Hanging Your Hat

Terrific topic for "The List" on Monday's "Tailgate Overtime" on Sun Sports: Best helmets in college football.

For those who haven't caught it yet, "The List" has become one of my favorite segments on the Monday night show. Each week, two or three panelists are asked to come up with their top five on a variety of topics -- best traditions in college football, best quarterbacks ever to play in Florida, and so forth. We pitted former Miami quarterback Steve Walsh against national radio host Todd Wright for this one.

Here's Steve Walsh's list of the best helmets:

5. Oregon



What strikes me about this helmet is not the "O" logo, which is pretty boring, but rather the color of the helmet itself, which is a glossy, metallic green the likes of which cannot be found in nature. The helmet seems to morph and change color depending on time of day and stadium lighting. It's mysterious and futuristic, which is advantageous -- it distracts fans from the fact that a football team can be called the "Ducks."

4. Michigan



Love the unique quality of this helmet -- even though they may or may not have stolen it from Princeton:



...but no matter. It's cool, and unique, and instantly recognizable. And as Todd Wright pointed out on the show on Monday night, the Michigan hockey team uses the same design on its helmets. Nothing like a two-for-one.

3. UCLA



I'm not big on the cursive look -- as you're about to discover -- but I give Steve credit for pointing out that it's a very Hollywood look. The baby-blue jerseys, while not exactly fear-inducing, seem to work for the Bruins.

2. Florida State



This is my personal favorite. Yes, it's politically incorrect, and yes, lots of teams use gold domes, but nothing in college football is sexier or more appropriate than the Seminole Spear. This is as close to a perfect helmet as you can get.

1. Louisiana State



I have to disagree with Steve here. I like the look -- a sort of retro thing, with the tiger face underneath the old-school block letters -- but there's nothing stunning about this lid.

Here's Todd's list of the five best helmets in college football:

5. Miami



I've never loved this logo, but as Todd pointed out, the "U" on the helmet has led to fans calling Miami "The U," which is cool and inclusive in a secret-society kind of way. Personally, I never understood why Miami can lay claim to "The U." Doesn't every university, by definition, have a "U" in its title?

4. Alabama



Todd is showing his old-school sentimentality here. The numbers on the side of the helmet is a throwback to a bygone era, one that several other programs have maintained as well, including Georgia Southern:



...but nobody pulls it off like Alabama.




3. Texas



LOVE this one. Iconic, simple, fierce. There's no mistaking this helmet for anyone else's in all of college football. White hat, white face mask, no stripe, stencilled Longhorn on the side. Texas, baby. Texas.

Todd has Florida State number two on his list, and Michigan number one.

Here's two I think they missed:

Southern Methodist



The Mustang is also among the most instantly recognizable and iconic logos in all of college athletics. I take a couple of points away because the school went to a blue helmet instead of the traditional white one:



...but seeing as how they were probably trying to distance themselves from the Death Penalty days, I'll give them a pass.



I also love Air Force:



...because the United States Air Force -- the armed service, not the service academy -- uses this artwork on their warplanes. Also, this helmet was allegedly the inspiration for the San Diego Chargers' lids:



...which is good enough for me.




Now, onto the helmets that are NOT good enough for me: as seen on TV on Monday night, my personal list of the five WORST helmets in college football.

5. Boise State



That's not a helmet, it's a logo for a fast food chain. I'll take a Double BroncoBurger with cheese.


4. Arizona State



Can anyone tell me why the Sun Devil is wearing feetie pajamas?




3. West Virginia



Holy 1975, Batman! Shouldn't this be the logo of some run-down ski resort in western Massachusetts? Waterford Valley? There's a fine line between "retro" and "ugly," and West Virginia has crossed it.


2. Illinois



Before the New York Giants went to the retro look, they should have sued the Illini for copyright infringement:









And my number one worst helmet in college football:

1. Florida



Look, there's nothing wrong with it. It's not ugly. It's simple. The colors are cool. But with a name like "Gators," couldn't they do a little better? Something more aggressive? Are there not a hundred possibilities with the alligator, a naturally scary-looking and awe-inspiring reptile?

I would even take this:




...over something that looks way too much like these:





...but that's just me.

You can vote on Steve's list and Todd's list (but not mine) at the Sun Sports website, www.sunsportstv.com, from now until next Monday night at 7pm. We'll announce the winner of Best List on the show. As for the Worst List, I'll take the heat, as long as you've got something better.

(Credits: The Helmet Project, one of the great time-wasters in the history of the Internet)