Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Yeah, I made that mistake also 

Does Medina know the topic is about the helmets they wear, and not “helmet” status?  I think he doesn’t. 

Anyway, the answers on this thread drive me crazy a little bit because I think the answers are driven by the historical success of the program more than the design of the helmet.  Is anybody answering Penn St or Ohio St if they have  program success similar to Illinois or Purdue?  I bet they aren’t.  I mean, who couldn’t just say, “Make the helmet plain fu*king white. Thanks, I’ll pick ‘em up next week.”

Bama? So, we’re just putting the player’s number on the helmet? Brilliant (chef’s kiss). Michigan?  I know people fawn over Michigan’s helmet because it hasn’t changed in a 1000 years, but if you’re a novice fan watching a Michigan Wolverines game there is nothing about that helmet that screams “Michigan” or “Wolverines.”

I hate to say it but Pitt has a great helmet.  UCLA has a great helmet.  I like Iowa’s.  LSU has really cool helmet.  Of the traditional “helmet” programs I like USC’s and ND’s shiny gold helmet. 

I strongly dislike the Buckeyes as a program and love the idea of their helmets with the sticker. Has nothing to do with status. I’m a fan of old school look like the Penn State plain white helmet. I feel that way about Notre Dame as well. I actually hate when OsU where’s these modern shiny helmets and not their classic ones.

I far prefer the classic helmets and specifically the ones that don’t scream the name like Gators or the seminoles helmet, so I completely disagree with the Michigan take. I also have Iowa slightly outside my top 5 as well. I would put helmets like Oregon in the bottom 5. I think you’re taking people liking an old school look for people basing it on their success.

that being said, I understand people who like Pitt or Gators or similar style, it’s just not my preferred look.

I strongly dislike the Buckeyes as a program and love the idea of their helmets with the sticker. Has nothing to do with status. I’m a fan of old school look like the Penn State plain white helmet. I feel that way about Notre Dame as well. I actually hate when OsU where’s these modern shiny helmets and not their classic ones.

I far prefer the classic helmets and specifically the ones that don’t scream the name like Gators or the seminoles helmet, so I completely disagree with the Michigan take. I also have Iowa slightly outside my top 5 as well. I would put helmets like Oregon in the bottom 5. I think you’re taking people liking an old school look for people basing it on their success.

that being said, I understand people who like Pitt or Gators or similar style, it’s just not my preferred look.

Obviously, I was having little fun and everybody is entitled to their own opinion.  But, yeah, I think some of it is driven by the success of the program.  Boston College has an old school look. I never hear them mentioned in best helmet or uniform discussion.  Syracuse for years had a plain orange helmet and even today has a classic, simple S on it.  Never lauded for its classic simplicity.  Same with Stanford.

In fact, there are a lot of schools with simple, singular letter/letters to represent the school on the helmet.  Georgia Tech, Indiana, Purdue, etc.  But which schools with a similar design were brought up?  Nebraska, Oklahoma, Georgia.

I just think it's funny that Penn St, OSU, ND, Alabama, et al always get cited for great helmets.  EVERYONE'S helmets were like that back in the 60s.  Why does a program's helmet get worse by throwing a sticker on it?  Without that variety, you'd have the white helmet team vs the red helmet team EVERY WEEK.

Yawn.

Well you're talking to a board of traditionalists, so there you have your answer.

If you found a board full of 18 year old college football fans, you'd likely have a different answer.  I could imagine that Oregon's (many different) helmet(s) would probably be listed toward the top.

But of course, you're not going to find a message board full of 18 year old college football fans because 18 year olds don't really post on internet message forums, and also because there are far fewer die hard 18 year old college football fans.

This should inform us about the value of tradition in college football, but then again, OrEGon'S CRaZy HIgHlitEr hElMEtZ!!!

Great list... all after tennesse, that is.  

Great list... all after tennesse, that is. 

Oh yeah, I like the Vols' helmets too.  The orange is way too traffic cone-y, but other than that, good stuff.

It's not just here, but any article about best helmets has the same handful of plain Jane helmets. 

Yeah.  Those articles aren't written by 18 year olds, trying to appeal to 18 year olds.  All the same logic applies.

College football by its nature, is the traditionalist's game.  The NFL is flashy and ever-changing, with bold branding and brand new death star looking stadiums built seemingly every year.  College football is more traditional, and appeals to a more traditional set.  So it's not surprising that the "classic" (which you can read as non-changing) uniforms tend to top these lists.