In Part 1 of Uniformity’s rankings, I counted down the bottom half of Sun Devil Football’s 2022 uniform combinations. Here in Part 2, the Top 6 uniforms will be revealed. Before we dive into the best looks of the season, let’s review the rankings from Part 1:
12. Week 6 vs. Washington: Desert Rising, Maroon Helmet/Tan Jersey/Tan Pants
11. Week 5 at USC: Gold Helmet/White Jersey/White Pants
10. Week 4 vs. Utah: “Blackout” Gold Helmet/Black Jersey/Black Pants
9. Week 11 at Washington State: Maroon Helmet/White Jersey/White Pants
8. Week 9 at Colorado: Maroon Helmet/White Jersey/Gold Pants
7. Week 1 vs. NAU: Gold Helmet/Maroon Jersey/Gold Pants
Now, without any further ado, here are the six best uniforms of 2022:
6. Week 8 at Stanford: Gold Helmet/White Jersey/Maroon Pants
We kick off this half of the rankings with one of the best, if not THE best, road color combination in ASU’s uniform arsenal. Yet another example of how such a strong field of uniforms has pushed incredible looks further down the list than they would normally be in previous seasons. The gold helmet featured a white pitchfork decal, which can be hit or miss, but this had chrome gold trim and a maroon border. It hit every note to be a great complementary decal to the entire uniform while still being unique. This standard classic comes in at a very strong number 6 and is the first of many incredible looks at the top of the rankings.
5. Week 12 vs. Oregon State: Gold Rush
The 2022 Gold Rush uniform earned accolades and recognition from national uniform trackers UniAuthority and UNISWAG, and with good reason, as it was a great overall look. There are some things to critique, as I’m still not altogether crazy about the use of Vegas gold on the jersey itself.
However, it all came together with the use of a chrome Vegas gold pitchfork silhouette decal on the gold helmet with a thin maroon border and a center stripe to match. It was the best use of this element to date in the four total times that the Devils have worn the gold jersey over the past two seasons. This is likely the last time we’ll see this gold jersey, and who knows when we will see another one again, so I do have some disappointment that we never got to see the gold top with maroon helmets and pants, as I think that would have been the best possible use of the jersey, but this was still an outstanding look.
4. Week 3 vs. Eastern Michigan: Maroon Helmet/Maroon Jersey/Gold Pants
For the first time in a while within the Pitchfork era, we got to see the maroon/maroon/gold combination. Unfortunately, it was worn in an embarrassing loss that ultimately led to a chain reaction that affected the rest of the season, but we won’t hold that against the uniform itself. It was the return of a look that was worn in some great wins in the last decade, but this one had a special twist, a gold facemask.
That made the entire uniform pop more and really brought out the two primary school colors in a great way, even with a predominantly dark color look. It was also a fantastic use of the large pitchfork and number decals. The bold, solid gold fork with maroon trim was a great choice. This is one I wouldn’t mind seeing again, sooner rather than later.
3. Week 13 Territorial Cup: Sparky Gold Helmet/White Jersey/Gold Pants
Another classic road combination in the top half of the rankings comes in at number 3. One can never go wrong with a classic ASU uniform color combination, home or away, so that gives this an advantage already. Add a splash of Sparky to the mix both on the helmet and the pants, and you’re really in business. I love the larger Sparky but prefer the classic look, which should not be pushed aside down the road.
However, I do believe that as the helmet shells have gotten larger over the years, the standard-sized Sparky decals look smaller in comparison, so an enlargement of the standard that would still allow the entire decal to fit without the Sparky’s pitchfork being encumbered by the earhole would be perfect. As for this particular uniform, the large, classic Sparky logo and Sparky on the pants were a great choice to end the season with.
2. Week 10 vs. UCLA: Maroon Monsoon/Military Appreciation
Year in and year out, the Maroon Monsoon is one of the best uniforms that Arizona State wears. The depth and uniqueness of ASU’s particular shade of maroon is on full display with all the incredible gold accents that make the best school colors of all time truly pop. The fact that this year’s Maroon Monsoon took place during Salute to Service weekend took that up a notch. The gold digicamo center stripe and PT*42 shield decals were perfect. I could go on forever about how great this uniform turned out, but we know why this was exceptional. The uniform speaks for itself.
1. Week 2 at Oklahoma State: Gold Sparky Face Helmet/White Jersey/Gold Pants
Finally. After years and years of trying, after both hockey and softball getting to use it, finally, ASU Football was able to wear the Sparky face decal on their helmets. This is the third classic away uniform on the list, but this gold/white/gold combination was highlighted by the incredible Sparky face decal. While I spoke about decreasing the size of the large Sparky in the third-ranked combo, the only critique I have about the Sparky face decal is that it could’ve been just ever so slightly larger. It looked outstanding as is, but giving it more prominence really would have taken it to the next level.
Hopefully, this isn’t the last time we see this decal, and the opportunity to make that slight adjustment is available in the future. Otherwise, this was about as perfect of a look that combines classic ASU, tradition, Sparky, and a new innovative spin on things all in one uniform. Matching a gloss gold Sparky helmet with gold Sparky pants in a marquee away game was more than deserving of the top spot of this year’s Uniformity rankings.
Thus concludes the 2022 Uniformity Rankings of Sun Devil Football uniforms. Agree or disagree with the list? Tweet me at @ASU_Uniformity or @sundevilcole7. Thank you all for reading this season, and keep an eye out for new Uniformity content.
