College Football Uniforms 2010-2011

[Proc]

Virginia Tech would've looked great....IF THEY HAD BLACK AS A SCHOOL COLOR.

This is out of control. School colors are school colors.

[slapshot]

Nike does what it wants to get $$$$. School colors and traditions are now arbitrary in the grand scheme of things. Pretty soon everyone will wear charcoal or black jerseys with patterned fills in the numbers that make them indistinguishable even on HDTV broadcasts.

[CubsFanBudMan]

I've become more and more comfortable with this annual stunt (ever since the unnecessary "two-sleeves, two-colors" jerseys Florida, VT and others sported way back when -- hated those) by looking at it as nothing more than a rehash of MLB's "Turn Ahead the Clock" promotion on a yearly basis. We'd welcome that for one day a year, right? Of course, this is a bit different, but...

Are these "Pro Combat" unis often outrageously designed with or without team colors? Yes.

Do college teams (or NFL teams, for that matter) need alts for their short seasons? No.

So would it be better if they claimed these one-offs were designed to look futuristic rather than in the name of "performance"? I think so, but here we are. (I mean, "Born of tradition, built for speed" just doesn't cut it as a theme for these things.)

Some work, some don't, and some will have a lasting legacy that will be cherished forever like the original Mariners TATC or the Astros' "rainbow guts." (At least one has staying power, right? OK, maybe not.)

[TheOldRoman]

Herbsteit said during the broadcast, "I like Tech's look. Their unis are really cool, they just don't look like Virginia Tech." EXACTLY. And that is why they fail. If you dress up in random colored clownsuits, you are bastardizing your identity. Tech has one of the most unique color combos in sports, yet their unis (which were attrocious regardless of colors) were almost exclusively black and orange with very little maroon (or whatever they call it).

I will say that I liked the matte helmets as as a change of pace. I would like if a handful of teams wore them, but hate it if everyone started, as I'm sure they will. The only problem is they would either need to be worn once a season or painted after every game. The matte finish magnifies every knick.

[Kevin W.]

I like all of the Pro Combat unis... except for Va Tech's all-black. With few exceptions (see Florida State's Unconquered uniform and imagine how insanely awesome that would look if they combined it with their black Pro Combat helmet) schools whose colors don't include black shouldn't wear black uniforms. It doesn't look good on Oregon and it doesn't look good on USC basketball.

[lenardo]

i know im in the minority here, but i flat out loved the entire boise set. i think the gray/slate is pretty cool. the bronco was fitted in in lots of places and i loved its orange eye and the pants piping. hell its for just one game, why not go crazy. i like VTs too but it could have worked for oregon state too with how little maroon it had

[Puck]

Boise State looked like a bad fantasy league team...

...which makes Virgina Tech's just a slight against any sport.

[JaxNoles]

I hated both BSU and VT uniforms, but I did like Boise's helmets and I would really like them if they put the logo on both sides. They really reminded me of these

[Brian in Boston]

As if it weren't already the case, last night's Boise State-Virginia Tech game made it official: "Pro Combat" = "Looks Like Ass".

[Chawls]

"Pro Combat" = "Looks Like Ass".

=

I don't see it.

[dgthree]

some small schools have used pro combat so far this season. Two bigger FCS schools App. St. and Montana have used them in the first week. Also, my alma mater, Bryant (a smaller FCS school), had pro-combat uniforms for the first game of the season.

Bryant with Pro-Combat uniforms for the first game vs. Fordham.

[illini1]

I will say that I liked the matte helmets as as a change of pace. I would like if a handful of teams wore them, but hate it if everyone started, as I'm sure they will. The only problem is they would either need to be worn once a season or painted after every game. The matte finish magnifies every knick.

The helmets would definitely need to be repainted after every game. The helmets were starting to look a little shiny towards the end of the game.

[Panthers]

Its simple. Write your school's athletic department and tell them as an alumnus of the school you want this Nike stuff to stop. The oversized logo on one side of the Boise helmets and nothing on the other? That's a design element? Of what? Nike should stick to what it does best, and keep the hell out of the design uniform business.

[Red Wolf]

VT's matte helmets looked like garbage. I remember thinking that matte helmets would look cool, but it really looks pretty awful.

[Panthers]

Here's what I don't get. Many schools have fine design departments and students. Why not give students and/or alumni the chance to design? Espeically given our economy in this country and there are a lot of designers out of work, it would be the right thing to do.

[Spearhead]

I join the chorus in denouncing these uniforms and I hate the Oregon-style revamping of looks, but I am an older, very traditionally oriented guy and these uniforms are not meant to appeal to me. What I am told is that these looks appeal to my kids' generation. However, my own kids -- all of whom play football and range in age from 14 to 20 -- think these uniforms look like crap.

[BRice16]

Here's what I don't get. Many schools have fine design departments and students. Why not give students and/or alumni the chance to design? Espeically given our economy in this country and there are a lot of designers out of work, it would be the right thing to do.

Probably because if nike is like some other sports apparel companies I know of, their designers are unionized and won't allow outside designs to bear their logo.

I know of a couple of schools that have had student design competitions for gameday shirts, etc. that have had to be killed or recalled because the shirt sponsor's union design team didn't draw them up and that violated their contract.

[elsephen]

You guys are definitely in the minority on this one. All the rave last night was how "cool" the uniforms were. Of course though... they're not in floppy shirts with stripes and block letters... so they're ugly according to this board.

I didn't like Boise's due to the grey, but VaTech's were beautiful. No denying.

and when the argument becomes "but they don't look like Virginia Tech"... it's evolution. Get used to it.

Nothing they wear looks like this, either:

[pianoknight]

Agreed on all counts. This ridonkulous "pro combat" experiment needs to end. Now.

This is a time when I adamantly agree with a Texas fan.

Yeah, Pro Combat is getting retarded. Nike's bastardization of Oregon is spilling into other schools now.

[Puck]

VaTech's were beautiful. No denying.

and when the argument becomes "but they don't look like Virginia Tech"... it's evolution. Get used to it.

It's funny because there's plenty of denying it, because they weren't beautiful. It was just a school who has never had a history of black uniforms going black for the sake of, as you call it, "evolution." I'll give you that the numbering and pattern on said numbering was new and sort of enjoyable. But that got lost on an all black uniform that basically destroyed the identity.

That's not beauty.