The 10 worst college football logos

by Joel Hollingsworth on Aug 7, 2008 7:00 AM EDT in College Football

Well, because I haven't ticked off every fan base yet, I now present the 10 Worst College Football Logos. If your team's logo isn't on the list, well, don't feel bad. I think yours sucks, too. Feel better?

No. 10		The Horned Frog is the stuff of nightmares. You really have to admire the folks at TCU for featuring the thing in all of its gory glory, warts, pimples, boils, and all. And respect the thing most of all because it has obviously seen the electric chair and survived. Sad, really, when your most endearing quality is the ability to squirt blood from your eye sockets.
No. 9		The abnormally-colored Memphis Tiger looks less like a blood-thirsty carnivore than your paraplegic grandfather rolling his wheelchair toward you looking for an inappropriate hug.
No. 8		U-G-L-Y. Brown and, I don't know, what is that other color? Peach? Memo to Bowling Green authorities: it's the wingspan and the talons that make falcons look intimidating. Omit these features and you've made yourself a puppet.
No. 7		See what I mean about the wings and the talons, Bowling Green? Of course, you can also undo all the gains you get from featuring a swooping, diving, and clawing predator by making the entire thing the color of a lawn tractor, like North Texas did.
No. 6		Oh, Cincinnati. Where should we begin? Let me start by saying that I admire your ambition. You didn't just stop with the "C," which is laudable. And I guess I can see where you're going with the extras above the "C." It's a paw, right? Because you're the Bearcats? Okay, well, here's the thing. They look like confused apostrophes. Or open quote marks that never close. It's like you really have something to say but never really get around to it. Have you considered Les Miles for a coach? Oh, and in closing, simply underlining your logo for effect doesn't really get the job done, even if you use another color. You might as well just have drug a yellow highlighter over the whole thing or just put a sign with an arrow next to it reading "That's our logo."
No. 5		Hey, boss, dja evah notice ow stay look lahk da lettah ayul? Lessa putta da T ovah da toppa it. Font? Whassa font? Sorra, ah dohnna ow to chainja da cullah. Fahn as iz? Keh.
No. 4		Hoo-weee! You almost didn't see that because that "C" is fast! Because that's how we make 'em in Central Michigan. Even our speed is underlined.
No. 3		Folks, please just go with the classics if you have no good ideas. Don't just slap another word on there in any old way, especially if you have to fatten and squoosh it to make it fit.
No. 2		Holy Toledo! Can you say crayons? And we're not talking about the deluxe box of 64, either, or even the standard pack of eight. No, we're talking the two wax sticks your kids get when you drag them to Applebees, the ones that inevitably end up in the indiscernible grime on the floor under the table before they're done coloring their pretty picture of a rocket. Check, please.
No. 1		My word, what is this thing? It simply requires way too much effort to make out a "W" for "Washington" and an "S" for "State." I guess it's a cougar, but it looks less like a whiskered feline than a snake that's just been attacked by an angry porcupine. Or maybe it's yawning. Or surprised at having been selected as the university's logo, I don't know. Really, it could even be a pirate ship for all I know. Yikes.

Previously:

Tweet Comment 14 comments | 1 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I agree with all of these except...

The Horned Frog. It might be ugly, but it isn’t poor artistry like the others on this list. The other ones just plain suck.

"Florida didnt win their first SEC title until 1991 and now they think they invented football."
-Ron Zook

by rustytanton on Aug 7, 2008 7:09 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah

Close call for me, too. He’s actually downright frightening. Still, if you’re that ugly, you’ve got to make some list somewhere.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Aug 7, 2008 8:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Aaaaand....

Wyoming’s off the list!

Close one, I’d bet, though. (But naturally, I’m rather fond of the Wyoming logo.)

by David Hooper on Aug 7, 2008 8:17 AM EDT reply actions

La Tech logo....

That was never the official La Tech logo. Get the current one at www.latechsports.com

by Ken_Horndawgs on Aug 7, 2008 4:20 PM EDT reply actions

Ah, thanks

Only a slight improvement, though, huh?

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Aug 7, 2008 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Wash. St. Cougars

How on earth is this the number one most despised logo?

It’s creative
It’s obvious you can make out the initials of the university (too much effort to make out the ‘W’? how much brain power is required?)
Good color

"I'VE BEEN WARNED."

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Aug 7, 2008 8:37 PM EDT reply actions

Come on. Don’t you think it looks at least a little like a pirate ship?

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Aug 7, 2008 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Personally, I blame the logo

for Ryan Leaf’s downfall. Much like cell phones, sticking that logo up to your ear for too long will mess up your brain.

by David Hooper on Aug 7, 2008 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Let me get this straight

You’re saying a logo that:

-has been around for 72 years
-is adored by half of the state of Washington
-that is actually a part of its own county’s flag
-is on virtually anything and everything in Pullman

is the worst logo in college football? Wow.

I know it’s just your opinion, but c’mon. And if it takes effort to see the letters “W” and “S” you should really have your eyes checked. Here’s the real problem I have when people criticize it: it’s not supposed to look like a real Cougar head. It’s supposed to be an abstraction of a coug head made out of the letters W, S, and U. When’s the last time you made an animal head out of three random letters?

But I do appreciate you making fun of the UW’s turbo dawg earlier.

by Grady Clapp on Aug 8, 2008 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Heh

Thanks for taking that in the spirit in which it was intended. It’s just a joke. I really don’t care for it, but mostly it’s No. 1 b/c it gave me what I thought was the best commentary although I’m still pretty partial to Toledo and Cincinnati. Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Aug 8, 2008 8:24 AM EDT up reply actions

You're welcome

I have to defend the Coug head to the death. That’s just how it Coug fans think. I’m sure if someone made fun of a certain “T” logo with random arches in it you’d feel the same.

by Grady Clapp on Aug 8, 2008 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions

The Horned Frog

reminds me of the electric gremlin from Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

I'm one of four guys who built SB Nation 2.0. We are like the Borg, but friendly and with better features.

by Ryan Gantz on Aug 8, 2008 3:42 PM EDT reply actions

That's it

Give him ten years of marriage (and 20 extra pounds), and there he is!

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Aug 8, 2008 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions

What about Oregon

Come on their mascot is Donald Duck, lame, Oregon State not much better, theirs is a Beaver who looks like a reject Disney character, I like TCU, looks cool and is kind of funny.

Broncoman

by Broncoman on Aug 8, 2008 6:42 PM EDT reply actions