Ranking Oklahoma State’s Uniform Combos Through the First Half of the Season

Coming into the season, I was excited to see what the equipment gurus would put together with these new uniforms at their disposal. Through six games, I’ve gone from excited to impressed. The Cowboys have wasted no time in rolling out some great looks and you have to wonder what they have in store for us going forward. I have a few things on my wish list. But before we get to that, let’s take a look back at the six uniform combos we’ve seen so far and how I rank them.

6. White/Orange/White - Marshal Badge Helmet Decal

Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

I’m just going to start with this disclaimer: in my opinion, there have been no bad combos yet. So, when I rank this combo last, it’s really not as much of a knock on it as it is an endorsement of the other five, because this is a solid look that really doesn’t deserve to be last. The white/orange/white is classic and it included the debut of the new marshal badge helmet decal, which I love. It’s sixth because that decal has already been utilized much better in another combo and because it was the second time we saw white/orange/white in the first three weeks.

5. White/Orange/White - Orange Chrome Brand Helmet Decal

Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Guys, I like white/orange/white. No, really, I do. Also, I’m taking the liberty of naming the helmet decals whatever descriptive name makes sense to me. This is obviously very similar to #6, but I feel the new reflective orange decal stood out much better on the white helmet than the marshal badge decal did. The decal was clear and readable both on television and from the stands, and I loved the added flair of making it reflective, not unlike what Texas has done with their helmet decal.

4. Black/Black/Gray - Phantom Pete Helmet Decal

Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images

It pains me to have this at #4. It really does. That’s how good the combos have been so far this season. When I look back on our time with this uniform set, and compare all the combos OSU put together (because I will), I won’t be surprised at all if this combo is borderline top ten. And yet, I’ve seen three this season that I like SLIGHTLY more. This is what it came down to for me with these top four: which looks have anything negative I can pick out at all. And this look has two very small things. It feels like we can do better than the Phantom Pete helmet decal, like maybe a chrome OSU brand or something with more orange to play off the jersey numbers. And the “Cowboys” down the leg of the pants appears somewhat white-ish, which throws it off a bit. Ridiculously picky. But such is life when all of the combos are this good.

3. Orange/Black/Orange - Orange Chrome Helmet

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The wait for the debut of the orange pants really wasn’t all that long, but it felt like forever. And they did not disappoint. The “Cowboys” down the leg of the pants comes off very clearly chrome against the orange pants, and it could not possibly tie in with the black jersey any better than it does. It is a magnificent pairing. The chrome accents on the helmet add to that cohesiveness as well. This look feels so OSU even though its the furthest thing from a vintage OSU look, which is impressive. The one small nitpick about this combo is I’m still not totally crazy about the orange chrome helmets. Don’t get me wrong, they are light-years ahead of the old orange helmets, which I hope have been retired and are resting comfortably on some private island OSU purchased to save other retirees from having their golden years ruined by having to look at them. So yeah. These are much much better. Still not quite a home run for me, though.

2. White/White/White - Icy White Chrome Helmet

This jersey is everything. It is still my absolute favorite individual piece of the new uniforms. It is a work of art. And if I was just ranking the jersey/pants combos, this is absolutely at the top of the list. Again, the slight knock on the look comes down to the helmet. The icy white chrome helmet was rumored for quite some time, and was a victim of its own hype when it debuted. It’s not a bad helmet. It doesn’t need its own private island. It’s just not quite there. With the amount of black on the jersey, I think a helmet with more black would tie the look together much better and catapult this into maybe the best combo OSU has ever worn. It has that kind of potential. But it’s not there yet. I have small (microscopic) issues with all of combos 2-4, but this got the nod over the other two for me because I think it has the most potential to improve and because the white jersey is just that good. Side note: when, not if, OSU goes black/white/white, it is going to KILL.

1. Black/Black/Black - Marshal Badge Helmet Decal

Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

As much as I struggled with separating looks 2-4, this was clearly #1 for me. It may not be the best these uniforms have to offer, but it’s real freaking close. I will be completely shocked if this combo doesn’t stand up really well to everything else OSU rolls out with this uniform set over the next several years. I have no objections. NONE. I am all in on this look. The marshal badge decal looks infinitely better on the black helmet than it looks on the white helmet, and the chrome accents on the helmet just make it even better. I love everything about it. And extra points for matching it against Texas’ all white look, not that it needed extra points. This is the curve-breaking, straight-A kid in class who does extra credit anyway. Except its really cool and probably picks on the other combos because it’s also far and away the most intimidating look we’ve seen so far.

Wish List For the Rest of the Season

Here are some things I would love to see at some point this season.

• Chrome OSU brand helmet decal
• Black/White/Black combo
• 1945 throwback uniforms
• Orange chrome helmet with new decal
• Black/White/White combo
• Tri-color combo at home
• Black/Black/Orange combo
• Gray/chrome helmet (either the return of the carbon fiber or the debut of something new and improved)