Pac-12 Power Rankings: Uniform Edition, Part 2
By George Means
1. Washington State Cougars – Crimson and Gray
Sep 28, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Kristoff Williams (18) catches a pass during the 1st half against the Stanford Cardinal at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Who else did you expect at the top of this list. We have come a long way since black and white television masked the hideous uniforms worn by the Cougs in the 40’s.
Look at the Evergreen Bowl from December 6, 1941 (yeah, hours before Pearl Harbor was attacked). This is a Technicolor game film, so we get to see some sort of messed up Southern Cal uniform from the same era, it frightens me to think that we could be yet another yellow and red monstrosity. Yeah, two years after they transformed film with The Wizard of Oz, Technicolor was working on WSU gamefilm.
The Coug logo pushes us to the top of the pack, dating to the late 30’s. Identifiable without question, incorporating clearly WSU into a Cougar, not even approached by another team in college football (maybe K-State, but . . . nah).
Thank God our UCLA/Cal script has gone by the wayside, the Coug head should never leave our helmet.
By the way, it could be worse. Originally the Cougs were known as the Terriers (like Boston University) and our colors were light blue and light pink. I am not kidding. No throwbacks should be commissioned prior to the 20’s, please.
There was a time that the Cougs were the only team in college football to utilize home and away helmets. Mixing and matching were also an early innovation in Pullman.
Uniform wise, the Pac has always followed the Cougs.
Additionally, WSU has only one BCS peer sporting Gray as a color, Ohio State. Originality is key, nothing can be done by Oregon to skip past the traditionalists, who need very little innovation.
After this whole process, I may have to reprise this in future years giving my non-sports friends a chance to weigh in and judge on pure ascetic.
Upon conclusion I may not agree with these rankings in an hour, with an obvious exception. Let the arguments commence!
Go Cougs!