Pac-12 Rankings: Logos

Leading up to Signing day, there's going to be more than a few rankings floating around, some from this site. In the first submission into this arena, the logos are examined, from Cardinal to Beaver, with the exception of the Buffaloes, who we all know is #1 (hear that, recruits? Number. One).

#12- Oregon State Beavers    

I mean, the source material isn't the best, but I have to believe the street artists in Corvallis can do better than this. It uses school colors pretty well and cleverly, but this beaver isn't even menacing. Which might be hard for such a friendly rodent, but at least the previous beaver had a suspicious leer. Very uninspiring effort from OSU, much like the actual team itself. However, it should be pointed out that the PAC-12 as a whole has some pretty good logos. Final thought: what is with that tooth? It's anatomically accurate, and looks just as awkward on the logo as it does on the real animal. Get it together OSU.

#11- #2- The Letter Rankings

Essentially, every logo after this is letters.. So, these ratings will be based mostly on color and font, as well as the best alternative logos, because why not. It's not a perfect system, but it's mine dammit.

#11 Utah Utes 

Both of these are bland, not based on tradition, and have some pretty uninspiring design. The "block U" is probably the most boring college logo I've ever seen, and the "U in circle with feathers" isn't too much better. Given Utah's... reputation as a state, I shouldn't be too surprised, but somehow BYU's logo is more exciting. Their jerseys are also pretty rough but that's a different story. Simply put, these are pretty bland logos and should be treated as such.

#10 Washington Huskies

At least they have color scheme on Utah, right? They added some flair with the gold fringe. It's an old logo with some tradition, and W is a pretty unique letter. However, this W is extra unique, as for some reason the right arm is about half as wide as the left for no apparent reason. I don't know why, but it seems consistent for their W's across all pictures and weird. Now, let's talk about their alternate. While it's not just a straight block letter (fair warning: I am not a fan of block letters), it's still not very inspired or interesting. A forlorn Husky? I guess, but it makes Udub look like the middle child that just wants to be left alone. I don't know. Not a fan, Huskies.

#9 UCLA Bruins

We finally have script letters! I like UCLA's base logo, as it has tradition and simplicity and cursive. I'm a sucker for fanciness. As a Chargers fan, it also happens to have perfect colors. UCLA's logo seems like the most unassuming of them all, and that becomes even more true with a smiling bear. However, that same smiling bear is not the best alternate logo. It is a weird design, asymmetrical, and downright confusing given that another team WITHIN THE STATE is called the golden bears. But I digress.

#8 Arizona Wildcats 

Now, Arizona gets props for some nice color usage and good balance. Symmetry is key for Jack Barsch, as you can tell. I don't mind block letters this time, as it is a more bold color choice and the font looks nice. I know this doesn't sound consistent, but I think the block letter looks better than their alternate, which is boring and weird. I've never seen a wildcat that looks like that, and if Arizona has those running around, I don't know if I'm good with that. Interesting choice, Zona.

#7 Southern California Trojans

Tradition and simplicity are the cornerstones of the USC logos, and that's easy to see. When the craziest part about your logo is the use of two fonts, it's a pretty placid one. I do like how easy it is to recognize who it is when you see an interlocked SC, and the crimson red looks dope. The alternate logo is also simple, in a good way and the actual trojan provides and unneeded face to the program, which is OK, I guess? Putting the USC in between the lines is a nice look, too. A very average grade for a very average logo.

#6 California Golden Bears

I've always liked Cal's uniforms, and their color palate is fantastic. I LOVE the cursive logo, because nothing screams "Harvard of the West" like the font that you sign checks with. It's fitting that they're rivals with Stanford, because logos are complete opposites, and it looks nice when they face off. I also like how they went as far as possible from a cursive word by making their alternate a giant, charging bear. See, UCLA? This is how you don't do a smiling one. Though, this could be smiling, I don't know enough about bears.

#5 Stanford Cardinal

This is technically Stanford's alternate, according to Wikipedia, so for the original, just imagine the S without the tree. Once again, the Cardinal feasts on being and icon and simplicity. If you see a giant red "S" on the back of Tesla near Silicon Valley, you know exactly what school he is from. I think the tree adds a nice little touch. It's always Christmasy at Stanford! Come on down! I mean, basically, the logo is a giant red S. It may not deserve to be 5th, but I like simple and I like traditional. Which means it might not make any sense why this next school is number 4...

#4 Oregon Ducks

I'm gonna get talking about the "O" out of the way so I can talk about the angry Donald Duck. It's a giant O, is symmetrical, and can be green or yellow. Meh, much like Stanford. However, OH MY GOD SAILOR DONALD WITH A BOWTIE RUNNING THROUGH AN O.That is amazing. I know Phil Knight is leading a brand revolution, but please go back to the creepy mascots and the cartoon rip-offs. I can't stop looking at it. Side note, why don't the Ducks wear orange socks and cleats to make it actually look like a duck? Just take the ridiculolousness to the max.

#3 ASU Sun Devils

I like both of these logos for much different reasons. The fork is in the new age of logos, symmetrical, simple, and is nice to put on shirts and hats. Unfortunately, all the fire and Devil references in the world couldn't burn away the filth in Tempe. Anyways, nice job on the redesign. Now to the real star, much like Oregon, is the retro logo with the crazy cartoon character. This time, it's a devilishly grinning demon in footsie pajamas, Sparky, who I assume has just gotten out of bed to flip his bacon with his pitchfork. I wish more of the conference had crazy 90's throwbacks, then we could be the Conference of Cartoons. Keep doin' you, ASU.

#2 WSU Cougars

IT'S A COUGAR. AND IT SPELLS OUT WSU. IT DOES BOTH. WITH ONE PICTURE. END OF STORY.

and your number one logo in the PAC is of course your Colorado Buffaloes. Let me know which teams were overranked, underranked, or didn't deserve to be ranked in the comments. Go Buffs!