Retro football jerseys. Fans love them. Recruits love them.

Everyone gets a kick when their team bursts from the tunnel donning the garb of eras past. Until your team loses badly while wearing them, of course.

Teams are always tinkering with their look. Maybe not as nutso as Oregon — who could wear a different uniform combination for every game through the year 3344 — but programs (and sponsors) are always seeking fresh new looks. Even if it means channeling the past.

Here’s a look at several retro uniforms we’d like to see revitalized in 2016 and a brief history behind the colors.

10 AND 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, FLORIDA GATORS

The 1966 Florida Gators did not win the SEC that season despite going 9-2, courtesy of a pair of losses to unranked Georgia and Miami. The win for the Bulldogs, in fact, propelled UGA into the Associated Press’ rankings and eventually led to a share of the SEC title with Alabama.

The 1966 Florida uniform — which turns 50 this year — had a short shelf life of two seasons. And while it didn’t pay dividends for the Ray Graves-led Gators, the blue jerseys with orange and white trim, festooned with a white helmet adorned with a classically simple blue “F” has served the program well as a throwback in the past. Perhaps it can bring luck once again to The Swamp.

Florida donned the retro 1966 uniforms on Sept. 30, 2006, while playing host to Alabama. Quarterbacks Chris Leak and Tim Tebow combined to erase a 10-point Crimson Tide lead en route to a 28-13 win for the No. 5-ranked Gators. Urban Meyer and Florida would eventually go on that year to win the coach his first of two BCS titles in Gainesville.

With the 1966 uni, you get a chance to honor two former Gators teams on their 50th and 10th anniversaries — and get to do so in style.

WHITE HELMETS, ALABAMA

It’s been 45 years since Alabama and Southern California opened a season against one another. In honor of the occasion, we’re strapping on the white helmets in Week 1. The same white lids that the Crimson Tide donned during that 1971 season opener in which they downed the Trojans 17-10 in Los Angeles. The victory was the Tide’s first of 11 consecutive wins, including a 34-20 decision over Houston, again wearing the white helmets. Unfortunately, Bear Bryant’s undefeated season ended with a splat, courtesy of a drubbing at the hands of No. 1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

The white helmets, featuring a crimson stripe down the middle and uniform numbers on the side, were revived in 1983 and in 1984 for road games. Alabama wide receivers wore the white helmets during night games in 1962 before the NCAA put a kibosh on the practice.

The white helmets could look sharp in Week 1 against USC under the lights of Dallas’ AT&T Stadium during prime time to kick off the season.

HERSCHEL WALKER-ERA, GEORGIA BULLDOGS

In honor of the 35th anniversary of Herschel Walker’s record-breaking 1981 season, we’d like to see Georgia go early-80s retro. And it’s not going to take much to accomplish the look. The Bulldogs have had the same basic helmets since 1964, save for that fateful Halloween day in 2009 when Georgia’s black helmets couldn’t save them from a Florida beatdown. All we need to do is add the red pants against the white jerseys and voilà.

The unis could also be a subtle jab at Derrick Henry, who broke Walker’s SEC rushing record in 2015, and LSU’s Leonard Fournette who could possibly threaten the mark this year. Perhaps they can serve as a gentle reminder that Walker earned his 1,891 rushing yards in 11 games, while Henry had the added luxury of four extra contests.

Not so subtle? Walker trampling Tennessee defensive back Bill Bates in 1980 while wearing the red uniform pants.

ORANGE JERSEYS, AUBURN

Perhaps it’s time to test fate, once again. When Auburn takes the field in Week 11 against Georgia, the Tigers should do so while wearing their infamous orange jerseys. The same orange tops that were retired on Nov. 15, 1980 after the No. 1 Bulldogs felled Auburn 31-21 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The orange uniforms that debuted in 1978 featured white numbers and were complimented by a traditional AU-logo helmet during the last season the program’s dome pieces sported gray facemasks. Who cares if the orange from the uniforms didn’t quite match the orange on the helmet?

All told, Auburn went 1-1-1 with the orange jerseys, but the loss to Georgia left an indelible mark. The Tigers are 17-18 against the Bulldogs since that game but have lost two in row. It’s time for Auburn to take the orange jerseys off of mothballs and see if they can un-hex the curse against Georgia.

MATTE-CATS, KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Kentucky isn’t afraid to mix up its uniforms, opting in recent years to go with the shine of the chrome helmets on occasion. We’re going to take away the sheen of the chrome and replace it with the matted-blue look of the ’80s Wildcats. Just like the ones used 30 years ago in 1986 (see Twitter photo). And while that year’s Kentucky squad wasn’t particularly world-beaters going 5-5-1, the Wildcats did manage to knock off Florida and tie Rutgers, for what it’s worth. The biggest win in the unis arguably came in 1984 when unranked Kentucky defeated No. 20 Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Classic in Birmingham, Ala., to finish the year with a 9-3 mark. Jerry Claiborne’s squad ended the year at No. 19 in the Associated Press’ final poll, the last time a UK team would close out a season ranked. Perhaps if Mark Stoops wants to return the Wildcats to the AP rankings — or to a bowl game for that matter — going retro is the way to go.

The classic blue jerseys sported thick stripes on the sleeves that read “CATS” and came replete with white pants that had dual blue stripes down the sides. The white helmets featured a simple “K” and were the staple of the program between 1975 and 1996, even if the hue of the blue varied slightly during that time. For aesthetic purposes, we’ll go with the 1983 version, the first time in program history the Wildcats wore blue facemasks.

https://twitter.com/UKFBUniforms/status/664871120903004160