NCAA's latest move could impact how every uniform in college football looks in 2026

Every uniform in college football has a chance to look different next season after the NCAA's latest move.

Wearing black uniforms, the Ohio State Buckeyes prepare to take the field. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The world of college football is filled with changes, and we saw two pretty significant ones announced on Friday.

For starters, the College Football Playoff format saw a small tweak. The number of teams in the playoff teams will remain at 12 for now, but all four Power 4 champions will get into the dance upon winning. Meaning, a team like Duke, which won the ACC but was left out of the playoff with an 8-5 record, would have been guaranteed a spot. The new amendment also promises Notre Dame a spot in the College Football Playoff if it is in the top 12 of the final poll.

The other significant change in college football concerns uniforms, as the NCAA DI Cabinet approved the use of patches on uniforms.

"The Division I Cabinet on Friday approved a proposal that will allow Division I sports programs to place additional commercial logos or patches on uniforms, equipment and apparel for any non-NCAA championship competition, including the regular season," read the statement.

A detailed view of an Indiana Hoosiers uniform with the 2026 logo on it after winning the College Football Playoff. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

This will go into effect on Aug. 1, as teams can have up to two additional logos on their jersey of the commercial variety. The release also revealed that the logos are limited to four square inches per patch.

While fans may not love the change to some traditional uniforms in college football, it doesn't necessarily mean that every program has to partake. With that being said, an extra source of revenue in an era of college football where money rules all seems to be hard to turn down.

This is the second time in the past year or so that the NCAA has made a ruling on commercial logos, as programs were also given the green light to feature logos on their field for the first time this season.

Logos on a jersey have been a widespread move across sports as the MLB, NHL and NBA have all adopted the same practice, with ESPN reporting that NBA teams make eight figures by having a patch on their jersey.

It's unclear at this time which programs will become the first to adopt this new change, but as expressed in the ESPN report, it may help programs "bankroll the $20.5 million in revenue they're allowed to share with players."

The lone major professional sports league not to embrace advertisements on jerseys is the NFL, which easily has the strongest brand in American sports and likely doesn't need to do so.

Whether college football fans like it or not, change continues to come.