What's in store for 2015?

It was known coming into the 2014 season that the 2012 version of the ribbon-stripe uniforms were in their last year.  What we didn't know is that they would already be overtaken by the end of the season.

Last March, the Bulldogs announced throwback jerseys for the 100th anniversary of Davis Wade Stadium.  The jerseys were based on the late 90s and early 2000s Jackie Sherill-era uniforms, with double white sleeve stripes with black outlines.  The jerseys initially had "Hail State" on the front, but the NCAA ruled it must be replaced with the "Mississippi State" wordmark logo, which vastly improved the look of the uniform in my opinion.

The "DWS 100" unis, as they soon came to be known, were originally planned to be worn against Southern Miss.  However, the uniforms were popular amongst fans, and were subsequently worn in wins vs then top-10 teams LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn.  After being worn in three huge wins (and being featured in two Sports Illustrated covers), the jerseys skyrocketed in popularity and became the go-to jerseys for the Bulldogs.

Adidas claimed not to be able to produce white versions until the next season, so the regular (ribbon stripe) white jerseys were worn for the remainder of the season.  The regular (ribbon stripe) maroon jerseys were worn twice, as opposed the 7 times (all 7 were wins) that the DWS 100 jerseys were worn.  The Bulldogs did finally break out white versions of the DWS 100 unis for the Orange Bowl. 

Scott Stricklin, Mississippi State Athletic Director, has said that the DWS 100 uniforms, or a version of them, will be the regular uniforms in 2015.  This is not a surprise, given the popularity of the DWS 100 unis and the fact that the Bulldogs were getting new uniforms in 2015 anyway.  The question is, what exactly will they look like?  Will they be the exact same as the DWS 100 unis, right down to the oversized logo on the pants?  Or will there be slight differences?  And if so, to what extent?

CONCEPT- WHAT IF- Mississippi State Switched back to Nike

Many know the story of the slanted “MSU” logo that Nike owns, not allowing Mississippi State to use it to this day.  A new logo set was created in 2009 and is in use currently.  Mississippi State is in a contract with Adidas until 2020, so this is strictly conceptual, but I put this together today to show what Nike might do if it got Mississippi State back.

The design is based on the DWS 100 unis from this year, which themselves are based on MSU’s Nike unis of the late 1990s.  Black is removed from the uniforms, something I hope happens with the current uniforms.  Gray is added in place of it, and as a result, the sleeve stripes mirror Kansas State’s.  A similar striping pattern adorns the pants and white helmet.

The slanted “MSU” logo is added back to the helmets; three different designs are used.  The first is a maroon helmet with a regular, shiny finish and a white facemask.  It would be worn only with the maroon jerseys.  The second is a maroon helmet with a matte finish and a white facemask.  It would be worn only with the white jerseys.  The final helmet would be white, with a maroon facemask and maroon double stripe.  It would be worn only with the white pants, but with both jerseys.  A maroon Egg Bowl jersey with gold accents is also included.

Also posted here: What if- Mississippi State Switched back to Nike

The Curse of the Special White Uniforms?

Wednesday’s loss in the 2014 Orange Bowl was the latest of many losses while wearing special white uniforms for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.  Why does this happen?  To start with, it’s harder to win on the road than it is at home.  But two of the examples of this phenomenon took place in neutral-site bowl games.  What gives?

2014 Orange Bowl- vs Georgia Tech. 49-34 Loss

Tonight, the Bulldogs will finish the season in the 2014 Orange Bowl, facing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.  The Bulldogs are wearing brand-new white versions of the DWS 100 unis in the game, forcing GT to wear navy for the first time this year.

 

Game Photos-

Breaking down the differences among the 14 helmet designs of the AdidasEra

In 2009, the Bulldogs underwent a complete rebrand, creating new logos (updated versions of which have been recently uploaded to Sportslogos.net), signing an apparel deal with Adidas, and hiring Dan Mullen as head coach.  Prior to 2009, the Bulldogs had deals with Russell Athletic (2004-2008) and Nike (-2003).  From 1996-2008, the Bulldogs only wore 5 different helmet designs, and only two of those overlapped.

Since 2009, however, they have worn 14 different helmet designs, some out of the box, some barley noticeable.  Eight of the 14 are variations of a maroon helmet with a white M-State logo.  Four include the color gold for Egg Bowl.  The final two have the oversized bulldog logo.

2014 Uniform Combinations

In 2014, the Bulldogs wore 5 different helmets, 5 different jerseys, and 3 different pants.  A total of 6 different combinations were worn.

Helmets

The shiny DWS 100 helmet was worn 7 times, 6 times with the DWS 100 unis and once with the regular maroon unis and maroon pants.

The matte helmet with the stripe was worn three times, each time with the regular white jerseys and pants.

The shiny maroon helmet with the maroon facemask was worn once.  It was the standard helmet in 2012 and 2013.

The maroon helmet with the chrome gold facemask was worn in the egg bowl.

The matte helmet was worn without a stripe in the Orange Bowl with the white version of the DWS 100 unis.

Jerseys

The DWS 100 maroon unis were worn 6 times.  All 6 were wins.

The regular white unis were worn 3 times, two of which were wins.

The regular maroon unis were worn twice against non-conference opponents.

White versions of the throwbacks were worn in the Orange Bowl.

Jerseys with gold numbers were worn in the Egg Bowl.

Pants

The DWS 100 pants, with an oversized slanted M-STATE logo, were worn 8 times.  Six times with the DWS 100 unis, in the Egg Bowl, and in the Orange Bowl.

The regular white pants were worn 4 times.

The maroon pants were worn only once.

Bulldogs will wear White versions of DWS 100 Unis in Orange Bowl

Last night, MSU AD Scott Stricklin tweeted out a picture teasing white throwbacks for MSU in the Orange Bowl.  A full announcement came this morning, with an almost 100% approval rating.  Fans love the new unis, and for good reason.  They'd been asking for them the entire season, with the answer being the same every time: next year.  Finally, it seems Adidas got their stuff together in time for the Orange Bowl.

These differ slightly from the immensely popular maroon unis that were worn 6 times throughout the season, winning every game in which they were worn.  The helmet design is the same: maroon shell, no stripe, and white facemask.  However, the Orange Bowl helmet will have a sharp matte finish (as opposed to the shiny finish on the DWS 100 helmet).  Also, in place of the DWS 100 patch worn on the maroon unis, an Orange Bowl patch will be worn.  The photos do not show them, but Stricklin has confirmed that the uniforms will have TV (shoulder) numbers.