Steve Sarkisian says USC’s alternate helmets ‘update our look’

USC Coach Steve Sarkisian is prepared for some backlash when the Trojans break out an alternate metallic-tinted helmet with a chrome face mask against Colorado on Saturday.

“You’re not going to please everybody,” Sarkisian said. “And for as many people as there are that want us not to change a thing and still wear the same cleats and whatever else, there’s as many people that want something new.”

Many major programs have alternate uniforms or have experimented with them. Oregon, of course, is the leader in multiple uniforms and accents. UCLA and Notre Dame also have alternate uniforms.

“It was a way to kind of update our look in a sense, but yet hold on to our tradition,” Sarkisian said. “This is a way to freshen things up a little bit but also respect our past.”

Sarkisian said he thought the helmets were “really cool.”

“We’ll see how they look Saturday,” he said. “I’ll like them a lot more if we win.”