CFB Playoff uniforms go Hollywood

Four months of college football is set to culminate in the coming days, as the College Football Playoff begins with semifinal games are played on Friday, Dec. 31. This of course comes on the heels of the holiday movie season, one of Hollywood’s most pivotal times of year. Given that the marketing minds on both sides never pass up an opportunity to expose their product to new audiences, it was only a matter of time until the two combined forces, and it appears they have done so in an extremely visible way. When games kick off this Friday, each of the four playoff teams will wear new uniforms designed as a collaboration with a currently popular film franchise.

“College football and the movie industry are two of America’s most beloved forms of entertainment, and and we are thrilled to be able to bring these iconic uniforms from the silver screen to the jumbotron during the College Football Playoff,” said Chet Norsworth, Senior Vice President of Market Strategy for Frontline Aesthetic Uniform Xperience (FAUX). “We hope that fans of these teams and fans of these movies alike will embrace these uniforms, which are now available for purchase, but due to supply chain won’t be shipped to you until these movies are in the discount DVD bin at Walmart.”

Cincinnati Bearcats / Dune

Dune is set on a distant, desolate world, which in college football terms is very reminiscent of being in a Group of Five conference. And much like Dune, many people can’t decide if Cincinnati football is brilliant or boring. Also facing Bama is a lot like going up against a sandworm.

The traditional Cincy uniform is presented with a Dune-inspired nameplate font and a “sand-blasted” color and texture throughout, mimicking the gritty aesthetic of the film.

Georgia Bulldogs / Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Who you gonna call? The Dawgs! If any team in this year’s Playoff is fighting ghosts, it’s Georgia. Whether it’s 2nd & 26, or just the fact that one of the otherwise most successful programs in college football hasn’t won a national title since 1980, the pressure to finally win the big one again weighs heavily on the minds of most Bulldog fans.

Georgia’s color scheme lends itself very well to this collaboration, though the change from white to khaki to match the Ghostbusters uniforms is quite noticeable. Add in the iconic Ghostbusters name badge and logos on the shoulder and hip, and this was a match made in marketing heaven.

Michigan Wolverines / The Matrix Resurrections

A storied franchise looking to recapture the glory days of the late ‘90s? Sounds like this Matrix/Michigan partnership was meant to be. And while we all know that Neo chose the red pill to enter the real world, if you asked Michigan fans if they wanted to wake up or keep living out this dream season, they’d answer with a resounding “Go Blue.”

In easily the most striking departure from the teams traditional look, the entire uniform is completely blacked out. The lone exception is the wing pattern on the helmet, where yellow has been replaced by the familiar green Matrix data pattern. And of course you have the red and blue gloves, representing Neo’s pivotal choice from the first film.

Alabama Crimson Tide / Spider-Man: No Way Home

Of course the largest, most successful franchise is reserved for the Crimson Tide. The movie with by far the largest box office gross and the team in the midst of one of the greatest runs in the history of college football. One slings webs, the other slings back-handed compliments at their opponents. The matchup with Cincy/Dune also sets up a showdown for Zendaya movie supremacy.

The uniform itself has a helmet made to look like a Spider-Man mask, with a web pattern on the jersey and sublimated spider on the numbers. It’s rounded out by a more recognizable Spider-Man costume base layer/sleeves and the Jordan 1 sneaker released alongside Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018. We’re told that Nick Saban had to be physically restrained upon seeing these uniforms.

If you’ve read this far, surely you’ve surmised that these aren’t real. This is normally the time of year when I make fake Texas A&M bowl uniforms, but when that became impossible, you got the next best thing.

If you’re so inclined, take a peek at our past work:

• 2013: Chick Fil A Bowl
• 2014: Autozone Liberty Bowl
• 2015: Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
• 2015: College Football Playoff/Star Wars Uniforms
• 2016: Advocare V100 Texas Bowl
• 2017: Belk Bowl
• 2018: Taxslayer Gator Bowl
• 2019: Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
• 2020: Capital One Orange Bowl