College Football 2013 Season

[Lights Out]

Better pic of the gradient striping:

I love the Rainbow-Guts-esque striping, but that number font has got to go. Why couldn't they use the same font as the basketball team?

[bigmike]

Arizona = yuck.

2013 is a year to forget for Nike IMO. Almost everything they have done so far this year is crap. Normally I'd stick my neck out for Nike uniforms but I just haven't liked anything they've done this year except for Oregon State's jerseys (don't like the helmets).

[chuckymack]

I don't like a Goddamned thing about those 'Zona unis. Also, they're stripes; not a gradient.

[29texan]

Who wants to bet those Zona unis only last one season...?

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt]

Shouldn't the numbers be illegal? I thought gradient (close enough) numbers were banned this season.

I.E Arkansas' numbers

[CS85]

1. Gradient? Check.
   
2. Multiple helmets? Check.
   
3. Goofy looking numerals? Check.
   

_^#*#**BEGIN ^MONEY _PRINTING ^{PROCESS_**#*#}

[drdougfresh]

Love the shoulder stripes. I just wish everyone on the team was number 2... that's the only digit I like.

Also:

Random panel coloring? A little SHSU-ish, and not in a good way.

[Red Wolf]

Seems like almost every Nike uniform released lately is either the contrasting sleeve style (Arizona, West Virginia and such) or the USC-style shoulder thing (Rutgers, UCF, North Carolina). Obviously there are exceptions, but it just seems like there are an unusual number of teams using these templates.

[vmd9]

I actually really like Arizona's new look. But I do think they could have used a number font that matched the wordmark better. Also some consistency with the helmets would be nice. A stripe down the middle of the helmets that matched the design of the sleeves could look cool.

The Nike templates don't bother me, nor are they anything new. They have basically used the same design ques dating back to the original Pro Combat sets. Textures, gradients, contrasting sleeves, custom fonts, etc. Each school is different enough to avoid confusion. And they all have aspects that are unique to their identity.

[lahaye7]

that Arizona number font looks something you'd see on a 80's Atari game cartridge

[coogrfan]

Better pic of the gradient striping:

I love the Rainbow-Guts-esque striping, but that number font has got to go. Why couldn't they use the same font as the basketball team?

A very quick and dirty take on this:

[LetsGoPeay]

Looks like the Nike design team's been playing some Atari.

[tBBP]

1. Gradient? Check.
   
2. Multiple helmets? Check.
   
3. Goofy looking numerals? Check.
   

_^#*#**BEGIN ^MONEY _PRINTING ^{PROCESS_**#*#}

Was any thought given to the legibility, or lack thereof, of those numbers on the red & navy jerseys? I'd imagine it'll be difficult for on-field officials to decipher those at a glance...and I don't even wanna think about the color commentators up in the press boxes.

[Chawls]

Looking closer at the numbers and sleeves, are they actually gradients or separate but similiarly-colored stripes?

Never mind. We already established that it's stripes.

[BRice16]

Shouldn't the numbers be illegal? I thought gradient (close enough) numbers were banned this season.

I.E Arkansas' numbers

Here's the explanation from this morning's UniWatch:

"They received a waiver from the NCAA to have those numbers. If you remember, I e-mailed you awhile back saying that the unis were to be unveiled around the middle of April. It turned out because of the new rule UA had to file a waiver to be able to have the gradient numbers, because the uniforms were already made & in UA's possession before the rule was made, which delayed the uniforms being shown. We were granted the waiver to have the numbers this year, but I'm not sure what will happen with them for the 2014 season, when the rule goes in to effect."

[ohryan]

Who wants to bet those Zona unis only last one season...?

I think that's the point. New and disposable is more profitable than timeless and classic.

[oldschoolvikings]

Who wants to bet those Zona unis only last one season...?

I think that's the point. New and disposable is more profitable than timeless and classic.

Boy, is that the truth. I find myself less and less interested in this "big debuts" of College football uniforms all the time (and for me, that's a giant change from just a few years ago). It all seems so transient and meaningless. Don't like the new uniform? No big deal... there's 18 different versions, so one might catch your eye, and if not you can just wait til next year. When the three NFL teams were leaking out their new looks I was checking the threads 20 times a day. This thread, which has new stuff constantly, I have to force myself to check.

I may be just feeling grumpy today, but the state of new design in CFB is a steaming pile of garbage.

[nuordr]

Who wants to bet those Zona unis only last one season...?

I think that's the point. New and disposable is more profitable than timeless and classic.

Boy, is that the truth. I find myself less and less interested in this "big debuts" of College football uniforms all the time (and for me, that's a giant change from just a few years ago). It all seems so transient and meaningless. Don't like the new uniform? No big deal... there's 18 different versions, so one might catch your eye, and if not you can just wait til next year. When the three NFL teams were leaking out their new looks I was checking the threads 20 times a day. This thread, which has new stuff constantly, I have to force myself to check.

I may be just feeling grumpy today, but the state of new design in CFB is a steaming pile of garbage.

I don't believe you are feeling grumpy today because your are right on point about CFB uniforms being garbage these days. At least in the NFL there is a five-year rule on changing uniforms and I believe the NCAA should adopt a similar rule, maybe every 3 years.

[Xist2inspire]

The "stripe gradient" is awesome, but the number font is not.

[oldschoolvikings]

Who wants to bet those Zona unis only last one season...?

I think that's the point. New and disposable is more profitable than timeless and classic.

Boy, is that the truth. I find myself less and less interested in this "big debuts" of College football uniforms all the time (and for me, that's a giant change from just a few years ago). It all seems so transient and meaningless. Don't like the new uniform? No big deal... there's 18 different versions, so one might catch your eye, and if not you can just wait til next year. When the three NFL teams were leaking out their new looks I was checking the threads 20 times a day. This thread, which has new stuff constantly, I have to force myself to check.

I may be just feeling grumpy today, but the state of new design in CFB is a steaming pile of garbage.

I don't believe you are feeling grumpy today because your are right on point about CFB uniforms being garbage these days. At least in the NFL there is a five-year rule on changing uniforms and I believe the NCAA should adopt a similar rule, maybe every 3 years.

I'm not even talking so much about the uniforms themselves (which, yes, are IMO pretty crappy) but just the overall mentality. This is what happens when you base your aesthetic decisions on the tastes/priorities/whims of 17, 18, and 19 year olds. By it's very nature, you're going to get designs with an incredibly short shelf life. Because next year, that 19 year old will be 20, his eligibility will soon be up, and his opinion will no longer be important. It isn't that the NFL's uniforms are necessarily so much better... I hate Jacksonville's new uniform, hated Seattle's last year, but I still care because, good or bad, those uniform designs matter. They'll be around at least a few years, people will be forced to take a side on them, they're marketed to a larger demo, and other teams will consider them (positively or negatively) when redesigning their own looks. These CFB uniforms? They fail the biggest test. They just don't matter.