Holy Cross (2018), Maine (2018), Penn (2018), Princeton (2018)

Time to knock off a few more 2018 teams ...

Holy Cross (5-6 overall, 4-2, second place Patriot League) trotted out eight different combinations, including an all black-and-silver uniform (the helmet is a design last used in 2016). The Crusaders wore four different color pants (white, purple, black and gray), which is about two too many. Well, at least the gray jerseys from 2017 were ditched.

Want more from Holy Cross? Look here: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2004-08, 1999-2002, 1992, 1986-91,  1981-85, 1976-80, 1973-74, 1972, 1971, 1967-70, 1963-65, 1956-59, 1951-55. Rivalry Week: Boston College-Holy Cross.

What can you say about Maine (11-3 overall, 7-1, first place in CAA, NCAA final four)? Beat demolished UNH, beat an FBS team, won the CAA title outright, won a home playoff game for the first time, reached the NCAA semis for the first time ever ... and the uniforms were markedly improved, too. The jerseys are a nice mix of modern (number and wordmark font) and traditional (sleeve stripes, a revival of a look done on and off in the past). The only nit pick: the stripes on the pants don't match the ones on the jerseys and helmets. Otherwise, a uniform almost as flawless as the team that wore it.

Fill the steins to some more Black Bear uniforms: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2011-13, 2001, 1997-99, 1987-92, 1985, 1976-84, 1975, 1974, 1965, more 1965, 1963-64, 1957-59, 1949-50, 1939-46, 1928-29. Rivalry week: Maine-New Hampshire. Inside the jersey: 2010-13.

Penn (6-4 overall, 3-4 Ivy League) made two noticeable additions this year: New road jerseys to match the home and new white helmets, which recalled those worn for two dreadful years in the 1950s. The current look's not bad, but I'm still a sucker for "PENNSYLVANIA" across the front, even though everyone calls it "PENN." The white helmets are OK, but they're not really Penn. That's like Boston College wearing maroon lids or something.

Toss some toast in the air for these Penn unis: 2017, 2015-16, 2014, 2013, 1995-99, 1992-94, 1983-84, 1981-82, 1979-80, 1971-78, 1970, 1965-66, 1956-64, 1954-55, 1948, 1935-38. Rivalry Week: Cornell-Penn.

Princeton (10-0 overall, 7-0, first place Ivy League, first undefeated season since 1964) came, saw, took names ... and didn't change a darn thing from last year. Which is fine with me, although I do wish the black helmets would return.

More unis from Old Nassau: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 1996, 1993-95, 1994, 1987-90, 1984-86, 1975-77, 1979-83, 1970-72, 1958-69, 1956-57, 1955, 1949-54, 1947-48, 1945-46. Rivalry week: Dartmouth-Princeton.

Maine Black Bears (1987-92)

The University of Maine is going where no other team has gone in its 127-year history: To the NCAA FCS semifinals.  (OK, FCS/Division I-AA has been around for only 41 of those years, but work with me here.) The Black Bears head to Eastern Washington and its red turf this weekend for a spot in the NCAA championship game. Let's take a quick look back at the first Maine teams to reach what was then called the I-AA tournament.

Despite coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 1950s-60s (when it had 14 straight seasons of .500 or better football), the 1987 Black Bears were picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Yankee Conference, further proof the preseason polls don't mean squat (this year's team was picked to place eighth in the CAA). But in the season's second game, first-year coach Tim Murphy (yes, the longtime Harvard mentor got his start at Maine) made the controversial call to bench three-year starting quarterback and Maine native Bobby Wilder for big-armed sophomore Mike Buck. 

Although the change was not well-received by everyone -- one radio station even conducted a poll as to who should start at QB -- Buck led the Bears to a 31-14 win over UMass in his first start, back when wins over UMass were about as common as Halley's Comet appearances. The Long Island native went on set school records with 232 completions, 2,987 yards and 23 TDs as Maine marched to a share of the YC title (8-4 overall, 6-1 league) and a spot the NCAA tournament, where it lost to Georgia Southern in OT, 31-28.

Mike Buck calls the action against UNH.

Two years later and with a new coach (Tom Lichtenberg, who bailed for Ohio U. after one season and won fewer games in five years there than in his one year at Maine), the Bears shared another YC title (9-3 overall, 6-2 league) behind the arm of Buck (2,315 yards, 19 TDs, just 3 interceptions) and the legs of Carl Smith (1,680 rushing yards and 20 TDs, both still school records). Maine suffered another close loss in the NCAA tournament, this time a 38-35 decision to Southwest Missouri State on a field goal with 8 seconds remaining. Buck left holding 24 school passing records; he still holds three today, including career passing yards. 

Carl Smith runs over Rhode Island in 1988. He still holds school
single-season records for rushing yards and TDs.

For a time, it appeared as if football might share a spot with hockey as the king sport at Maine, but it was not meant to be. The Black Bears crashed to 3-8 under Kirk Ferentz (yes, the longtime Iowa leader got his start at Maine, too), the program's fifth coach since in a decade. Just when Ferentz got the team back up to respectability in 1992 (6-5), he left to become an assistant for Bill Belichick's Cleveland Browns. Jack Cosgrove took over in 1993 and stuck around for 23 years.

The uniforms themselves are nothing to write home about, but they're the ones I remember most growing up, as I mentioned here a while back. There's a weird-ass arched "MAINE" on the helmets, a basic jersey with Northwestern striping (which was used off and on from the 1950s through the early 70s, and made another comeback this year) and white pants with a thick blue stripe down the side, much like the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also note the use of names on the back, which seems to have been common in that era (Dartmouth and UNH, among others, wore names). When Cosgrove became coach in '93, the names were removed, and haven't been seen since.

Touchdown, Maine.

Maine's history has been rather cyclical over the last 35 years or so, with periods of mediocrity followed by short bursts of excellence. Here's hoping this year's Bears will mark the beginning of a much longer stretch in the FCS' upper tier. 

Can't bear to be without Black Bear uniforms? Here you go: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2011-13, 2001, 1997-99, 1985, 1976-84, 1975, 1974, 1965, more 1965, 1963-64, 1957-59, 1949-50, 1939-46, 1928-29. Rivalry week: Maine-New Hampshire. Inside the jersey: 2010-13.

Dartmouth (2018), Delaware (2018), Harvard (2018)

Time to present three more uniforms from 2018, with another heavy dose of the Ivy League.

Dartmouth (9-1 overall, 6-1 Ivy) had a bittersweet season: The Big Green had a record that would win the Ivy League most years (hey, it even beat Harvard for the first time since 2003!), but a loss at undefeated and eventual Ancient Eight champ Princeton forced Dartmouth to settle for second. If the Ivies participated in the NCAA FCS tourney, the Greenies almost certainly would have received an at-large bid. 

After four seasons of shuffling between white, gray and black helmets, Dartmouth ditched the alternate lids and returned to one white helmet (yay!). The green home jerseys and white road models were slightly altered, as were the white pants. The older black jerseys, black pants and green pants struck around. 'Tis nice to see Dartmouth steer toward the basics.

Some other unis from the Green Machine: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2005-06, 2003-04, 1978-86, 1970, 1957-61, 1955-56, 1951-54, 1946-47, 1944, 1936-38, 1929. Rivalry week: Dartmouth-Princeton. Inside the jersey: 1999-2002.

Delaware (7-5 overall, 5-3 CAA), on the other hand, did NOT return to the basics. After 67 consecutive years of the same basic uniform (blue or white shirts, yellow pants), the Blue Hens shook things up and added blue and white pants to the ensemble, and wore five different combinations after decades of the usual two. The jerseys were altered a bit, with swooping stripes added to the sleeves and slightly thinner numbers. I don't mind the white pants (the all-white road uniform recalls Michigan's look in the Harbaugh era), but I could go without the blue versions. Of course, they are the BLUE Hens ...

There's more from the Delaware hen house: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2011-14, 2004-06, 1997-2003, 1989-92, 1980-88, 1975-79; 1973-74, 1972, 1965, 1967-71, 1950.

Harvard (6-4 overall, 4-3 Ivy) rotated between various combos of crimson, black and tan for the fourth consecutive year. The crimson pants don't do much for me, but I'm glad the Crimson stayed traditional and kept the tan pants for The Game against Yale. A set of white pants at home would make for a sharp uniform, but Harvard probably has enough combos as it is. I don't think the black jerseys are going anywhere, seeing as so many other Harvard teams don the color.

Other Harvard unis you may have missed: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012-14; 2008-11; 1980-83; 1975-79; 1972-73; 1972, 1967-70, 1962-63, 1950-52, 1948-49, 1937-46. Rivalry Week: Harvard-Yale.