After a quality Week 0 appetizer, college football is officially back in full swing for Week 1.

Every night from Thursday to Monday will have at least one game, and almost every team will be in action. And with so many squads taking the field, there will be a number of standout uniforms.

The headliner from Week 1 is almost certainly Notre Dame-Wisconsin. They open the season Sunday night at Lambeau Field in alternate looks rather than their respective usual classic threads.

Notre Dame is going historic with its uniforms, nodding to the 1920s-era “Acme Packers” via a deep blue hue and blocky numbers among other details, while Wisconsin will be sporting an all-red look.

The power to leap was inside them all along…

The only thing missing was the uniform.#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/3DQaDDOiKe

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 25, 2026

The uniform meets the venue 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Ni8IVt20Ad

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) July 9, 2026

The result? A particularly distinctive — and unique — uniform combination. But it isn’t the only game this week that will spotlight quality threads.

Here are the best looks from around college football in Week 1.

Opening the year with throwback uniforms is a power move, and it’s the path Cal is taking in new coach Tosh Lupoi’s first game leading the Golden Bears.

Facing off against in-state foe UCLA, Cal will trot out onto the field in Berkeley in retro digs featuring a more royal shade of blue than the navy color the school usually dons. The new shade on the jersey pairs nicely with yellow accents, which also makes up the uniform’s pants and helmet color.

Honoring the past, earning our future.#GoBears pic.twitter.com/e0bKe2BDLB

— Cal Football (@CalFootball) August 12, 2026

Utah State is holding its “Ag Day” for Week 1, meaning one of the best alternate uniform features in the sport will be out on the gridiron for all to see: the Aggies’ cow-print helmets.

Remarkably, the helmets actually originated from an April Fools’ joke, when the team’s X account jokingly posted a mock-up of the helmets. The replies to the post were overwhelmingly in favor of the unique design actually being made reality, however, and lo and behold within months the helmets had come to life.

𝕄𝕆𝕆𝕋𝔸ℍ 𝕊𝕋𝔸𝕋𝔼 🐮🐄

Bringing out these legen-dairy battle cattle helmets for our Week 1 Ag Day game! 🤘

Merch👕: https://t.co/jmZK9r09IX
Tickets🎟️: https://t.co/WAqQiYtv8p pic.twitter.com/Af3roGrW0J

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 1, 2026

Camouflage in Week 1? More likely than you might think.

Old Dominion will be donning the special alternate uniforms for its opening game in honor of Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah, a school alum and professor who died in a shooting at an ROTC class on campus in March. Every jersey will have “LTC Shah” on the back in lieu of traditional individual player nameplates.

Outfitted in Honor 🪖

Learn more about our Week 1 Look!

🔗: https://t.co/Kyp109vs7V#ReignOn | #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/reWePRGzO6

— ODU Football (@ODUFootball) September 1, 2026

Fittingly for a service academy, Air Force is going with a patriotic look in its season opener.

The Falcons’ red, white and blue threads feature a number of star-spangled decals and designs, most prominently in the form of a bolt colored in with the American flag on the uniform’s white helmets.

🔜 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 #FlyFightWin | #BoltBrotherhood | @usaa pic.twitter.com/3WR51Z9csb

— Air Force Football (@AF_Football) August 31, 2026

UCF equipment added a declarative “Drip U” tagline on its uniform reveal, but the threads in question do back up such a claim.

It’s a simple all-black look for the Golden Knights, but the accenting secondary color — gold, fittingly — and the detail touches — a pair of four-pointed golden stars on the pant sides — add an extra punch.

Kicking off 2026 in 👑⬛️⬛️ pic.twitter.com/WBe2bXV3AN

— UCF Equipment (@UCF_Equipment) September 1, 2026

There are unique uniform details. And then there’s what the Maroons are rolling with this weekend.

They are flexing not wins or trophies but Nobel Prizes. One hundred and one such prizes, to be exact, which is the number of prizes won by people who were students, faculty members or researchers at the university at some point in their careers.

“101,” the helmet sticker reads, “and counting.”

101 Nobel Prizes. One standard.
Honoring the minds that built the legacy we represent every Saturday. pic.twitter.com/u6PjMyqqx6

— UChicago Football (@UChicagoFB) September 2, 2026