The Southeastern Conference’s iconic logos and emblems are among the most recognizable images in the world, but not all of them achieve legendary status.
Some fall short of the standard for playing in the most powerful conference in college football. In contrast, others make you wonder why the exclusive members of programs with incredibly creative logos refuse to acknowledge that these logos should be the permanent solution.
When creating rankings in this manner, it is essential to adhere to a criterion for consistency. Factors like frequency of similarity, the presence of the school’s name and mascot, toughness score and the overall demeanor of the image are all considered in these rankings.
With that in mind, here are the SEC’s throwback logos ranked from best to worst:
1. Georgia Bulldogs – Uga In Red Cap
Out of the 15 other teams in the SEC, Georgia’s logo is the fiercest and most intimidating of them all. The unique design radiates toughness and strikes fear into opponents. Uga’s mean facial expression is included with this logo, along with Georgia’s famed “G” emblem. It nails all the metrics that determine how great the program’s old-school logo truly is. When it comes to the Bulldogs, there isn’t anything better than Uga with its famed red cap, as it looks to destroy any team that dares to step on the gridiron against it.
2. Kentucky Wildcats – Wildcat Scratch
The “Wildcat Scratch” is one of the most iconic and criminally underrated throwbacks on this list. When surfing through a variety of takes, Kentucky’s logo did not get as much love as it deserves. It looks fierce and the school’s letters included underneath its paws make it pop with the blue, black and white colors. It ranks high on all the criteria and matches what a ferocious SEC logo should measure up to be. Georgia’s Bulldog Uga is the ceiling, but do not sleep on the Wildcat tearing through the UK.
3. Florida Gators – Albert The Alligator
If we are talking about iconic logos in the league, it is difficult not to include Albert in the top three. The courage and confidence of knowing that teams will have to play the Gators in The Swamp is beaming out of the prideful chest of Albert. The “F” on his sweatshirt is more than just a letter, as it represents one of the most historically successful programs in the country. While the gator is tough, it still lacks the fierce attitude that Georgia and Kentucky display. The awe factor of the mascot speaks for itself, however.
4. Tennessee Volunteers – Smokey With Retro VOLS Wordmark
Compared to the other conference foes on this list, the Tennessee Volunteers retro is one of the most unique logos in the country. The “Vols” underneath is clean, and we can depict the aggressiveness and toughness that it features. This logo has a special feeling about it. It’s almost as if you can hear “Rocky Top” ringing in your head while you glance at the bright orange emblem. The three and four spots could be interchangeable, and I would not argue if someone put this higher on their list.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks – Running Razorback
The Arkansas Razorbacks’ former emblem makes me want to run for cover immediately. With drool flying out of the hog’s mouth, the “Running Razorback” throwback image would give any team nightmares, before and after they faced off against Arkansas. It is unique, scary and checks all the boxes to be one of the top former logos in the entire country. Fun fact, the program even brought this back during men’s basketball season last year. Among many others on this list, it should be the school’s permanent logo, at least for one of the sports in Fayetteville.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide – Big Al Through The “A”
There is hardly anything more iconic than the traditions in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The University of Alabama is a storied program with historic success. However, it lacks in the design department when it comes to creativity. We see the swish “A” located on the field on game day, but what if the program were to switch things up from time to time? That’s exactly what its men’s basketball program did when head coach Nate Oats rocked the Big Al “A” logo last season. While it does display a monstrous elephant ready to completely tear opponents to shreds, it lacks some more creativity to propel this throwback into the stratosphere.
7. Auburn Tigers – War Eagle With Block “A”
If someone were to put this in first place, I honestly would not have any complaints. Auburn’s eagle soaring through the block “A” logo is as patriotic as it seems, while still donning the Navy and Orange of the Tigers. There is something about this throwback that just seems off, however. I think the idea is there, but the overall impact of the design is not. The block letter should be a little more defining, and the eagle deserves more edge to secure this image as one of the most legendary and memorable logos in the conference.
8. Mississippi State Bulldogs – Walking Bully
Mississippi State’s throwback is fantastic in its own right, as it stands out for the mascot and its overall design. The logo is unlike any other animal mascot on this list. It has a more cartoon-like feel, while also still featuring a gritty look. The MSU lettering across the sweater adds extra points for having the school name, which makes any logo on this list get bonus points with me. Fans must be able to process exactly what the school is, while also knowing that the program represents the most dangerous and ferocious conference in the world. With the walking Bully mascot as its throwback, it is extremely underrated compared to where some may consider it.
9. South Carolina Gamecocks – Fighting Gamecock
Truly, I do not know if there is a more nightmare-driven mascot in the league. South Carolina’s “Fighting Gamecock” makes me question the true motives behind whoever designed it. If the school was looking to strike total nightmares into the players and the fans, they accomplished that mission with overwhelming success. It truly does not get talked about enough, but it does have some factors that could be improved. No school lettering or names make it hard to put this higher on the list.
10. LSU Tigers – Mike The Tiger
Down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the LSU Tigers have a respectable throwback logo that has potential, but is missing some key pieces. For starters, there is no clear definition of what this school is. The identification factor is truly what is driving this down below some of the other mascots on this list. While Mike does have some unique features, such as the glowing eyes and the intimidating teeth, different colors on the logo would instantly make it unrecognizable as a program that plays football in the SEC. It is one of those on the list that could be mixed up with other schools, specifically because of the common design.
11. Texas A&M Aggies – Aggie Yell Leader
Texas A&M’s “Aggie Yell Leader” is one of the more unique designs in the entire landscape of throwback logos in college football. It contains the name and the uncommon design, but it still has areas that are in need of improvement. The Aggies are one of the more history-driven programs on this list, which means there has not been much straying away from tradition. That could very well be one of the reasons for this logo lacking character. While it does remain above its in-state rival, the school’s retro emblem could still use some work.
12. Texas Longhorns – Bevo The Longhorn Cartoon
The Texas Longhorns’ throwback is eerily similar to many of the other cartoon mascot logos in college football. It is traditional, with a touch of Texas flavor. Bevo does look like an angry Texan waiting for their steak to finally arrive at the table, but that still does not change the common design that bumps the Longhorns down notches in the defined criteria. It is outdated, underwhelming and just not very creative. Bevo does deserve some credit for his fierce look, even with those factors thrown in.
13. Missouri Tigers – Truman The Tiger
While the Missouri Tigers have an incredible logo, the commonality of the design makes this unbearable to put any higher. This just reminds me of every high school mascot logo, and it’s just not that impressive. Typically, it is very frequent for schools to have sailor hat mascots as their throwbacks, which is why I docked this so many points when grading each program. While it is still a tiger at the end of the day, it is missing the scariness and toughness that the other schools in the conference have. The Missouri “M” on the hat puts it above the schools that do not have the name in their emblem, but it remains at the bottom of the list for my taste.
14. Ole Miss Rebels – Colonel Reb
To most college football and Ole Miss fans, the Colonel Rebel logo is iconic. For me, it just does not bring much to the table. If an old man with a cane is what we consider intimidating, then this whole list is destroyed. However, that is not the case for my criteria, as the Rebels rank as one of the worst on this list. It just does not show me much, with no name located on the logo itself and hardly any uniqueness to it. If we were to put this logo up against an elephant or the war-like gamecock, I would be scared for its safety. With that factored in, the Rebs are still not the worst on this list, believe it or not.
15. Vanderbilt Commodores – Commodore With “V”
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia made some incredible remarks about owning the state of Tennessee in football heading into this season. However, the Commodores are sadly mistaken if they believe their old-school feel is better than the Volunteers, which will never change. This atrocious display of craftsmanship makes me want to never see it again, honestly. It seems like a very common logo that you would see at a high school somewhere. With that being said, it is the bottom of the barrel for the Dores.
16. Oklahoma Sooners – Interlocking OU
This took me a while to find words to describe just how horrendous this throwback logo is. I truly believe this logo was drawn by someone likely in kindergarten, possibly even first grade. There is no uniqueness to the Oklahoma interlocking emblem, and the only factor it checks off is including the school’s name. While the Sooners’ throwback is the only one of its kind on this list, that’s about all it has going for it. From the list of conference logos provided, this is beyond the worst.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Taking it back old school: Ranking SEC throwback logos best to worst
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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