The college football season for the ACC kicked off on August 31, 2023.  In 1953, when the Atlantic Coast Conference was established, it consisted of just seven teams–Clemson, Duke, Maryland, UNC, NC State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest–but it is now up to fourteen teams, four of which are in North Carolina: UNC, Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest. It’s no surprise, then, that we take ACC games very seriously here in NC! Fans keep up with the stats, follow their favorite players’ social media accounts, and watch every game, often attending in person. Excitement is especially high right now since the top three ACC teams (Florida State, Louisville, and UNC) are also in the top 18 college teams in the nation.

The jerseys worn by each of these teams are instantly recognizable, but their colors and designs go way beyond just the green and orange of Miami or Carolina blue for UNC.  Jerseys may actually have an effect on the performance of a team and whether it is successful or unsuccessful. When designing a jersey, you want it to be your school’s colors, but you need to think about more than looks. The darker you go, the more heat the jersey will trap, so when a football player wears a darker jersey in high Southern temperatures, it can make the player feel uncomfortable or even overheat. Psychology is also a factor in what colors teams wear. According to Dynamic Team Sports, a study shows that players who wear black jerseys play more aggressively than when they wear white. Wearing a certain number can change the way your opponents may perceive you. Wearing the numbers 10-19 makes you look thinner than those who wear numbers between 80-89 even though players might all be the same size. A study done in 2019 shows that 80% chose a jersey number between 10 and 19, possibly to lull their opponents into a false sense of security.

Since the ACC has many NC teams–all with carefully designed jerseys–we at The Eagle Examiner sent out a poll to the RMA Upper School students to learn their thoughts on who has the best football jersey. Many voted, and I have to say that the outcome shocked me. I thought UNC or Duke would win because they are the most popular NC schools. The most popular colleges should have the most popular jerseys, right? But another team pulled through, winning by 30.9%. Before I announce the winner, I’m going to tell you which teams were in the top 5:

Fifth place was Louisville with their blacked-out jerseys that have a hint of red on the shoulders and helmet. Duke came in fourth wearing their Duke blue jersey and white pants. In third place, Wake Forest wore black jerseys and gold pants. Second, wearing white jerseys and Carolina blue pants with an argyle down the side was UNC. The design is iconic and crucial to UNC jerseys–both for football and basketball. Alexander Julian, a Chapel Hill resident and the creator of the argyle pattern, said, “I did it because it was classy. I did it because it was timeless. I did it because I thought it would suit what Carolina stands for.”

As much as we love Carolina, we have to talk about which team claimed the top spot: North Carolina State with its red jerseys and white pants. But there is more to their jerseys than just being the iconic State red. NC State’s jersey numbers are an important factor when receiving a jersey. Matt Dayes, a running back who graduated in 2016, said, “I wanted number 5, but a senior had it, so I went with 21.” He later found out that when he visited his home in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the exit he had to take to get off the highway was 21, so maybe Dayes was always meant to wear that number. Whatever the reason, wearing a bigger number didn’t hurt Dayes’ performance: he now plays in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns. The perceived benefits of wearing smaller numbers must not apply.

Similarly, the theories about jersey color don’t seem to apply to NC State. Currently, the team is ranked tenth in the ACC. They have a record of 4 to 3, losing to Notre Dame, Louisville, and Duke. When NC State (wearing its red jerseys, which allegedly led to more aggressive play as noted above) faced off against Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish wore white jerseys, but they outperformed the Wolfpack, beating them 45 to 24. Another example is the NC State vs. Louisville game on September 29. NC State sported their blacked-out jerseys, while Louisville wore white jerseys and defeated State 13 to 10. Finally, NC State wore their white jerseys when playing UVA, who wore navy jerseys. NC State won the game 24 to 21, so it seems that teams in white jerseys can–and often do–still win.