Ranking all 14 Big 12 helmets from worst to first ahead of the 2023 season
The start of the 2023 college football season is right around the corner. There’s no greater feeling than watching your team don their uniforms for the first time of the season.
It’s the time when every fan base has at least a sliver of hope and is looking through their teams’ colored glasses to believe this year could be there year.
One of the best representations of the landscape of college football are the diverse looks of the helmets that represent each team. From traditional to more modern designs, the Big 12 is as diverse as it gets.
Here’s a look at how we ranked each Big 12 helmet from worst to first ahead of the 2023 season.
Oklahoma Sooners
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Although the interlocking OU hasn’t had many alterations, there’s no need to adjust the look for one of the best programs in the history of the sport. The crimson dome with the cream lettering and facemask is a statement of excellence. Also Boomer!
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Texas Tech Red Raiders
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Though they may not have the success some of the other programs in the Big 12 boat, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have one of the best looks in college football. Line up against Tech in their all-blacks in Lubbock on a Saturday night and strange things are bound to happen.
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West Virginia Mountaineers
Oct. 23, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas; A West Virginia Mountaineers helmet is seen on the field prior to the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia’s navy and yellow is a slick look especially in their matte finish. It’s an underrated design from the nested “W” and “V” to the mountain shape it takes on. West Virginia’s helmet has me singing “Country Roads,” which has long been a family road trip favorite.
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Kansas State Wildcats
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas State has one of the most eye-appealing helmets in the Big 12. From the design of the Wildcat to the double-stripe down the middle, K-State pulls off a fantastic look.
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TCU Horned Frogs
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
It’s really hard to fit a logo and the school’s letters on a helmet and not make it look too busy, but TCU does a fantastic job. The scales on the helmet are a nice touch along with the metallic finish. No school in America does purple as well as the Horned Frogs.
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Cincinnati Bearcats
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Though similar in color scheme to Texas Tech, the Cincinnati Bearcats all-blacks are impressive as well. The “C” designed to look like a claw is a nice spin on the use of lettering on the helmet. The red accent provides a unique touch, but you’re also left wondering why it’s even there.
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UCF Knights
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
UCF is one of those schools that has a variety of looks, but their golden dome is what we’re ranking here. The twist on the block lettering to make it look like it’s moving is unique, but there isn’t a whole lot else to love about the design.
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Oklahoma State Cowboys
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
If there were a college football version of Zoolander’s runway battle, it would be Oklahoma State vs. Oregon. The Cowboys throw out so many helmet and uniform combinations that it’s hard to track their typical look. So we’re going with the one they put on display at Big 12 media days.
It’s a solid traditional look that integrates several colors into their block lettering. It’s interesting to look at, and the stripes keep it from being a boring white helmet with a logo.
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BYU Cougars
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
I really wanted to rank this one lower because of history, but I’m a sucker for navy on white. This is just a clean look that stands the test of time. They took the Penn State design and upped the ante with the big “Y” on the side.
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Texas Longhorns
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
If there was a school that most closely resembled the Dallas Cowboys branding, it’s the Texas Longhorns. Like the Cowboys, the Horns have also been a lot of steak with no sizzle in the last decade. They’re regularly talked about as a team that could contend but rarely meet expectations. The logo is fine, but there’s not much else to this look.
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Baylor Bears
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
“BU” might as well stand for “Boring University” because that’s what this helmet looks like. Unlike the green, the Oregon Ducks put on display, which is bright and cheery, Baylor’s shade of green is dark and gloomy. More of a lost in the woods sort of green.
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Houston Cougars
July 12, 2023; Arlington, Texas; A view of the Houston Cougars helmet and logo during Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
If you moved the horizontal bar from the “H” to the bottom, this would look almost like Utah’s helmet. They’d probably be better served by simplifying it and dropping the “U.” There just isn’t enough here to get excited about. And do you really want to put “uh” on display every single week?
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Iowa State Cyclones
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
Normally we’d judge Iowa State by that awful cardinal they’d be a lot lower on this list, but we’ll give them partial credit for the matte black look. That’s the look they put on display at Big 12 media days. It’s a clean look. For most schools the alternate black isn’t necessarily the better option, but for the Cyclones, they’d be better served going with the matte black more often.
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Kansas Jayhawks
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Jayhawk is enormous. And if he wasn’t enough to identify the team on the field, they have to put KU on his chest to remind you. The color scheme and logo aren’t bad, but years of poor play and mediocrity struggle to save the cartoonish bird.
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