In 2015, the DWS 100 uniform design was carried over to full time.  Several small changes (Maroon, White) were made, however, as the Bulldogs transitioned to Adidas's newest "Primeknit" template.  Notable changes included the helmet logo, removal of shoulder numbers (a mistake that was corrected after the first three games), and the modification of the sleeve stripes and pants logo. Maroon pants, also bearing the oversized pants logo, were added.  Gray pants with maroon-white-maroon stripes, reminiscent of those worn in the late 1980s, were also added.  New black jerseys and pants were worn for a blackout game.  White Helmets were introduced for the first time since 2012 and were worn twice, once in the Egg Bowl vs Ole Miss.

4 Helmets^, 3 Jerseys (5*), 4 Pants, 10 Combinations

*For the first three games of the season, neither the maroon nor white jerseys had shoulder numbers, therefore there were technically 2 white jersey designs and 2 maroon jersey designs worn in 2015.

^For the first three games of the season, the helmet logo had a silver outline.  Starting with the fourth game and going forward, the helmet logo had no outline.  The outline-less logo appeared on both matte and shiny versions, whereas the silver outline only appeared on a shiny helmet.

Two thousand fifteen was a big year for Mississippi State football.  In Dak Prescott's final season, the Bulldogs finished with an 9-4 record, the 4th time in 7 years as head coach that Dan Mullen has won at least 8 games.  Uniform wise, it was the dawning of a new set of primary uniforms.  An alternate jersey, along with several alternate pants and helmets were worn throughout the season.  By season's end, the Bulldogs had worn a school record 10 uniform combinations, only repeating two combos all season.

Primarily, 2015 was a transitional year for the Bulldogs uniform-wise.  Many changes were made before and throughout the season, but these are the big 5 that cement 2015's place in uniform history.

I. Change in Helmet Logo

This may have went unnoticed by some, but one of the biggest changes, and one that was actually adjusted mid-season, was the helmet logo.

For the first three games of the season, the transparent banner M-State logo was worn with a silver outline on a shiny helmet.  At first, I was in favor of the silver outline, but it soon became clear that silver and white were too similar in color and, like the logo from 2009 and 2010, only muddled up the logo.  So, for the fourth game of the season, with the 2015 debut of the matte helmet, the silver outline was removed from the helmet.  When the shiny helmet was worn again vs Troy, it too lacked the silver outline.

II. Primeknit Jerseys

While the DWS 100 uniform design was carried over as the full-time uniform design in 2015, this year's version was not a direct copy of last year's.  In fact, a multitude of small changes were made, though none of which were really the changes that we wanted (see: black outlines, pants logo.)  My original articles on the changes to the white and maroon jerseys can be found at those links.

The most notable of these changes were the background pattern (changed from Shockweb to Primeknit) and the straightening of the shoulder stripes due to the Primeknit template's shoulder caps.  A change that was apparently not approved by Scott Stricklin was the removal of shoulder numbers.  For the first three games, shoulder numbers were absent.  For the fourth game of the season, they were finally added to the white jerseys.  They were added to the maroon jerseys for the game vs Troy.

Luckily, the uni combos worn in the first three games of the season (Shiny-White-White and Shiny-Maroon-White) that contained the anomalies (silver outline on helmet logo and lack of shoulder numbers) were never worn again in 2015.  Any complicated "The same, but not the same" combinations were avoided.

III. Gray Pants

Maybe the biggest surprise all year was the addition of gray pants to the uniform lineup.  It had been leaked that maroon pants (bearing the over-sized M-State logo) would be worn sometime this season, but the gray pants were a gameday surprise for the game vs Troy.  With M-W-M stripes similar to the ones worn in the late 1980s, this year's gray pants were a hit with the fanbase.  Not simply because they were gray, but because they featured stripes, as opposed to the over-sized M-State logo that adorned all of the Bulldogs' other pants.  The shiny/maroon/gray combo became the most worn combo for the Bulldogs in 2015, being worn a total of 3 times (vs Troy, vs Alabama, and in the Belk Bowl vs NC State)  The gray pants were also worn a 4th time, vs Arkansas, paired with the white jersey and matte helmet.

IV. Black Alternates

This was less of a surprise; the black jersey leaked in an Adidas catalog back in June.  Paired with the matte maroon helmet and black pants, this year's black jersey was the better than the Bulldog's previous version, which was last worn in 2011.  Silver numbers and the presence of DWS 100 stripes improved the aesthetics of the jersey itself.  The pants, featuring a silver over-sized M-State logo, were ugly, but the matte maroon helmet worked really well with the all-black look.  I'd rather they didn't, but if they have to do an all-black look, this is the way to do it.

V. White Helmets

For the first time since 2012, and the first time since 2008 featuring a variation of the M-State logo, the Bulldogs introduced a white helmet.  Worn twice, at Mizzou and vs Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, the white helmet was overwhelmingly despised by fans, mostly because it brought back memories of the less than successful Sylvester Croom era.  Honestly, featuring a white facemask and a chrome maroon M-State logo, the helmets looked good aesthetically  They really didn't fit the uniforms, especially the road whites which are muddled with black outlines.  When paired with maroon jerseys and white pants in the Egg Bowl (instead of a gold-accented uniform), fans really hated it.  I thought it looked sharp in a vacuum.  Outsiders agreed; I saw it mentioned as the best Egg Bowl uni matchup in a while because of lack of gold on the Bulldogs' unis.  It was too much Croom for fans though, and the team's performance in the game did not help change that idea at all.

Game by Game Breakdown:

Week 1: at Southern Miss- Shiny-White-White. Debuted new white jerseys and new helmet logo. Silver outline on helmet logo and no shoulder numbers.
Week 2: LSU- Shiny-Maroon-White. Debuted new maroon jerseys. Silver outline on helmet and no shoulder numbers.
Week 3: NW State- Shiny-Maroon-White. Exact same as LSU. Silver outline on helmet and no shoulder numbers.
Week 4: at Auburn- Matte-White-White. Matte helmet debuted.  No outline on helmet logo. Shoulder numbers added to white jersey.
Week 5: at Texas A&M- Matte-White-Maroon. Maroon pants debuted. Otherwise exact same as Auburn.
Week 6: Troy- Shiny-Maroon-Gray. Gray pants debuted. Shoulder numbers added to maroon jersey.  No outline on helmet logo on shiny helmet.
Week 7: La Tech- Shiny-Maroon-Maroon. Same as Troy, but with maroon pants instead of Gray.
Week 8: Kentucky. Matte-Black-Black. Black alternates debuted.
Week 10: at Missouri- White-White-White. White helmets debuted.
Week 11: Alabama- Shiny-Maroon-Gray. Same as Troy.
Week 12: at Arkansas- Matte-White-Gray. Gray pants make road debut.
Week 13: Ole Miss- White-Maroon-White. White helmets make home debut.  No gold in Egg Bowl for first time in 5 years.
Belk Bowl: vs NC State- Same as Troy and Alabama, with Belk Bowl patch.

Stats:

Helmets:

Matte: 4 games.  3-1 Record
Shiny: 4 games.  3-1 Record
Shiny w/ silver outline: 3 games.  2-1 Record
White: 2 games.  1-1 Record

Jerseys:

Maroon: 7 games.  4-3 Record
with shoulder numbers: 5 games.  3-2 Record
without shoulder numbers: 2 games.  1-1 Record
White: 5 games.  4-1 Record
with shoulder numbers: 4 games.  3-1 Record
without shoulder numbers: 1 game.  1-0 Record
Black: 1 game.  1-0 Record

Pants:

White: 6 games.  4-2  Record
Gray: 4 games.  3-1 Record
Maroon: 2 games.  1-1 Record
Black: 1 game.  1-0 Record

Combos:

Shiny/Maroon/Gray: 3 games.  2-1 Record
Shiny/Maroon/White: 2 games.  1-1 Record
Matte/White/Gray: 1 game.  1-0 Record
White/White/White: 1 game.  1-0 Record
Matte/Black/Black: 1 game.  1-0 Record
Shiny/Maroon/Maroon: 1 game.  1-0 Record
Matte/White/White: 1 game.  1-0 Record
Shiny/White/White: 1 game.  1-0 Record
White/Maroon/White: 1 game.  0-1 Record
Matte/White/Maroon: 1 game.  0-1 Record

Rankings:

A few weeks back, I conducted a series of polls (thanks to Twitter user @Evangates23 for helping me with the idea) using the @hailstateunis Twitter account to determine what fans deemed the best combination of the year.  Around 250 fans voted in each poll, so keep in mind the small sample size.

In round one of polling, I matched up the following combos:

Shiny/Maroon/White (69%)
White/Maroon/White (31%)

Shiny/Maroon/Gray (81%)
Shiny/Maroon/Maroon (19%)

All Black (57%)
All White (43%)

Shiny/White/White (25%)
Matte/White/White (75%)

Matte/White/Gray (69%)
Matte/White/Maroon  (31%)

Taking the winners from round one, I conducted the following polls in round two to determine the best home and road combos:

Shiny/Maroon/White (16%)
Shiny/Maroon/Gray (55%)
Matte/Black/Black (29%)

Matte/White/White (31%)
Matte/White/Gray (69%)

The final poll, which received 359 votes, pitted the best home and road combo against each other to determine the best overall combo:

Shiny/Maroon/Gray (48%)
Matte/White/Gray (52%)

In the end, the popularity of the gray pants was proven; the road look narrowly beat out the home version for the best combo of the year.  I agree with the voters; Matte/White/Gray was the best look the Bulldogs wore this year.  The matte helmet and striped gray pants went together perfectly, creating a look I hope to see again and again in the future.

That concludes my review of the Mississippi State Bulldogs' 2015 football uniforms.  Thank you to all of the readers and people who have followed and interacted with the @hailstateunis Twitter account.

The career of the most prolific player in Mississippi State history is coming to an end.  Dak Prescott has put Mississippi State on the map by leading the Bulldogs to a #1 ranking and 10-2 record in 2014.  Prescott began his career at Mississippi State by playing backup to Tyler Russell for 12 games in 2012.  He started 8 games in 2013 and played in 3 more.  2014 was Prescott's first full year, starting all 13 games for the Bulldogs.  This year, Dak started all 13 games, including the Belk Bowl at the end of the year.

During Dak's first two years, he wore the Ribbon-Stripe uniforms.  In 2014, the Ribbon-Stripe unis were worn sparingly, but the ever-popular DWS 100 unis eventually took their place.  A version of the DWS 100 unis returned full-time in 2015.  Dak ended his career having taken the field wearing 25 different combos at State.

What uniform combination best defines Prescott's time at Mississippi State?  In his career at Mississippi State, Dak has played in 47 games, posting a 31-16 record.  He has started 32 of those games, with an impressive 23-9 record.  The uniform combo that Dak has started in the most, as well as posted a perfect 6-0 record in, is the DWS 100 uniform from the 2014 season.  The three game winning streak over then top-10 teams LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn put the Bulldogs on top of the polls and Prescott on top of the Heisman race.  The Bulldogs never lost in those uniforms- the three losses at the end of the year all came in (three different) white uniforms.

A full breakdown of all of the uniform combinations Prescott has worn can be seen below:

As you can see, 18 of the 25 combinations were only worn once by Prescott, with 7 being worn only as a backup; the maroon/gray combo was worn three times in 2015, and two other combinations were wore twice.  There are four combinations at the top that were worn more the others: the DWS 100 unis, the Shiny-Maroon-White ribbon-stripe unis, the Shiny-Maroon-Maroon ribbon-stripe unis, and the Matte-White-White ribbon stripe-unis.

The past four years have seen a paradigm shift occur in the state of Mississippi State football.  Under the leadership of Dak Prescott, the Bulldogs posted a #1 ranking and have been consistently competitive in the ever-challenging SEC West.  As far as uniforms are concerned, the beginning of Dak's career coincided with the revelation of the Adidas-designed ribbon-stripe uniforms.  Throughout his career, special Egg Bowl uniforms were worn every year, as were other various alternate uniforms, some better than others.  The DWS 100 throwbacks that were introduced at the start of the 2014 season were cemented as the regular uniforms thanks in large part to the many wins Dak and his team posted in them.  In 2015, the DWS 100 base design has been carried over as the permanent design, with 10 different combinations popping up throughout the season.

The result of all these changes is 25 different uniforms by which we can remember the player who has been arguably the best in Mississippi State history.  Thank you, Dak, for all you've done.

For the first time in 5 years, Mississippi State will NOT wear gold-accented uniforms in the Egg Bowl.  An Adidas replica jersey of an early design leaked about a month back, but it would seem that the university stood up and said "NO" to Adidas.

The Bulldogs first started wearing gold in the Egg Bowl in 2011.  They beat a 2-10 Ole Miss team soundly in those, and tried it again on the road in 2012.  That year it didn't work out so well, but they tried it again in 2013, and for the second time at home, the Bulldogs pulled out a win.  At this point, the trend was clear: it looks good when you win (at home) and bad when you lose (on the road, generally.)  In 2014, the Bulldogs entered the Egg Bowl 10-1 and #4 in the country.  The DWS 100 road unis were worn in the Orange Bowl, and the solid ribbon-stripe road unis had been being worn all year.  Yet again, however, the Bulldogs went all out with the gold and got beat on the road.  The gold always looks bad in a loss.

This year, no one would've blamed them for wearing the gold again.  State's still never lost in gold at home.  That being said, not many are complaining.  It was cool for a couple of years, but eventually it just looks silly.  If anything, and this is definitely the case, the gold was removed a year too late.

Back before the gold was worn, the Bulldogs still weren't consistent with Egg Bowl uni combos.  In 2010, they wore all white (with maroon helmets) and in 2009 they went mono-maroon.  From 2002-2008, they wore white helmets.  It might surprise people to know that State has actually white helmets more than any other color in Egg Bowls this century.  This trend is renewed this year, as the Bulldogs will wear the white helmet first debuted earlier this month at Missouri.  Pairing the white helmet with the maroon jersey and white pants, the Bulldogs will still debut a record-breaking 10th combo of the year in the Egg Bowl.

This year's white-maroon-white look will most resemble the 2003 and 2005 Egg Bowls look, in which the Bulldogs wore white helmets, maroon jerseys, and white pants.  In 2005, the helmets had the Croom-Era M-State on the side and the uniforms were Russell-made.  In 2003, the helmets had numbers on the side, but the jerseys were more similar to those worn today, with the Nike sleeve stripes.

Other combinations worn by the Bulldogs in Egg Bowls this century include white-white-maroon in 2008 and 2006, white-maroon-maroon in 2007, all white in 2002 and 2004 (completely different designs those two years), traditional maroon-maroon-white in 2001 (the only time this century that traditional combo has been worn in the Egg Bowl), and maroon-white-maroon in 2000.  In regard to helmet colors, the W-L records for the Bulldogs with different helmet colors in Egg Bowls this century are: 4-3 in Maroon, 2-5 in White, and 1-0 in Gold.

If one were to believe in superstition surrounding uniforms, he or she could have predicted tonight's outcome.  With tonight's loss, the Bulldogs fell to 2-6 in Egg Bowls in white helmets this century.  The last time the Bulldogs lost a home Egg Bowl (2003) was, coincidence?, also the last one in which State wore alternate white helmets.  Sure, they wore white helmets in home wins in 2005 and 2007, but they were the primary helmet under Croom.  The last time white helmets were worn under him, by the way- a 45-0 loss at Ole Miss.  History was, and is not, on the side of alternate white helmets in the Egg Bowl.  Alas, the alternate white uniform curse lives on.  Of course, the Missouri game this year could be considered an exception, but Missouri was terrible this year.

Finally, the question begs, will gold return in the Egg Bowl sometime in the future?  I'd say the most likely time for its return would be 2017.  I certainly hope that it doesn't return next year- I've already expressed why I don't like it on the road.  Besides, next year's Egg Bowl has the potential for a GOAT uniform matchup, if State wears matte-white-gray and Ole Miss wears powder-red-gray.  That would easily be the greatest uni matchup in Egg Bowl history- even better if State were to steal a road egg.  As for 2017, that's a long time from now.  It's certainty possible- especially given the stat that State is undefeated in gold at home.

White Helmet
Maroon Jersey
White Pants