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The Big Ten is home to some of college football’s most storied programs. From Michigan to Ohio State to former Pac-12 stalwarts USC and UCLA, the new mega-conference also has some of the best helmets in the country. With that being said, who do you think has the best helmet in the Big Ten?
18. Indiana Hoosiers
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Indiana has had some dreadful helmets throughout its history. The current look is fine, but it is easily the weakest options in the Big Ten. In my mind, there is a gulf between the bottom-2 and the rest of the league. The glossy red is a nice look, but the use of a black facemask really hurts the overall look of the helmet. The black accents on the uniform take away from what is an otherwise solid look. There is a ton of room for improvement.
17. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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The current helmet worn by Rutgers might be the best one in program history. While there are far worse helmets around the country than the Scarlet Knights’ primary lid, there are also 16 better options in their conference. Rutgers holds a slight advantage over Indiana due to the white facemask. The contrast of the mask and the shell is a better look than Indiana’s black facemask/red shell combo. A decent look, but far from spectacular.
16. Purdue Boilermakers
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I want to like Purdue’s helmet options…but I don’t. The familiar gold shell featuring the block ‘P’ remains the best option. The team has donned a handful of black lids over the past few seasons — one features train tracks for the helmet stripe — but most of those options fall flat for this writer. There is nothing inherently wrong with Purdue’s look, it’s just not among the elite teams in the Big Ten.
15. Northwestern Wildcats
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When two teams in the same conference feature a ‘N’ on their helmet, we have a problem. Northwestern’s purple shell is very nice. Unfortunately, the ‘N’ is a swing and a miss. The Wildcats have had a few nice moments in recent years, but they are largely an afterthought in the conference. Some of the program’s alternate helmets have been quite nice — but the primary purple shell with the white ‘N’ is far from special.
14. Nebraska Cornhuskers
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The Cornhuskers have maintained the same look for more than 40 years. In the late 1950s, Nebraska’s helmet resembled Alabama’s famed look — a red shell with a white stripe and numbers on the side of the helmet. The school shifted to a white shell in 1961, and five years later added ‘NU’ to the shell. 1970 marked the introduction of the block ‘N’, but until 1981 the facemask was grey instead of red. The red mask is a clear upgrade, but the helmet doesn’t look as great when the team is constantly battling mediocrity.
13. Wisconsin Badgers
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How did I decide which helmet is better between Nebraska and Wisconsin? Quite frankly, I’ve enjoyed watching Wisconsin more than Nebraska for the better part of two decades. Wisconsin has featured a ‘W’ on its helmet for nearly 70 years. Personally, I would love to see a throwback to the late 1960s that saw Bucky Badger appear on the helmet. This is a solid helmet, but Bucky’s inclusion would lift the Badgers a few spots on my list.
12. Illinois Fighting Illini
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The Fighting Illini have a solid helmet. As far as orange teams go, Illinois will always be overshadowed by the likes of Texas and Clemson. Throw in the recent success of Oregon State and Oklahoma State, and the Illini have largely become an afterthought nationally. In terms of their look, I am a fan of the orange shell and the block ‘I’. However, I don’t think this helmet comes close to matching the lids Illinois rocked from the late 1980s through the early 2010s — an orange lid with an underlined ‘Illinois’ decal.
11. Washington Huskies
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Washington was a tough team to rank. The gold helmet featuring the purple ‘W’ has been a mainstay for the program since the 1970s. The gold pops when the Huskies wear purple tops, but the helmet still feels a bit dull most of the time. UW has recently worn some awesome alternate lids — including a chrome purple shell with a metallic gold facemask and ‘W’ — but they aren’t enough to vault the Big Ten newcomers into the top-10.
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
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This is sure to piss off a lot of people. Penn State has one of college football’s most recognizable looks. From the blue and white uniform to the classic white helmet — Penn State is a historic brand in the sport. With that being said, the helmet is boring. A white shell with a navy facemask and a single navy stripe. Nice! I cannot put this helmet in the top-5…be happy that I didn’t drop it to the bottom-5.
9. Michigan State Spartans
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There are a lot of good helmets in the Big Ten. If you thought Michigan State had a top-5 helmet in the conference, I wouldn’t put up much of a fight. The dark green shell is unique, and the use of the white facemask and a strong stripe really complete the look. Sparty has played around with alternate helmets in recent years — and some have been far better than others. The alternate that includes neon green is a failure, the white helmet is mediocre, but the black lid is awesome.
8. Maryland Terrapins
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Beginning in 2013, Maryland began heavily incorporating the state flag into its helmet design. While some loved the bold move by the university, I thought it looked terrible from the start. Thankfully, Maryland decided to bring back the ‘Terps’ script on a near-full-time basis in 2023. The red helmet above is great. The white shell with ‘Terps’ in red and a red facemask? Also a winner. The black helmet also features ‘Terps’ in red and it is also a good look. Maryland went from a hideous helmet to a trio of strong options.
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers
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Minnesota has fully embraced the unlimited shell rule in college football. Including the chrome option seen above, the Golden Gophers wore more than five unique helmets last season. The opposite side of this gold chrome look features an image of the mascot. Some looks are certainly better than others — and this one is arguably our favorite option currently.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes
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Ohio State’s helmet evolves as the season progresses. For some, even the Buckeyes’ plain silver shell (with the stripe) is one of the best looks in the country. This writer wouldn’t include that version of the helmet amongst the upper echelon of the Big Ten, but once the stickers start appearing? That’s a different story. The buckeye leaves — awarded to players for exceptional play — add a ton to the helmet and Ohio State’s overall look. Once a player’s helmet is full of buckeye leaves, the helmet is elevated to another level.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes
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Dressed like the collegiate version of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Iowa Hawkeyes sport one of the nation’s cleanest uniforms. Utilizing black and gold (it looks more yellow than gold to us), Iowa makes the most out of a rather simple look. The lone pop of color on the helmet comes by way of a yellow stripe and Tiger Hawk logo. Like the University of Georgia, Iowa reached out to the Steelers organization seeking permission to rebrand its program in reverence of the famed NFL franchise. Thanks to Pittsburgh’s generosity, we get to enjoy one of the best helmets in football whenever Iowa takes the field.
4. Oregon Ducks
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Oregon changed the landscape of college football both on and off the field. Chip Kelly’s offense has been copied by countless programs around the country, and Oregon’s countless uniform/helmet combinations have resulted in hundreds of alternates nationwide. The Ducks’ classic ‘O’ helmet was pretty solid, but their current winged look is iconic. Oregon has donned more than a handful of winged helmets, and all of them are outstanding. We can’t wait to see what the Ducks unveil next.
3. UCLA Bruins
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UCLA’s complete uniform is arguably the best in the country. The Bruins’ home blue and gold are unmatched. And while past versions of the helmet may be a bit better — ‘UCLA’ in navy blue instead of light blue was phenomenal — the current version is still top-tier. The ‘UCLA’ script is perfect, and the gold is now the perfect shade after a few years of the program sporting a more yellow-gold lid. The Bruins may not be an elite team, but they look the part.
2. Michigan Wolverines
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Everyone recognizes Michigan’s maize and blue. The Wolverines wear the most notable helmet in college football — and possibly in all of football overall. Michigan has sported its famed winged helmet since 1938. There is never a doubt which team is playing if you quickly glance up at your television and see these helmets. We are undecided on the helmet stickers — they can look good to an extent, but too many stickers seem to take a bit away from the winged look — but the base helmet is perfect. However, a newcomer to the Big Ten has an even better look.
1. USC Trojans
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The Trojans haven’t been contending for a National Championship for a few years, but USC remains an elite program — and arguably college football’s most historic. 11 National Championships, seven Heisman Trophy winners, over 500 NFL Draft picks…the USC Trojans are a legendary name. So, it is only fitting that USC’s helmets are also elite. Aside from an update to the Trojan logo on the helmet, the lid has remained largely unchanged since its debut in 1972. There is no mistaking USC’s cardinal and gold color scheme, nor its simple yet powerful helmet. If Lincoln Riley can carry the Trojans back to the top of college football, the helmet will only stand out even more.
