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The ACC is home to some of college football’s most storied programs. From Miami to Florida State to Clemson, the new mega-conference — which now includes Stanford, California and SMU — also has some of the best helmets in the country. With that being said, who do you think has the best helmet in the ACC?
17. Boston College Eagles
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Penn State pulls off the non-logo look, as does Notre Dame. However, we are not high on Boston College’s plain helmet. While we wouldn’t enjoy BC drawing inspiration from the Philadelphia Eagles, we do feel as if some form of a logo would help the team’s overall look. The gold shell and maroon facemask just aren’t cutting it — resulting in the Eagles ranking last in the ACC.
16. Virginia Cavaliers
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In our minds, there is a pretty big gulf between Boston College at No. 17 and Virginia at No. 16. Most of the time, the Cavaliers don a navy shell that features their recognizable logo — a ‘V’ above crossed orange swords. In the photo above, we believe both teams would look better if they opted for their other helmet. The rival Hokies look much better with a maroon shell, while we enjoy Virginia’s white alternate helmet.
15. Louisville Cardinals
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Louisville’s helmets don’t get the job done. The Ville coming in at No. 15 may surprise some people, but their helmets are just mediocre at best. The team seemingly wears a new shell every other week — and a majority of the looks miss the mark. The best helmet option includes an old-school logo that features Louie the Cardinal giving a stiff-arm. If Louisville adopted that look full-time, it would climb the ranks.
14. Syracuse Orange
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Later in this piece, you will read about a team that nails the chrome helmet look. Syracuse attempted to hop on the chrome trend in the mid 2010s and it failed miserably. Thankfully, the program has stayed away from the chrome orange shell since 2018. Syracuse has three solid helmet options — led, of course, by the orange shell. The Orange look good when they don their navy helmet, accompanied by an orange ‘S’, as well as when they sport their white shell. For a team ranked No. 14, the Orange have a rather solid look.
13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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The Yellow Jackets have leaned heavily into their white helmet in recent years. There is nothing wrong with the helmet. The gold ‘GT’ logo and gold/navy helmet striping pair well with the lid. However, the gold shell is simply better. Georgia Tech also should think about introducing an alternate helmet with a logo featuring Buzz (the mascot).
12. California Golden Bears
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California’s helmet is simple but effective. ‘Cal’ in gold script on a navy shell — it doesn’t get much simpler than yet. While we enjoy their primary look, the Golden Bears would vault up this list if they wore their alternate helmet on a permanent basis. In recent years, Cal has brought back an all-yellow helmet that the team donned in the 1970s. Featuring an old-school ‘C’ logo, the helmet would be amongst the best in the nation if worn every week.
11. Virginia Tech Hokies
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Let’s get this out of the way — Virginia Tech should wear its maroon helmet every game. Recently, the Hokies have worn a white shell for a good chunk of their games. While the helmet isn’t bad, it pales in comparison to the iconic maroon shell. The one thing we enjoy about the white helmet is the maroon/orange helmet striping. Otherwise, the maroon lid is superior in every facet.
10. Duke Blue Devils
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Duke will forever be known as a basketball school, but the Blue Devils quietly have put together a great group of helmets. Duke’s iconic ‘D’ logo adorns a bright blue shell in the photo above, and overall it is a strong look. The only knock is the width of the helmet stripe. Duke’s alternate helmets are arguably stronger than its primary shell. The team has both a blue helmet and a white helmet adorned by ‘Duke’ in gothic font. Additionally, the black shell featuring the Blue Devil head is fantastic.
9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
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Not every team can pull off the chrome helmet look, but Wake Forest is one of those schools. The Demon Deacons have a strong collection of helmets. The shell seen in the photo — an all-black look with a chrome gold ‘WF’ decal — is great. The chrome gold shell with ‘WF’ in black may be even better. The ACC has a lot of good-looking helmets, so Wake Forest coming in at No. 9 is not a slight.
8. Stanford Cardinal
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We are not sure if we will ever get used to Stanford being a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. As weird as it will be to see Stanford don an ACC patch, we will find comfort in the uniforms remaining largely intact. The Cardinal have practically worn the same helmet since the 1960s — a white shell with a red “Block S”. In 2015, Stanford added the tree to the logo and the look has stuck ever since. The Cardinal have dabbled with alternates in recent years, but the primary helmet remains the best option.
7. NC State Wolfpack
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Since 2017, NC State has rocked a version of the Wolf Head on its helmet. In our minds, this marks a huge upgrade over the previous look — the helmet featured the “Block S” logo. The Wolf Head works on all shell variants, but the red shell is particularly strong. As NC State continues to improve on the field, its helmet will become increasingly popular. We are excited to see what the school has up its sleeves moving forward.
6. SMU Mustangs
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A new member of the Atlantic Coast Conference — yes, it is weird — SMU has some great helmet options. The sweet lids in the photo above accompany a ‘Dallas’ uniform that the Mustangs introduced ahead of the 2021 season. The red facemask is perfect attached to the white shell. The logo features a red mustang within the “Triple D”. The team also has an alternate which features a black shell with a blue mustang and “Triple D” in white.
5. Clemson Tigers
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Like Ohio State, Clemson awards its players with small stickers for playing at a high level. But while we don’t necessarily think the tiny footprint stickers are a necessary/good addition to Clemson’s helmet, we do favor the Tigers’ original shell more than Ohio State’s. Clemson’s orange shell pops off the screen, and the white paw print is a tremendous logo. It doesn’t matter if the Tigers are competing for national titles or are mired in mediocrity, their helmet will always be one of the best in the country.
4. North Carolina Tar Heels
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We love Ole Miss’ powder blue helmet, but North Carolina’s Carolina Blue look is superior. Carolina Blue is one of the most recognizable colors in collegiate sports. While that is the case largely due to the school’s legendary basketball program, the Tar Heels also have a great look on the gridiron. It doesn’t matter if the helmet is paired with a white, black or blue top, the trademark shade of blue always looks great. The Tar Heels don’t need to mess with a great thing, but they also have a nice white helmet at their disposal.
3. Miami Hurricanes
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Miami owns the orange, green and white trifecta. ‘The U’ is home to some of the greatest teams in the history of college football, and its trademark helmet has become synonymous with the sport. Miami’s main lid features all three colors — the shell and facemask are white, the ‘U’ is half orange and half green, and two thin, green stripes outline a thick, orange stripe. Now, Miami’s white helmet might be its second-best look. The Hurricanes recently debuted a black/neon helmet and WOW. It is a thing of beauty.
2. Florida State Seminoles
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All three of Florida’s top programs — Florida, Miami and Florida State — don iconic helmets. Winners of three National Championships, the Seminoles have worn their iconic helmets since 1976. FSU has a great color scheme — although some of the more recent uniforms have been a bit lacking — predominantly using garnet and gold. The Seminoles typically take the field in their gold helmets. The garnet facemask and garnet/white spear are perfect compliments to the gold shell. While there have been calls for FSU to change its mascot/brand, the spear helmet remains one of college football’s best.
1. Pittsburgh Panthers
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Sometimes, new isn’t better. From the early 1980s through 1996, the Pittsburgh Panthers were one of the best-dressed teams in the nation. Then, Pitt unveiled a new helmet that was a far cry from the glory days — a gold shell featuring a whack-looking Panther. In ’05, the panther lid was scrapped in favor of a gold helmet with a block ‘PITT’ — another dud. Thankfully, the program turned back the clock in ’19 and brought back the beautiful helmet pictured above. The colors are great, and the script ‘Pitt’ is even better. A true masterpiece.
