This week, Florida unveiled some... interesting uniforms that attempt to model a real life Gator:

This got me thinking: what if everyone in the Big 12 had uniforms based on their mascot? I wish I was good enough at Photoshop to make a visual of what I think these would look like, but alas, I’ll discuss what they could look like below.

Baylor Bears

Clearly, Baylor’s uniforms would incorporate a Bear theme. If we were to try to go the Florida route of literally copying a bear, I imagine these uniforms would look a lot like Chewbacca with football numbers on the chest. But, if Baylor took a less literal approach, I do think some alternate “Bear” uniforms that are primarily brown could be a cool look. I imagine them looking something like the Cleveland Browns uniforms but with a different color (green?) in place of the orange highlights.

Iowa State Cyclones

This would be a difficult uniform to pull off. The reason Iowa State still has Cy the Cardinal as a mascot is because it would be too difficult to stuff a Cyclone. Making a football uniform that looks like a Cyclone would be arguably just as difficult. It would likely be a wispy, white colored look that could easily come off looking like vanilla ice cream. While the Cyclones have already made a venture into Cyclones that look like food (their new helmets look a lot like a Bugle), I don’t think this would be a great look. Perhaps a less literal approach with some wisps incorporated into the traditional Cardinal and Gold would look good.

Kansas Jayhawks

This one is near impossible because Jayhawks aren’t a real thing. The closest two options would be to try to mimic the imaginary bird they use as a mascot or try to model their uniforms after “free staters” from the 1840s. I’m not really sure how either of these would work, but the imaginary bird could feasibly become a uniform with a feather/wing theme similar to what Oregon has done in the past. Probably a pass though.

Kansas State Wildcats

A wildcat is a broad category for a lot of different feline species that are slightly larger and less docile than a typical house cat. Essentially, just picture the family cat and make it a little bigger and meaner. Kansas State could actually pull this off with their grey color scheme if they added horizontal stripes, much like a typical cat’s fur. While I don’t think this would be a great look, it is definitely more feasible than some of the others on this list.

Oklahoma Sooners

This is another near impossible uniform to construct since a Sooner was basically someone who cheated to grab land when Oklahoma was opened for settlement. The look would essentially be that of a cowboy, but I imagine Oklahoma State would take issue with that. They could try to make their uniforms look like a wagon, I guess? That would be maybe the ugliest thing I can imagine, though.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State has actually dabbled a bit here and there with “Cowboy” looks, like this star helmet and bandanna type collar. While they could try to go even more literally, with cowboy hat helmets and a holster on the uniform, I think that what they’ve done in the past captures the essence of a cowboy while still looking good.

Texas Longhorns

Clearly, Texas would have to model its uniforms after Bevo, their longhorn mascot. The helmets could have a horn decal on them somewhat similar to the Los Angeles Rams (with less of a spiral). The uniforms themselves could take on a longhorn texture, with patches of orange and white. I actually think these could look decent if done correctly.

TCU Horned Frogs

I barely have to do any work here since TCU loves to use their “Frogskin” pattern in their uniforms, which is an attempt to mimic the likeness of a Horned Frog. You can see what that looks like here.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

So, Texas Tech technically has two mascots: The Red Raider and the Masked Rider. The Red Raider is essentially a cartoony looking cowboy with a red beard. I would shy away from this and go with the Masked Rider, which traditionally wears a lot of black. I think matte black facemasks on metallic black helmets could create a “mask” effect, which could then play well with a heavily black uniform set. But, it would probably be pretty difficult to tell what the uniform was going for without being in the know.

West Virginia Mountaineers

These uniforms could model themselves heavily off of WVU’s mountaineer mascot. The helmet would have a raccoon skin color pattern and the rest of the uniform would be brown and look like a pelt. I actually think these could be really cool uniforms if done correctly, but it would be a tight line to walk.

Think any of these uniforms would be worth a shot? Think they could be taken in different directions? Want to try to Photoshop one of them so we can see what they might look like? Let’s hear it/see it in the comments!