Saturday Down South ranks every SEC football logo by tiers
Just because we’re in a summer lull with months separating the return of meaningful college football, doesn’t mean we can’t have some friendly competition while we’re at it.
Fandom and loyalty to one’s school go beyond what happens between the lines of the gridiron. From a school’s raucous fanbase to its storied uniforms, you can claim bragging rights to anything and everything, including a team’s emblem.
Saturday Down South recently ranked its tiers of SEC football logos, and perhaps so as not to stir discourse, they placed each of the 14 programs into either tiers 1,2,3 or 4. But naturally, this is the landscape of college football we’re talking about here, which means you can’t put together a rankings list without inciting some inspired pushback.
Do you value a school that pays homage to its history by keeping its logo relatively unscathed through the decades? Or do you reward the programs that made calculated, and fresh updates that helped logos age well into the 21st century? These are just a handful of thoughts that come to mind when assessing these rankings.
Check out the tiers below, and it’s safe to say that in our humble opinion, the Texas A&M logo is severely disrespected compared to their SEC counterparts. Let the friendly debates begin!
Florida Gators (Tier 1)
![Florida Gators get fired up before Florida takes on LSU at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 15, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Lsu](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DhFRE7uQrl8EGh26kiVwOw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ0Mw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aggies_wire_usa_today_articles_632/e174346dbf1a501d5bba832d0e465d8f)
The alligator was chosen as the emblem of the University of Florida football team in the early 1900s, and while the color scheme has changed a bit over the years the design still remains intact to this day, and for good reason.
Get more Florida news, analysis, and opinions on Gators Wire.
Arkansas Razorbacks (Tier 1)
Arkansas’ first official mascot was actually the cardinal, but legend has it that in 1909, head football coach Hugo Bezdek returned from a victory over LSU during an undefeated season and told a group of gathered students that the team had performed “like a wild band of Razorback hogs.”
The following year, the student body voted to officially change the mascot and the rest is history.
Get more Arkansas news, analysis, and opinions on Razorbacks Wire.
LSU Tigers (Tier 1)
The original logo for LSU was introduced in 1955 and featured a bright, and more comical illustration of a tiger with a small hat, with “LSU” lettering adjoining it. The tiger has since been revamped to be more menacing, but the school’s yellow and purple color combination remains nonetheless.
Get more LSU news, analysis, and opinions on LSU Tigers Wire.
Auburn Tigers (Tier 2)
After originally sporting a more cartoonish tiger for the team’s logo, Auburn has since evolved to feature a large “A,” with a similar sized “U” behind it as the school’s primary logo.
Get more Auburn news, analysis, and opinions on Auburn Wire.
South Carolina Gamecocks (Tier 2)
South Carolina gets some bonus points for bringing a contemporary spin to the school’s original logo of the head of a gamecock, which was introduced back in 1889 and remains one of college sports’ longest-standing logos.
Kentucky Wildcats (Tier 2)
Between 1973 and 2004, Kentucky’s logo had one common staple in featuring a graphic of a Wildcat, whether just solely the head or in full-bodied form. Since 2005, the program wiped the animal from existence in lieu of a simple “UK” logo, with the only notable change since being a switch to a darker blue.
Alabama Crimson Tide (Tier 3)
While the elephant mascot typically made an appearance from the 1950s to the early 2000s, Alabama has embraced the iconic cursive “A” since 2004. The logo was originally designed by former student Henry “Hank” Crisp, who served as head coach from 1923-1946.
The design includes two white stripes running through it, representing the university colors.
Get more Alabama news, analysis, and opinions on Roll Tide Wire.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (Tier 3)
The current version of the logo, featuring a large “M” with “State” emblazoned across, was first introduced in 2001, but its origins can be traced back to 1895. At the time, students at Mississippi A&M College (now known as Mississippi State University) chose a bulldog as their mascot.
There have been different iterations of the Bulldog logo used by MSU over time, including one featuring two bulldogs facing each other with “MSC” written between them.
Georgia Bulldogs (Tier 3)
The Bulldog’s main logo consists of a black letter “G” in a red oval, and the truth is that it hasn’t changed much throughout its 50-year history. The original conception was inspired by head football coach, Vince Dooley.
Get more Georgia news, analysis, and opinions on UGA Wire.
Tennessee Volunteers (Tier 3)
The very first logo was designed in 1967, featuring the large “T” with the word “Tennessee” situated below. With the exception of a brief redesign in 1983 featuring the image of a hunter, the school has since returned to the iconic large orange “T.”
Get more Tennessee news, analysis, and opinions on Vols Wire.
Vanderbilt Commodores (Tier 4)
Though some may pass off the Commodores’ logo as a simple “V,” the original design dates back to 1922 when an alumnus named Charles Davis designed it as a way to honor both his alma mater and his military service.
Ole Miss Rebels (Tier 4)
The Rebels logo is pretty unique considering the standard for an athletic program, but its cursive lettering gives a nice hint of a retro style that, personally, pairs best with the powder blue color scheme.
Texas A&M Aggies (Tier 4)
The Aggies logo has gone through several iterations throughout its history, with early designs featuring everything from a monogram that looked like a rope tied many times to even a male figure spotlighting as a mascot. Since 1981, the school has stuck to a simpler emblem sporting the letters “A,” “T,” and “M,” with the latest update in 2021 sometimes placing the A, T, and M in the middle of the map of Texas.
Get more Texas A&M news, analysis, and opinions on Aggies Wire.
Missouri Tigers (Tier 4)
The tiger itself has been well represented throughout Missouri’s history of logos, with one exception coming between 1995 to 1999. But since the start of the 21st century, a slightly more aggressive and fearless tiger has become the concrete element of the primary logo.
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