Ranking the football uniforms: No. 25

This was the “Bob Griffin game” or the “Kye Staley game” depending on your feelings about Heismans and Baylor and the new pecking order in the Big 12. This was also a time when the gray helmet looked like it was a Lego piece (a forerunner for Yurcich, I’m sure) and not the sleek carbon fiber upgrade of recent years.

Here’s a closer look at the combo:

Uniform No. 25: Gray-Orange-Gray
Worn: 2011 against Baylor
Result(s): 1-0 (59-24 win over Baylor)
Gray helmet: 1-0
Orange tops: 4-0
Gray pants: 2-0

These are close to being good — we’re entering the “they aren’t really bad but we have to rank them all so there have to be some above it” territory with these. I’m all in on the orange-gray jersey-pants combo — that’s straight out of the Oregon playbook — but the helmets, let’s talk about the helmets.

You’re trying to tell me that helmet and this helmet look vastly different from each other?

No, they don’t. That’s why I have to drop these to No. 25. But who cares anyway? This was a masterpiece:

I asked Carson Cunningham — a uniform connoisseur himself — to start weighing in on these rankings so you would get a different side of the coin. Here’s his take:

Carson: I’ve never understood your hate for this combo, Kyle. I love this look! I’ve always thought the blowout win overshadowed this combo. It’s underrated. It’s like my love for the show “Sons of Anarchy”: I know it’s no “Breaking Bad” or “Game of Thrones” in terms of quality, but I enjoy it just as much.

The much-maligned Old Gray helmet wasn’t THAT bad. It suffered from a matte finish. The matte finish looks awesome on the black helmets. Gray?…not so much. And I love the fact it has a black facemask. (black facemasks >>>>> white facemasks)

Kyle’s beloved carbon fiber has a white brand & white a facemask. That only works on the road, when you’re wearing a white jersey. At home with an orange or black jersey? Wouldn’t quite match. Look at the differences.

I fully admit the carbon fiber looks much better on TV. If they alter the finish of the Old Gray helmet G-O-G would be in my top 10, maybe top 5. I love the balanced look. Is the Old Gray helmet dead? Is it coming back? We may never know.

While the helmet isn’t as bad as Kyle makes it out to be, it definitely holds this combo back. I’d rank it higher, but I know I’m in the minority.

And if fans think uniforms bring good/bad luck (like never wearing the Iowa State 2011 combo again because OSU lost. Dumb btw), they should like this combo since they destroyed the Heisman winner in these duds.

Check out all the 2014 uniform rankings here.

Totally Tickets is your source for Oklahoma State football tickets.

Photo Attribution: USATSI