The Best and Worst Uniform Matchups of Week 5 College Football

What started as a slow Saturday eventually delivered plenty of memorable highlights. Despite a lack of top-25 showdowns, there was still plenty of college football this weekend. Even better, it was a strong week for uniforms.

Several teams debuted new threads, while others understood the assignment and dressed accordingly. Meanwhile, some teams did either too much or too little with their aesthetic. Below are the five best and worst uniforms from Week 5 of the 2026 college football season.

Best

5. Kentucky at South Carolina

The Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks in action during a college football game. — The Kentucky Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It always helps when two conference foes have contrasting colors, and it's even better when the game is an overtime thriller. The South Carolina Gamecocks' white-black-black set always looks sharp. Meanwhile, Kentucky's chrome lid with a white jersey and blue pants completed the spectacular uniform matchup. We hate to see either team lose.

4. West Virginia at Iowa State

The Iowa State Cyclones and West Virginia Mountaineers in action during a college football game. — The Iowa State Cyclones and West Virginia Mountaineers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One week after wearing their polarizing white-and-black uniform set, the Iowa State Cyclones rocked Cardinal from head to toe. Meanwhile, the West Virginia Mountaineers' white-white-navy set never disappoints. This game looked great on television, both for football and fashion.

3. Texas Tech at Colorado

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Colorado Buffaloes in action during a college football game. — The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Colorado Buffaloes. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texas Tech Raiders and Colorado Buffaloes both understood the assignment. Texas Tech rocked Cherry Red helmets and pants with a white jersey to avoid much color overlap. Meanwhile, Colorado bounced back from an awful uniform week to wear their retro-inspired gold-black-gold set.

2. Michigan at Minnesota

The Michigan Wolverines and Minnesota Golden Gophers in action during a college football game. — The Michigan Wolverines and Minnesota Golden Gophers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Michigan Wolverines are struggling, but they are paying attention to each week's best uniform matchup. The Wolverines rocking navy pants was a smart move. Meanwhile, the Golden Gophers' fan-favorite Metallic Gold helmets could not have returned at a better time.

1. Baylor at Arizona State

The Baylor Bears and Arizona State Sun Devils in action during a college football game. — The Baylor Bears and Arizona State Sun Devils. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We knew the Baylor Bears and Arizona State Sun Devils would look great, but even they exceeded our expectations. Baylor's new primary helmet with the stripe is an exciting development. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils' Maroon Monsoon hit much harder than expected.

Worst

5. Washington at USC

The USC Trojans and Washington Huskies during a college football game. — The USC Trojans and Washington Huskies. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The USC Trojans looked great as always under the evening shadows of the LA Memorial Coliseum. But the Washington Huskies fell flat by wearing white pants instead of gold or purple. Maybe they wanted a slight edge under yesterday's soaring temperatures, but it detracted from the beauty of the game.

4. Notre Dame at North Carolina

The North Carolina Tar Heels and Notre Dame Fighting Irish during a college football game. — The North Carolina Tar Heels and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We've had enough of the North Carolina Tar Heels' throwback uniforms. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish looked incredible as always, but the Tar Heels' primary uniforms would have made this game look so much better.

3. Maryland at Nebraska

The Maryland Terrapins and Nebraska Cornhuskers during a college football game. — The Maryland Terrapins and Nebraska Cornhuskers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Maryland Terrapins are the flagship program for Under Armour and yesterday would have been a great opportunity to mix in some alternate colors. Instead, we were overloaded with red with their Terrapins' clash against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. "What's going on in there?"..."It's Maryland versus Nebraska, Jerry."

2. Miami at Clemson

The Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers during a college football game. — The Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Miami Hurricanes rocked all-white for the third time this season (every road game so far), and the Clemson Tigers didn't give our eyes any relief by mixing in some purple. The 41-13 blowout was an easy decision to turn off.

1. Syracuse at UConn

The Syracuse Orange and UConn Huskies during a college football game. — The Syracuse Orange and UConn Huskies. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The UConn Huskies' alternate red jerseys are sweet, especially when paired with navy helmets and pants. But wearing them against the Syracuse Orange is a head-scratching decision. To the Orange's credit, they avoided wearing navy pants or a boring all-white set. This one is on UConn.

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