5 reasons why the Texas Longhorns should keep throwback uniforms*

In a move to honor legendary Texas Longhorns safety Freddie Steinmark, the team came out against the Kansas Jayhawks wearing throwback uniforms meant to honor Steinmark, whose name still graces the scoreboard at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Here's five reasons why the Longhorns should consider making those throwback uniforms the team's permanent attire:

1. It's the only reasonable change fans will accept

With a fan base that trends heavily towards traditionalist when it comes to uniforms and no major changes looming with Nike retaining the apparel contract for the Longhorns, less is clearly more, as evidenced by the fantastic-looking uniforms Texas wore last weekend.

Even a subtle change like making the helmet logo metallic was met with some resistance last year, so not only are major changes unlikely, they're basically impossible. As a result, the only direction to go in is to reduce the clutter on the jersey and honor the tradition of excellence with which Texas fans identify so strongly.

2. The throwbacks remove unnecessary elements for a clean look

No other school in college football wears burnt orange. No other school pulls of the stormtrooper look like the Longhorns. No other logo is as recognizable and iconic, prompting Athlon to name it the best logo in college sports this year.

Because of those factors, the Longhorns don't need the school name on the front of the jerseys -- everyone can recognize that it's Texas without that. And the Longhorns logo on the neck clutters up that area, which already has the Nike swoosh and the Big 12 Conference logo, neither of which is going to get removed.

Even if the school only opts to make one change, it should drop the numbers from the shoulder pads. In watching the game on television, those numbers aren't easy enough to see to aid in player identification and don't provide any aesthetic value. Take a program like Alabama for instance -- the Crimson Tide have one of the most recognizable uniforms in college football and don't feature the numbers on the shoulders or a school name plate on the front, which is part of the reason why . Penn State does have numbers on the shoulder pads, but doesn't feature a school name plate on the front, either.

It's not possible for every program to have a recognizable uniform without explicitly identifying the school, but Texas is unquestionably one of them.

3. Players like the changes

It's no secret that players and recruits have been clamoring for some type of uniform change, even if it's just the chance to wear an alternate uniform once a year.

So the reaction was unsurprisingly a positive one on Saturday evening when head coach Charlie Strong let his players know -- he said the players starting jumping and screaming after the reveal following pre-game warm ups.

Even if Texas only wears the throwback uniforms once a year, it could provide a little boost to a program that currently still needs something, anything to make sure that the team is ready and excited to play every week.

4. No name plate on the back is good for a still-entitled program

"What matters the most is the team and when you start playing for what's on the front of your jersey and not what's on the back, then good things are going to happen for you," Strong said after the game.

Well, that's a little more difficult if there isn't Texas lettering on the front of the jersey, but Strong's point is a valid one and taking the name plates off the back of the jerseys is a strong symbolic action.

Much like Strong removes the helmet logo during fall camp, perhaps forcing the players to earn their name plate is a motivational tactic that could make a difference for a program that still features too many players who don't understand what it is they're playing for.

5. The metallic logo should only be worn during road games

The biggest argument in favor of the helmet logo the Horns added late last season is that it matches the shiny burnt orange trim on the road uniforms, pulling together the entire look. However, since the home uniforms feature burnt orange tops with white trim, wearing the metallic logo decal at home doesn't make as much sense.

Keep them for the road uniforms and go back to the matte look for home games.

*The 100-year anniversary helmet logo should not remain

If Texas decides to periodically honor legendary former player Freddie Steinmark once a year or once every several years, wearing the logo on the helmet makes sense, but it's the one part of the throwback uniform that obviously wouldn't feature in any overall reboot of the weekly attire.