Do you mean safety wise?
The pads give a little more to make it more cushiony on the inside. Some have removable air tubes that you can blow up to fit better. Also the face masks are attached differently to help strengthen the helmet.

I personally hate it when they change helmets. I'm glad I'm an Alabama fan and we keep the same old school helmets we have always had and I admire other teams such as Penn St and Notre Dame that do the same. I dont like all this flashy stuff they are coming up with now.