Ben Shumate

*clearing vomit from throat*

As an always good and unbiased sports fan, I can give credit where credit is due. I’ve ripped Colorado State on this very site before and now I’m going to bury my pride and say something good about them.

When these first popped up on my timeline yesterday, I sat and stared at them for 10 minutes straight. As a Wyoming native, I tried my very hardest to find something to dislike about these. Even with all the hate in my heart for this team, I came up empty.

These are gorgeous. A great concept. There, I said it.

It’s a subtle shot at the University of Colorado, which is respectably petty. Maybe it will keep the dumb rivalry between the two afloat, but probably not. It’s my hope that CSU will go ahead and retire their hideous orange and green throwback alternates in favor of these for the remainder of time.

Sept 10, 2011; Fort Collins, CO, USA; Colorado State Rams quarterback Pete Thomas (4) throws as Northern Colorado Bears safety Marcel Gibbons (32) pursues at Hughes Stadium. The Rams beat the Bears 33-14. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

The state flag concept is one that other schools have gone with in the past and frankly more of them ought to. Maryland might have been the first, and I can remember them taking some heat from people who thought they were ugly.

Where I’ll give the nod to Maryland is that the uniforms fit with their usual color scheme. Imagine these CSU uniforms with the state flag concept but made up of green and gold instead.

I also can’t help but knock Colorado for having an inferior state flag to Wyoming, but we all knew that already. Wyoming has ditched alternate uniforms because Craig Bohl is a “name-on-the-front-not-on-the-back” football guy. Despite fading into obscurity along with Dave Christensen’s coaching career, these state flag helmets are still superior to CSU’s shiny new threads.

I applaud whoever designed these, especially for having to work with Colorado’s subpar flag. I might even stay neutral when the Rams wear these against Boise State November 11. But in my humble and unbiased opinion, Maryland and Wyoming did it better.