Ranking the Uniforms that BYU Wore in 2022

For the first time in program history, BYU wore 13 unique uniform combinations during the 2022 season. Today, we rank the 13 combinations that BYU wore last season and talk about the fine line between uniform variety and tradition.

Ranking BYU's 2022 Uniform Combinations

13. Blackout Sailor Coug - SMU

We'll kick off our rankings with one that will surely be unpopular to some BYU fans. BYU unveiled a new "Sailor Coug" helmet for the bowl game against SMU and paired it with the black uniforms. This uniform ranks last on our list for a few reasons. The first reason was best articulated by CBS college football analyst Barrett Sallee who said "BYU's normal uniforms are money. The uniforms that the Cougars are wearing against SMU...aren't."

BYU's uniforms are great, so any alternate uniform will be graded on a steep curve. In the opinion of this author, this combination just doesn't stack up against BYU's great uniforms, and most importantly it doesn't fit BYU's brand identity. The Sailor Coug logo is a fun logo for gear and flags, but it doesn't belong on the helmet. For one, the stretch "Y" is BYU's brand in an era where a school's brand rules all. Second, the sailor coug logo from a distance is indistinguishable, especially on a gradient helmet. It looks cool in a photoshoot or on a wall of memorabilia, but every game on television is a branding opportunity. And this uniform isn't BYU. Therefore, there are too few games in a season for the Sailor Coug logo to be on the helmet.

12. Notre Dame - Blackout

For a lot of the same reasons listed above, the blackout uniform is next on our list. This one gets the nod over the bowl game uniform since the Y is on the helmet. However, if you quizzed the average college football fan, they probably wouldn't be able to tell you that this uniform is BYU if they were watching from the stands. The gradient helmet is a fun idea, but this was one of the most viewed games of BYU's season. Going with your classic, recognizable look on the biggest stages is a better way to build a brand.

11. Wyoming - Navy on navy

This is a good look that adds variety without distracting from BYU's classic look. The low ranking says more about the uniforms to come than the uniform itself.

10. Arkansas

For the first time in program history, BYU unveiled a painted helmet against Arkansas. This was a fun combo and it was well executed. It is a little bit further down our list since the stretch "Y" isn't on both sides of the helmet.

9. Utah State

BYU brought out the home royal uniforms with royal helmets for the last scheduled rivalry game against Utah State.

8. Baylor - Royal rush

The all royal uniforms really popped against Baylor in a sold out Lavell Edwards Stadium. The crowd understood the assignment and showed up in royal blue. This game for one of the better environments at LES in recent memory.

7. USF

This combo has been around for a while and it's a really good one. This uniform has been worn in some of the biggest games of the independence era.

6. Stanford - Royal away with royal helmets

These uniforms looked good in a dominant victory over Stanford. The white facemask was a good touch.

5. Oregon - All white away with royal helmets

Oregon is known for its uniforms but the Ducks lost the uniform battle on this day. We won't talk about the game itself but the uniforms were top notch.

4. Utah Tech - Royal home with royal pants

BYU celebrated Senior Day in style with the royal home uniforms and royal pants. This combination has been around for a few years and it's hard to beat.

3. Boise State - Whiteout

BYU introduced a new twist to the all white uniforms in 2022 when it unveiled white facemasks. The all whites looked great on the blue turf in Boise in a last-minute victory over the Broncos. 

2. ECU - Royal Home

These uniforms are some of the best in college football. It was in these uniforms that BYU won a national championship in 1984. These uniforms are BYU's brand.

1. Liberty - Royal Away

Credit: BYU Photo

These uniforms are simply perfect. They represent years of successful BYU football, they pop on screen, and they represent BYU's brand. These uniforms were only worn once in one of the least viewed games of the year - a road loss to Liberty on ESPNU. These uniforms are so good - they need to be worn more than once per season.

Balancing Variety and Tradition

BYU has more uniform combinations at its disposal than ever before. After talking to various recruits and watching BYU's uniform evolution over the last few years, it's my opinion that variety is good, but it should be used wisely. Uniform variety is fun, but consistency and brand recognition should be an important part of the selection criteria. Too much variety dilutes the benefits of variety, and the pendulum has swung a little too far. Recruits want variety and tradition, and in practice those two things might not go hand in hand. For the most part, BYU's alternate uniforms stay within BYU's brand. However, I think it would benefit BYU's brand to wear their classic looks more than once per season.

For example, when you turn on the television to watch Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio State, or Oklahoma, you know what you're going to get. Those schools have classic looks that will never go away. But all of those schools have used alternate uniforms and subtle tweaks in the past few years to add some variety into the mix. For example, this alternate uniform from Oklahoma has become a regular part of the Sooners uniform rotation.

Michigan has added some variety to their traditional look by swapping out blue pants with the classic yellow pants. The Wolverines wore this combination against Ohio State in 2021 and in the 2021 College Football Playoff against Georgia.

When you think of Ohio State, you don't think of uniform variety. However, even the Buckeyes have thrown in some alternate uniforms over the years. A few years ago, the Buckeyes went with an all red look against Penn State.

Those schools are good examples of teams that have maintained their strong brand and tradition while adding in some variety. In my opinion, some schools have taken uniform variety a little too far. Oregon is an obvious example, although the Ducks might be the exception since they have built an entire brand around uniform variety. But take schools like Oklahoma State, Utah, or Washington State. The Cowboys, for example, have used so many combinations over the years that most college football fans probably wouldn't be able to recall their base home and away uniforms. Here are a few uniforms Oklahoma State in 2021.

Since BYU has four different helmets, it has as much variety at its disposal as Oklahoma State. But it my opinion, the Cougars are in even more danger of losing their identity since they use two shades of blue. Regardless of the combination, Oklahoma State can be identified by their unique colors. BYU probably can't say the same since its colors are more common and the shade of blue changes back and forth from royal to navy.

Therefore, BYU should use variety more sparingly than Oklahoma State. What would that look like? In a perfect world, I think BYU's uniform rotation could look something like this:

• Classic royal home jerseys (3-4 games)
• Classic royal away jerseys (3-4 games)
• Classic navy home jerseys (1-2 games)
• Classic navy away jerseys (1-2 games)
• Alternate home combination (1-2 games)
• Alternate away combination (1-2 games)

With a uniform schedule like the one outlined above, BYU could mix in more uniform variety than most schools and continue to build on its tradition and identity. Thank you for listening to my TED talk, I mean thanks for reading.

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