Boston College has had a tough season — the Eagles are riding an eight-game losing streak — but they still bring one of college football’s most meaningful alternate uniforms to Week 11: the Red Bandana set.
The annual Red Bandana uniform honors BC alumnus Welles Crowther, who is credited with saving lives during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks while wearing a red bandana. The tribute kit weaves bandana patterns into multiple places: the sleeves and center logo of the jersey, the front and back of the helmet, and other accents. Instead of player surnames, the back nameplate reads “FOR WELLES,” and an American flag emblem is stitched between the nameplate and the collar, reinforcing the tribute’s message.
UCF also debuts a themed alternate for Week 11: the 2025 “Space Game” uniforms, billed as Mission IX. The design nods to UCF’s long history of work with NASA and aerospace research; the school points to hundreds of faculty and student projects involved with NASA since 1963. The uniform features electric blue numbers and a matching helmet stripe, Mission IX nameplates, and “SPACE U” branding on the helmet faces and down the pant leg. A schematic-style emblem beneath the collar references a hypersonic wind tunnel fueling apparatus, and the back of the helmet bears the Latin phrase “Citius Est Futurum” — literally, “the future is faster.”
Marshall will wear an all-black uniform as a solemn tribute on Saturday. The helmets display the number 75 to honor the 75 people who died in the 1970 plane crash that devastated the program; the white center stripe lists the names of those who perished, and the crash date is printed on the rear bumper. The look is a direct nod to the program’s history and a moment of remembrance for the Marshall community.
Oregon again leans on its deep wardrobe of striking combinations. For a road test at Iowa, the Ducks pair white jerseys with bright green numbers, matching pants and accents, and a large duck mascot emblem on the sleeves. The helmets complete the set with white wing graphics set against a glossy green backdrop — a clean, high-contrast look designed to stand out on the road.
Colorado State is celebrating “Snow Days” in Fort Collins from Nov. 7–9, and its special alternate embraces that winter theme. The Rams wear an all-white ensemble highlighted by a helmet that features an alternate ram logo wearing a winter cap — a playful, seasonal twist for a program leaning into Colorado’s outdoor culture.
Tulane also goes icy-white this week and earned attention for an inventive uniform reveal video. The Green Wave’s kit mixes white bases with green numbers edged in light blue, plus green-and-light-blue striping across helmets, sleeves and pant legs. The video — which shows a snow-cone being flavored in Tulane colors — was a popular, shareable way to introduce the look.
Week 11 delivers a mix of tributes and theatrics: Boston College’s heartfelt Red Bandana is the emotional centerpiece, UCF’s Mission IX leans into the school’s aerospace ties, Marshall’s black uniforms serve as remembrance, and Oregon, Colorado State and Tulane use color and motifs to set tone and theme. Uniforms may be aesthetics, but for several schools this weekend they carry deeper meaning as well as style.
