Illinois Football Uniforms
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RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
Posting for no reason other than I really like this uni combo.
If we ever make another rose bowl, really hope we can find a way to use that same patch. Similar how Michigan reused a rose bowl patch a two years ago.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
^ There are minor things here and there that I would not prefer, but most of all ... I just really prefer stripes on the sleeves vs. stripes on the shoulder, the latter being the easily recognizable look for LSU, UCLA and now us. I have messed around on the EA Sports Team Builder website trying to make cool Illini uniforms, but there are only so many things you can do with the striping options they give you. As has been previously pointed out, applying that 1980s pattern to a modern uniform would look a lot like Auburn, which I personally consider to be a very slick look ... traditional yet not too boring:
Also a pretty big fan of Florida's simple-yet-sleek stripe pattern:
With all of that said, the shoulder stripes on our uniforms have grown on me, at least to a degree. They are fairly unique, I guess. While I still don't LOVE them on the navy uniforms, I will also admit that they seem to especially "pop" with our white uniforms, and I will admit it is a very crisp look. I definitely think they work a lot better with our white jerseys than orange (though orange still looks pretty good) or navy (which I think would benefit a lot more from a striping pattern on the shoulders).
Also a pretty big fan of Florida's simple-yet-sleek stripe pattern:
With all of that said, the shoulder stripes on our uniforms have grown on me, at least to a degree. They are fairly unique, I guess. While I still don't LOVE them on the navy uniforms, I will also admit that they seem to especially "pop" with our white uniforms, and I will admit it is a very crisp look. I definitely think they work a lot better with our white jerseys than orange (though orange still looks pretty good) or navy (which I think would benefit a lot more from a striping pattern on the shoulders).
Not sure where else to put this , but found and ordered this hat online to be my Saturday hat this fall. Looks to be vintage late 70s? Anyone know?
Ryllini
- Lombard
That is money. Love that hat.
everything old is new again
I have a t-shirt with stripes on the shoulders. Don’t change the team jerseys.^ There are minor things here and there that I would not prefer, but most of all ... I just really prefer stripes on the sleeves vs. stripes on the shoulder, the latter being the easily recognizable look for LSU, UCLA and now us. I have messed around on the EA Sports Team Builder website trying to make cool Illini uniforms, but there are only so many things you can do with the striping options they give you. As has been previously pointed out, applying that 1980s pattern to a modern uniform would look a lot like Auburn, which I personally consider to be a very slick look ... traditional yet not too boring:
Also a pretty big fan of Florida's simple-yet-sleek stripe pattern:
With all of that said, the shoulder stripes on our uniforms have grown on me, at least to a degree. They are fairly unique, I guess. While I still don't LOVE them on the navy uniforms, I will also admit that they seem to especially "pop" with our white uniforms, and I will admit it is a very crisp look. I definitely think they work a lot better with our white jerseys than orange (though orange still looks pretty good) or navy (which I think would benefit a lot more from a striping pattern on the shoulders).
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
^ To be clear, I am not suggesting we change the uniforms. We have pretty damn good uniforms right now that look sufficiently touched up and yet harken back to traditional looks we have had in the past ... and it would be best to not mess with them anytime soon and let them establish themselves over a longer period of time. I'm just saying that if we rewind to 2022 when we still had the Lovie Era rags, I would support sleeve stripes over shoulder stripes.
skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
Conceptually, with few nitpicks, with almost every color combo and the helmet mix, these are the best our unis have looked, maybe ever.
Not sure how hot that take is, but the timing of this could not be better for the stage we now get to walk across each week.
Not sure how hot that take is, but the timing of this could not be better for the stage we now get to walk across each week.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Agreed. While I love a lot about the 1980s uniforms, it is just too difficult to compare different eras and styles like that. I thought the Beckman Era uniforms had a lot of misused potential and I think the Zook Era uniforms are treated a bit too harshly, but ... these ones are the best of my lifetime for sure. The Lovie Era ones are easily my least favorite (somehow managing to be about as boring as possible and yet have ZERO traditional vibe about them, lol), and these ones addressed all of those issues.
I was watching the Browns tonight and just could not get this out of my head. Took about an hour, but I personally really like how this turned out.
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- Batavia
Well, I guess the I helmet isn’t going anywhere.
(As long as the slant helmet is still in the rotation…)
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
^ I still think we will see less of the Block I helmet than Slant ILLINOIS and possibly even one of the other ones (Script or Arched ILLINI, most likely).
Illini in Italy
- Illini HQ, Florida Panhandle
Somehow, I'm just not feeling 'new', and I'm definitely getting old . . .
Tennessee just switched back to Adidas.
For the Ohio State game we should put on the 100 year anniversary throwbacks again with the leather helmet look - they were so phenomenally cool, we should pick one game a year to wear them. Let's test how long that mojo will last
Fighter just needs to send in the BPOTR mock up.
PizzaHutParkingLot
- Vodice, Croatia
Much nicer in person
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
In the previous thread, someone brought up predicting our uniform for each game. I will definitely do that at some point before the home opener, but I do think we will be pretty superstitious. After Slant ILLINOIS brought us top 25 wins vs. Kansas and at Nebraska, we showed a preference for it as the season went on (and in marketing since then). After the Block I helmet and white pants led to a beatdown at Oregon, we never wore white pants on the road again and only wore the Block I helmet for the "designated" MSU home game when we had to (we wore a Wrigley-themed Block I vs. Northwestern, but I don't think that counts).
In other words, if we rock Slant ILLINOIS and O/W/O at Duke and lose, I wouldn't expect to see it at Indiana. So our results will determine what I think will happen week to week. However, this is my semi-confident prediction for the first four games in a scenario where we are 3-0 going into the Indiana game...
vs. Western Illinois - I'm damn near positive about the O/B/O part for the home opener, but I actually think they bust out the Slant ILLINOIS helmets with the navy jerseys for the first time. We have used that helmet/design quite a bit on social media, and it just feels like it will be the season's debut helmet. However, I could totally see them using some (IMO stupid) logic that the home opener should use our "official" helmet, the Block I.
at Duke - I'm fairly positive we will see this combo for our first road game. It's the uniform that won us thrilling road contests at Nebraska and Rutgers last year, and I think it will be the go-to away uniform for this season (unless, as stated above, we crap the bed in Durham).
vs. Western Michigan - I predict the aforementioned lame logic that we "should" wear the Block I helmet will prevail over somebody, and we will get the most basic combo we have for this one. It'll be the same kind of idea our basketball program has seemed to use that we "should" wear our default combo for "non-big games."
at Indiana - I think we go back to the combo that got us a W at Duke. If we lose at Duke with this combo, I could see us rocking the Script helmet instead.
Beyond that is pretty hard to guess, and I think a lot will depend on wins and losses. However, I will also pretty confidently predict the following...
1. Not exactly going out on a limb here, but I'm fairly positive we will once again see the all orange and Slant ILLINOIS for our "Orange Out" game vs. OSU.
2. We will replicate our Veterans Day look from last year, with the all orange and Veterans-Day-themed Slant ILLINOIS variant vs. Maryland.
3. We will once again wear the Script helmet for all postseason games, regardless of how much we wear it (or don't wear it at all) during the regular season.
... and I will throw two bolder predictions out there!
1. Right when it seems it has been retired, we get the Arched ILLINI helmet busted out for a seemingly random game. My guess for now is USC for Homecoming or Rutgers for Dads Day.
2. Even if I am guessing with my heart more than my head here, I just HAVE to believe Bret gives us #BPOTR ... it's the third year with these uniforms, and I bet at least one player or coach (or insider!
) at least has a passing understanding that we haven't done this combo yet and/or fans would love it. I'll guess we don't see it until our trip to Madison, though.
In other words, if we rock Slant ILLINOIS and O/W/O at Duke and lose, I wouldn't expect to see it at Indiana. So our results will determine what I think will happen week to week. However, this is my semi-confident prediction for the first four games in a scenario where we are 3-0 going into the Indiana game...
vs. Western Illinois - I'm damn near positive about the O/B/O part for the home opener, but I actually think they bust out the Slant ILLINOIS helmets with the navy jerseys for the first time. We have used that helmet/design quite a bit on social media, and it just feels like it will be the season's debut helmet. However, I could totally see them using some (IMO stupid) logic that the home opener should use our "official" helmet, the Block I.
at Duke - I'm fairly positive we will see this combo for our first road game. It's the uniform that won us thrilling road contests at Nebraska and Rutgers last year, and I think it will be the go-to away uniform for this season (unless, as stated above, we crap the bed in Durham).
vs. Western Michigan - I predict the aforementioned lame logic that we "should" wear the Block I helmet will prevail over somebody, and we will get the most basic combo we have for this one. It'll be the same kind of idea our basketball program has seemed to use that we "should" wear our default combo for "non-big games."
at Indiana - I think we go back to the combo that got us a W at Duke. If we lose at Duke with this combo, I could see us rocking the Script helmet instead.
Beyond that is pretty hard to guess, and I think a lot will depend on wins and losses. However, I will also pretty confidently predict the following...
1. Not exactly going out on a limb here, but I'm fairly positive we will once again see the all orange and Slant ILLINOIS for our "Orange Out" game vs. OSU.
2. We will replicate our Veterans Day look from last year, with the all orange and Veterans-Day-themed Slant ILLINOIS variant vs. Maryland.
3. We will once again wear the Script helmet for all postseason games, regardless of how much we wear it (or don't wear it at all) during the regular season.
... and I will throw two bolder predictions out there!
1. Right when it seems it has been retired, we get the Arched ILLINI helmet busted out for a seemingly random game. My guess for now is USC for Homecoming or Rutgers for Dads Day.
2. Even if I am guessing with my heart more than my head here, I just HAVE to believe Bret gives us #BPOTR ... it's the third year with these uniforms, and I bet at least one player or coach (or insider!
) at least has a passing understanding that we haven't done this combo yet and/or fans would love it. I'll guess we don't see it until our trip to Madison, though.Love this breakdown. What does #BPOTR mean?In the previous thread, someone brought up predicting our uniform for each game. I will definitely do that at some point before the home opener, but I do think we will be pretty superstitious. After Slant ILLINOIS brought us top 25 wins vs. Kansas and at Nebraska, we showed a preference for it as the season went on (and in marketing since then). After the Block I helmet and white pants led to a beatdown at Oregon, we never wore white pants on the road again and only wore the Block I helmet for the "designated" MSU home game when we had to (we wore a Wrigley-themed Block I vs. Northwestern, but I don't think that counts).
In other words, if we rock Slant ILLINOIS and O/W/O at Duke and lose, I wouldn't expect to see it at Indiana. So our results will determine what I think will happen week to week. However, this is my semi-confident prediction for the first four games in a scenario where we are 3-0 going into the Indiana game...
vs. Western Illinois - I'm damn near positive about the O/B/O part for the home opener, but I actually think they bust out the Slant ILLINOIS helmets with the navy jerseys for the first time. We have used that helmet/design quite a bit on social media, and it just feels like it will be the season's debut helmet. However, I could totally see them using some (IMO stupid) logic that the home opener should use our "official" helmet, the Block I.
View attachment 43130
at Duke - I'm fairly positive we will see this combo for our first road game. It's the uniform that won us thrilling road contests at Nebraska and Rutgers last year, and I think it will be the go-to away uniform for this season (unless, as stated above, we crap the bed in Durham).
View attachment 43132
vs. Western Michigan - I predict the aforementioned lame logic that we "should" wear the Block I helmet will prevail over somebody, and we will get the most basic combo we have for this one. It'll be the same kind of idea our basketball program has seemed to use that we "should" wear our default combo for "non-big games."
View attachment 43133
at Indiana - I think we go back to the combo that got us a W at Duke. If we lose at Duke with this combo, I could see us rocking the Script helmet instead.
View attachment 43134
Beyond that is pretty hard to guess, and I think a lot will depend on wins and losses. However, I will also pretty confidently predict the following...
1. Not exactly going out on a limb here, but I'm fairly positive we will once again see the all orange and Slant ILLINOIS for our "Orange Out" game vs. OSU.
2. We will replicate our Veterans Day look from last year, with the all orange and Veterans-Day-themed Slant ILLINOIS variant vs. Maryland.
3. We will once again wear the Script helmet for all postseason games, regardless of how much we wear it (or don't wear it at all) during the regular season.
... and I will throw two bolder predictions out there!
1. Right when it seems it has been retired, we get the Arched ILLINI helmet busted out for a seemingly random game. My guess for now is USC for Homecoming or Rutgers for Dads Day.
2. Even if I am guessing with my heart more than my head here, I just HAVE to believe Bret gives us #BPOTR ... it's the third year with these uniforms, and I bet at least one player or coach (or insider!
blue pants on the road
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
The greatest look we could possibly accomplish, of course! Still holding out hope we bust out this specific combo at some point this year for one of the big road games:
However (and someone else actually pointed this out first), it seems our staff places a high emphasis on having our tri-stripe patterns match in at least two of the three "levels" of our uniforms. Using O/W/B but with one of our "normal" helmets, it would be...
- B/W/B stripe on the orange helmet
- B/O/B stripe on the white jersey
- O/W/O stripe on the blue pants
When we wear O/B/O or O/W/O, the helmet matches the pants. When we wear O/B/B or O/W/W, the jersey matches the pants. Obviously, for our all orange uniform, all three match. None match for O/W/B or (the other combo we have never seen) O/B/W. I don't know if anyone who picks the uniforms has ever even considered this, but I hope they don't ... because it is a silly thing getting in the way of our best look!
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