jerseys saw subtle changes including an American flag patch on the sleeve.
Washington also chose to rep digi-camo on gold pants, as well as the jersey nameplate and numbers. The salute to service was one of the top designs of the year.
Boston College Red Bandana
The Eagles play an annual Red Bandana game to honor Welles Crowther – The Man in the Red Bandana. The former Boston College lacrosse player heroically saved lives during the September 11th attacks.
Survivors recalled seeing a man in a red bandana going and returning on rescue missions. Crowther lost his life helping others.
Each season, he is honored by his alma mater in one of college football’s best traditions.
North Carolina Throwbacks
The Tar Heels went retro for a Halloween matchup against ACC rival Syracuse. They were worn to celebrate the 1980 team that went 11-1.
That group won the league, led by the conference’s Player of the Year in Lawrence Taylor. The 2025 North Carolina bunch resembled that squad with both the throwback 3D numbering, as well as a dominant 27-10 win.
Charlotte Gold Rush
Usually, Charlotte wears green at home. They shifted from norm in Week 4.
The 49ers actually debuted the Gold Rush uniforms in last year’s season opener against James Madison. They’ve continued to don them in 2025, with the first appearance coming in September against Rice.
The design boasts gold helmets to match the jersey tops alongside white pants with a gold stripe. It fully embraces the 49er theme.
Florida Retros
Florida went with the throwbacks for a Homecoming matchup against Mississippi State in October. The simple look was as clean as they come.
The Gators rocked the typical blue tops with white bottoms that featured a few retro designs. The helmet stole the show, though, with the vintage white U-F lettering plastered atop orange caps.
Oregon Tie-Dye
Oregon is no stranger to new jersey designs. It’s no surprise to see them in the running for “Best College Football Uniform of 2025.”
These getups were a nod to the Grateful Dead. They featured tie-dye numbering, as well as the band’s skull and lighting bolt logo on all-black tops with black pants to match.
The helmets also had a twist. While they repped the typical Duck wings, dancing bears synonymous with the iconic rock band were also shown on the back.
These were undoubtedly some of the most creative designs seen on the field this year.