Ranking the 50 most visually-appealing college football uniforms

What Penn State brings to the table perhaps more than any other program in all of college football is an unflagging commitment to a specific no-nonsense, no-frills look. You can look at pictures of Nittany Lions football from five or more decades ago and recognize instantly the same team that has played on Saturdays on the grounds at Beaver Stadium since 1909.

Even when Penn State opts to go with a throwback concept, the overall impression is one that exudes the same vibe as the standard attire. Compare, for instance, the 2017 “Generations of Greatness” throwback against the picture at the top of this slide.

There are certainly differences, most notably the numbers affixed to the white helmet. Other than the little tweaks that have added up slowly over the seasons, though, the constant of white pants and blue jerseys, white helmets with the single stripe, are distinctly Penn State. The beauty of any throwback, then, is that it highlights how infinitesimal those tweaks have been over the years in altering the overall aesthetic.

If a program can be considered distinctive in its ordinariness, it is the Nittany Lions. The appearance presented by Penn State’s attire is a workmanlike culture that evokes the long tenure of Joe Paterno at the helm of the program.