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Saturday, January 21, 2012

*Minnesota Update* College Uniform Release Day: What they wore back then now and beyond, featuring 2011 Nike Pro Combat Uniforms

1/20 Minnesota Gopher Update
The Golden Gophers first unvieled their helmet, and today they released a video showing their new uniforms, like it was a new ipod or car or something.  As a noted Buckeye honk, Minnesota is a nobody in the B1G so this video is kind of amusing.  It has Alabama or Clemson "swag" (and I use swag as a dig) but the acutal uniforms seems to be pretty plain with all the new nike technology.  I was fully expecting an Oregon-ization with some black and some silver/shiny to be featuring outside of the maroon and gold, but it looks like Nike went back to the glory days of the early 2000s.  Shoulder numbers, no stripes, and a contrasting collar.  Plain pants with some type of honey-comb padding.  Maroon, gold and white shirts and pants.  The numbers have a pattern that has something to do with Eskimos or the lakes, but overall I love the look.  Simple, classy, true to the colors and with the newest fabric.  Well done Gophers, well done.  You could have totally mucked it up, but you went the other way.  And no black jersey (that they show).  Here's the video:

The Jay-Z song from 3 years ago is a nice touch, by the way.  I don't think Sean Carter even knows what Minnesota or a gopher even is.  Anyway, in the time of (see below) uniforms, the Gophers keep it classy.  BRAVO.

Here is a video that explains the details of the uniform.  The numbers have a brick pattern on the white and gold (maroon numbers) jerseys.  The number font goes back to the font that was used on the 1940 jerseys when the Gophers won the national championship.  There is no mention of overall look being similar to the early 2000s but I think they look almost identical. 

Here's the video that explains the details:

Here are videos of the players showing them in a photo shoot:




12/28 Oregon Rose Bowl Update
New video of the Oregon helmet from Rose Bowl Media Day:


Looks like the Ducks are updating their unis for the Rose Bowl.  They are solid green with black numbers with yellow outlines.  TV numbers are also added to the sleeves, a personal favorite.  However, the wings on the shoulders are updated and the helmet is completely different.  It is black, very reflective, with giant silver futuristic wings on the sides and the O on the back.

Although it is different, for Oregon, it is standard operating procedure.  Sure, the actual uniform technology is new with a combination of material that makes it lighter and added padding and "armour" to the shoulders, but from Oregon's history, these uniforms are not that radical.  Here's the Nike press releaseHere is Dr. Saturday's take.  I am glad the volt is gone as well.  I like the color, but if your school colors are green and yellow, volt is too close to yellow but different.  I am ok with implementing black and silver as other colors, but the volt is too close to yellow.

Here are the pictures.  Not really sure why Nike chose to make everything so dark, you can't really see the details of the details, but here ya go.  Side note: Wisconsin will officially unveil their Rose Bowl unis December 30th.  Here's the countdown.

Update: Here's a few links from the presser via @DuckFootball (Rob Moseley):
https://twitter.com/#!/DuckFootball/status/152050881154662400/photo/1
https://twitter.com/#!/DuckFootball/status/152051179038326785/photo/1





12/23 Wisconsin Rose Bowl Update
Here are the jerseys Wisconsin will wear in the rose bowl.  They are going with a rose texture for the numbers to go against whatever the Ducks are gonna roll with (hopefully it's a throwback).
No pics yet, but here's the website you can buy it at.
2012 Rose Bowl Replica Jersey

Minnesota Helmet Update
Minnesota is coming out with new uniforms, and the their official twitter feed was releasing pictures of different parts of the helmet daily, but would respond to everyone so it got annoying.  He was taking up my timeline.  I don't care about stupid Gopher fans.  I just want the new duds.  Anyway, here it is.  It is a matte maroon with a black facemask.  The helmet also features the native Minnesota saying "SKI-U-MAH".  Apparently it is a big deal, but I personally liked their old helmet with the sparkle maroon.  I don't get the black facemask, but my guess black will be mixed in to their overall uni scheme.  If they would only go back to the Marion Barber days.  Oh well. Here ya go.  The visor is always a nice touch.  Glad to see they are keeping their block M.





12/14 Michigan Sugar Bowl Update
As Michigan takes on Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, the seniors have voted to where new white jerseys.  Here is what they look like.

Here is a story about why.

The new white jersey has two blue stripes, a blue collar and a block M on the right chest.  They will also wear the winged helmet with their numbers on the side like they have for the Big 10 season with a grey facemask.  The yellow maize paints will have a bigger block M.

Please retire these
#AdidasFail

While they are not as good as the ones they wore against Michigan State, they are a ton better than the crap they have worn since they changed to Adidas in 2008.  Part of me hopes they keep these as their standard road unis, but also, they seem to be heading towards another college that wear special jerseys just for sales with the cover of a tribute to the past when the teams they tribute didn't wear facemasks.  Honor the past? Fine. But I hope the legendary schools have one home and one road jersey.  For this bowl game, well done Michigan and the seniors.

Army Navy Update
Navy beat Army 27-21 and this is what the coin flip looked like.

Here are a ton of other photos.  Shoutout to Uni WatchHere is the Uni Watch post on the history of the Army-Navy game uni-wise.
 

11/26 UCLA Update
The UCLA-USC game went back to color-on-color a few years ago, restoring the tradition that went back a few decades.  USC took a timeout at the start of the game and the second half when they wore their cardinal jerseys when it restarted at the Rose Bowl.  Then the NCAA allowed, if approved, color-on-color.  This year, there were rumors that USC was going to have a black jersey.  Lane Kiffin had added a black jersey to Tennessee and black accents to their uniform, such as socks and sleeves.  That has continued to USC (which looks like crap to me) and this year, for the first time in their history, USC has worn black socks and sleeves at home as opposed to their usual white socks and sleeves.  On Saturday night, USC donned their normal cardinal-gold combo, while the surprise was on the other sideline.  For the first time ever, UCLA did not have their normal "UCLA-stripes" on their shoulders, nor their gold helmets and pants.  They went all white with a gold stripe outlined by dark blue.  They also went back to their old font, which looks pretty good.  I don't mind it, but it's not UCLA.  Also, they got blown up 50-0 and their coach was fired, so don't expect this look to reappear for the Pac-12 Championship, or ever for that matter.  They also followed Oregon's lead by having stripes on their under sleeves and making their shirts under the jersey part of the uniform.  Their helmet striped followed VT's by not going all the way to the back.  They did follow their recent trend to feature navy blue on the road instead of the baby blue that is used at home and is their main school color.  Here is uni-watch's take. Here's a pic:




11/14 Golden Dome Update:
Notre Dame took on Maryland and sported their green jerseys along with an updated Gold helmet with the Shamrock and new texture to the gold paint.
Here is the picture that went up on the Internet before the game:

Here is what they looked like during the game:


I don't mind the shamrock throwback against Michigan, and the texture looks cool, but it's not Notre Dame and to break them out with the green jerseys where the golds don't match isn't a good look.  The whole "different uni" for every game is a little played out.  It's more of a special occasion when a team plays in a big game and wears their normal stuff.  With more and more money in college football, and teams doing anything to attract attention to their programs and also to boost recruiting, these new alternate unis with made up school colors and new throwbacks are here to stay.  I just hope to stay away from traditional schools though.  Thanks as always to Uni-Watch.com.



10/19 Egg Bowl Update:
Adidas and Mississippi State have announced that they will wear special "rivalry" unis for their game on Nov. 26 against Ole Miss, known as the Egg Bowl or "The Battle for the Golden Egg".  The Bulldogs will be in all maroon with the state of Mississippi on the sleeves, "HAIL STATE" on the back and golden numbers.  Thanks to UniWatchBlog (news ticker) of course.  Here's the actual article from MStateAthletics.com.
Picture from Friends of the Program.



10/15 Update
Michigan State wore their Pro Combat unis against Michigan

The big surprise was Michigan, who went throwback-away with white pants (first time since 1975) after coming out in warmups in their normal road attire.  They looked fantastic.  Also, Michigan went with maize under shirts with "Valiant" and "Victors on the biceps.  Coach Brady Hoke said that the team will wear the numbers under the wings on the helmet for the rest of the year as well.
I don't know if Michigan will wear these for the rest of the away games, if it's a one time thing, like their "Under the Lights" unis, or if it will be up to the players.  I am guessing this is a one time thing, but if they went with uni numbers on the helmets for the rest of the season, these are in play as well.  I am very interested to see if Mich wears anything special for the Ohio State game.

From Uniwatch:
Date: October 15, 2011 12:01:52 PM EDT
Subject: BREAKING NEWS: Michigan Wears Retro Uniforms vs. Michigan State
Good Morning -
To celebrate Michigan’s rivalry game today vs. Michigan State, adidas surprised the Wolverines with retro-style football uniforms.
Similar to their “Under the Lights” jerseys worn against Notre Dame on Sept. 10, Michigan’s vintage-inspired uniforms today highlight a fusion of design elements from throughout Wolverine football’s 132 years.
Today’s jersey features a large number on the chest, a block M above the heart and repeating striped sleeves. The Wolverines’ adidas TECHFIT compression has “Victors” on the right bicep and “Valiant” on the left.
Also, since the “Under the Lights” game last month, player numbers appear on Michigan’s famous winged helmet for the first time since the late 1960s.
Check out the attached photos of Michigan’s retro-style adidas football jerseys. Thanks for considering!
Michael Ehrlich
adidas Public Relations

10/07 Oregon Update
The Ducks unveiled their "The Duck" Pro Combat Unis last night in a 43-15 win over Cal (who donned white lids).
Here's what they looked like from facebook:




Cal had some funny claw marks on the back of their helmet.  Hopefully they bring back this at some point.  Huge shout to Lost Letterman

10/04/11 Oregon Update
It looks like the Ducks are changing the uniforms yet again by making up a fake ducktails throwback along with using their old colors.  They then take this cartoon duck head and place it where the silver armyish wings are on their normal jerseys.  The color scheme lightens the green back to their original green and yellow, with a thin black outline.  I am guessing they will wear yellow hats and pants and white socks and shoes.

It seems to be very odd to go back to a cartoon duck and making up your own retro fake throwback, but Oregon does what they want and retro is always cool.  One of my favorite looks, along with Chip Kelly, it their true retro look, which they combined with their new stuff at the end of 2009 season, which looks silly but if recruits and the single digit pred like it, go for it.

Also included is "Fighting Ducks", which replaces Oregon and Ducks above the numbers.  Inside the collar is "2,790", which is the number of pushups Puddles did last year for every time the Ducks score.

Here's what they will be wearing Thursday night against Cal.  Via NikeBlog


Of course, Nike has a whole Puddles clothing line, with shirts and an old-school snapback hat.  Again, from NikeBlog.  All the apparel will be available Thursday.



Scroll down to get Gamecock's update

*9/23 Ohio U UPDATE*
This past Saturday, the Bobcats broke out black unis for the first time ever.  The players have been asking for years and Russel Athletic finally gave them one.  However, none of the players knew until they were unveiled.  Here is a video about the blackstory (boom) and how the team reacted. 


Even it is Russel Athletic, the way the players were shown the jerseys was pretty sweet.  Got dat swagg, OU.  Jerseys and unis matter to college football players.  The team's reaction alone should get Nike and Pro Combat down to Athens soon.  Here's the photo gallery of the game via UniWatchBlog.




How did the team do while wearing them? 44-7 win over Marshall.  If you want real time updates, you can follow @OhioBobcatsFBEQ on twitter.


*9/22 UPDATE*
South Carolina unveiled their Wounded Warriors Project uni for their October 1st game against Auburn.  Under Armor has been doing this for the past few years with their other teams, Texas Tech, Utah, and Maryland.  They normally add camo into the jersey, pant and helmet stripes with some military words on the back, such as honor, courage, freedom, commitment, and loyalty.  Looks tight and for a good cause.
What South Carolina will wear against Auburn Oct. 1
*10/03 Wounded Warrior Update*
So much for that.  After pregame, the officials made the Gamcocks wear their normal black alternate jersey because the numbers were deemed unreadable.  South Carolina was able to keep the helmets and pants.  Then they went out and lost to Auburn after giving up a late 4th quarter TD.  Pretty bad loss, considereing they were 10 point favorties at home.























For the past few years, Nike has come out with Pro Combat uniforms.  They are regarded as the newest technology along with a futuristic look with some ties (more than others) to the past of college football programs.  Nike broke some out in 2009, a few more last year, and this year they are going all out, with many different programs at different times of the year.  The early teams this year were Boise State and Georgia, and Oregon.


The big uni splash came from Maryland (even though they are an Under Armour school).  They warmed up in their Koopa Troopa lid, but then appeared donning their state flag.  If Under Armour wanted to do it right, they would have flipped the black/gold and the red/white from the helmet and the jersey, not kept them on the same side.

Arizona State also got into the mix by going black on black on black on black in Arizona in September (which was ok'd by someone really smart), and resulted in an OT win over visiting #21 Mizzou after giving up a big lead, committing numerous blatant personal fouls (hello single digit psychos), and after coach Gary Pinkel iced his own kicker (2X) in the desert and cost me a pick (Mizzou +7).  Of course, I set my alarm for 1AM so I could wake up and catch the end of it and of course I hit ALARM OFF.  Fail.  If you want to see/create the Arizona State uniform possibilities, go here.

Also, in an instant classic, Michigan hosted Notre Dame under the lights for the first time at The Big House (Ben Franklin, 1752.  Michigan, 2011. Well done Leaders of the West.)  They both (!) went throwbacks and looked great.  Stripes galore, not too over done, nothing "futuristic" and the only negative is the inability for Adidas to come up with a jersey that can have stripes of any kind (see below).


As the college football season moves along, the following teams released the preview of their Pro Combat Uniforms today: Michigan State (vs. Michigan) doing their sparty thing, Ohio State (vs. Wisconsin) honoring the Buckeye Grove (TAKE THAT UPDYKE) and the 1961 team with what they would wear today (?), Army for the Navy game, Navy for the Army game, Stanford going simple and LSU switching to old gold and staying with shoulder stripes, albeit retro and a nice white lid.  Enough of my typing, here is what they will be wearing.  I lifted these images from the Nike Football Facebook page

For the Nike Football videos, check their YouTube page here


Michigan State vs. Michigan 10/15:







LSU vs Auburn 10/22:








OSU vs Wisconsin 10/29:








Stanford vs Notre Dame 11/27:





Army vs Navy 12/10:






Navy vs Army 12/10:






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