College Football 2014 Season

[GFB]

Years from now people may look back at this game and not be able to recognize Ohio State, but I guarantee people will see the crazy wings on the helmet, and the seeming uniqueness of the uniform and know it is Oregon. That is what they have built.

I know it isn't what most of us on this site agree with, but the way I see Oregon is this: Ohio State is one of college football's biggest programs, but if you picked a random person off the street, any young kid, any old lady, any body, would they for sure be able to tell you that it was Ohio State? I would say less than half the time they would.

But if you did the same thing with any one of Oregon's crazy uniform, more non-CFB fans, and especially most of the kids would be able to tell you that it was Oregon.

And whether you like it or not, Oregon has built a huge and nationally recognized brand by doing the exact opposite of how it is usually done. But that's how it is. I'm pretty sure Nike isn't hurting one bit

Haha, thanks for the laugh.

[Midway]

It appears as though it wouldn't have mattered what Oregon trotted out in. Brown and pink? Well, that's Oregon whether you like it or not. Reflective black helmets and monochrome anthracite? Well, that's how Oregon does it and you just have to deal with it. Two tone pants with volt gradients all over the place? Well that's just how genius Oregon football is and I'm behind it 100%.

At one point we get so blinded by what's hip and what's cool that we can't see when a manufacturer like Nike has us firmly in their grasp, selling us junk and calling it gold.

Notice how nobody is griping about Ohio State's set? That's because those jerseys sell themselves and don't need all the extra politicians-speak.

[shaydre1019]

Everything that could be said about the Oregon unis has been said, so I'll just say this:

If Nike did put green numbers on this set, it would still be Nike trotting out another new jersey for the sake of Nike. The only difference is that some of yall just don't like this one. I don't think that argument has any legs.

That's a good point. They used school colors last game and everyone was talking about them.

Oregon is going with a yellow wordmark in the endzone, which I find very interesting..

Not that odd. Autzen's had a yellow wordmark in the endzones for years. Heck, it's probably the only consistent thing about the Ducks, design-wise. I'm surprised they haven't jumped on the Boise Bandwagon and carbon'd up their field or something.

Oh yeah no I'm aware of that but I figured they would've gone grayscale for the endzone as well. It's currently sitting on a gray background but I'm not sure if that's the background or just an underlayer.

That's the inherent problem of the grayscale uniform...they've asked their fans to wear yellow so you'll have a crowd in yellow and some green...the sideline gear will likely be a combination of black and green while the team is white/gray...then you have your yellow end zone. Ohio State won't have that problem of lacking visual consistency.

Yup that's one big problem with wearing the whites.

It hasn't really been mentioned I don't think but the new sweatspots are almost completely gone in the new template, notably the belly. That's one big improvement nikes made recently, maybe the NFL adopts it soon although the template would pose a lot of issues regarding the collar.

[WSU151]

Brian HamiltonVerified account ‏@BrianHamiltonSI 12m12 minutes ago

Urban Meyer on whether he talks about alternate uniforms with recruits: "I bring pictures and all that, act like I like it."

There is something to be said about this.

Oregon has pretty much built a National Contending football program out of nothing. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Nike produced plethora of uniforms plays a huge part in Oregon's recruiting. And as everyone knows, recruiting is the lifeline of college football.

So you know what... go for it Oregon. You made it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game from basically a non-existent football program 10 years ago. You do you.

Umm...what? Built a football program out of nothing...? Non-existent 10 years ago? How many seasons in the last 25 years have they not gone to a bowl game? 3?

Phil Knight's annual cash infusion into the athletics department since the late 90s wasn't "nothing". And with that, I'd say the incredible facility upgrades are more important than the plethora of uniforms. The uniforms are just a bonus.

[CLEstones]

Brian HamiltonVerified account ‏@BrianHamiltonSI 12m12 minutes ago

Urban Meyer on whether he talks about alternate uniforms with recruits: "I bring pictures and all that, act like I like it."

There is something to be said about this.

Oregon has pretty much built a National Contending football program out of nothing. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Nike produced plethora of uniforms plays a huge part in Oregon's recruiting. And as everyone knows, recruiting is the lifeline of college football.

So you know what... go for it Oregon. You made it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game from basically a non-existent football program 10 years ago. You do you.

Umm...what? Built a football program out of nothing...? Non-existent 10 years ago?

They were never, ever a traditional power house. They were never stringing together year after year of top-notch football. They never had top notch recruiting classes. They have turned their program in to a modern power house in the last 10-15 years.

The terms "nothing" and "non-existent" are being used for effect. Yes, they had a football program 15+ years ago, but it was never anything to write home about or to stand up and take notice.

[WSU151]

Brian HamiltonVerified account ‏@BrianHamiltonSI 12m12 minutes ago

Urban Meyer on whether he talks about alternate uniforms with recruits: "I bring pictures and all that, act like I like it."

There is something to be said about this.

Oregon has pretty much built a National Contending football program out of nothing. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Nike produced plethora of uniforms plays a huge part in Oregon's recruiting. And as everyone knows, recruiting is the lifeline of college football.

So you know what... go for it Oregon. You made it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game from basically a non-existent football program 10 years ago. You do you.

Umm...what? Built a football program out of nothing...? Non-existent 10 years ago?

They were never, ever a traditional power house. They were never stringing together year after year of top-notch football. They never had top notch recruiting classes. They have turned their program in to a modern power house in the last 10-15 years.

They strung together years of bowl appearances. It's not like they were regularly 2-10 just 10 years ago.

The funny thing is...Bill Snyder did build a football program out of nothing at Kansas State. Twice. Without 800 fancy uniforms.

[Webfooter]

Brian HamiltonVerified account ‏@BrianHamiltonSI 12m12 minutes ago

Urban Meyer on whether he talks about alternate uniforms with recruits: "I bring pictures and all that, act like I like it."

There is something to be said about this.

Oregon has pretty much built a National Contending football program out of nothing. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Nike produced plethora of uniforms plays a huge part in Oregon's recruiting. And as everyone knows, recruiting is the lifeline of college football.

So you know what... go for it Oregon. You made it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game from basically a non-existent football program 10 years ago. You do you.

A more accurate statement would have been saying 20 years since Oregon started to become relevant. It wasn't until after the 1995 Rose Bowl and 1996 Cotton Bowl that Phil Knight got interested in donating to the program. Since then, it's been a long steady climb for the program becoming what it is today.

[guest23]

Brian HamiltonVerified account ‏@BrianHamiltonSI 12m12 minutes ago

Urban Meyer on whether he talks about alternate uniforms with recruits: "I bring pictures and all that, act like I like it."

There is something to be said about this.

Oregon has pretty much built a National Contending football program out of nothing. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Nike produced plethora of uniforms plays a huge part in Oregon's recruiting. And as everyone knows, recruiting is the lifeline of college football.

So you know what... go for it Oregon. You made it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game from basically a non-existent football program 10 years ago. You do you.

A more accurate statement would have been saying 20 years since Oregon started to become relevant. It wasn't until after the 1995 Rose Bowl and 1996 Cotton Bowl that Phil Knight got interested in donating to the program. Since then, it's been a long steady climb for the program becoming what it is today.

Joey Harrington was on the radio yesterday and here's how he laid out their path to prominence:

• Rich Brooks bringing the team to respectability and bowl games in the early 90's (mentioned above)
• Improved recruiting based on bowl game appearances
• Belotti taking over and developing a more dynamic offense
• Knight funding best in class facilities and giving the athletic program unprecedented access to all of nike's resources. (Uniforms Included)
• Chip Kelly

To the average consumer on the outside looking the only thing they see is the nike gear but there's so much more behind the scenes that the Knight and nike relationship provides to the program. it goes way beyond what they wear on game day, the uniforms are nothing more than the icing on the cake of a massive investment in all facets of the program.

[shaydre1019]

Brian HamiltonVerified account ‏@BrianHamiltonSI 12m12 minutes ago

Urban Meyer on whether he talks about alternate uniforms with recruits: "I bring pictures and all that, act like I like it."

There is something to be said about this.

Oregon has pretty much built a National Contending football program out of nothing. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Nike produced plethora of uniforms plays a huge part in Oregon's recruiting. And as everyone knows, recruiting is the lifeline of college football.

So you know what... go for it Oregon. You made it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game from basically a non-existent football program 10 years ago. You do you.

Umm...what? Built a football program out of nothing...? Non-existent 10 years ago?

They were never, ever a traditional power house. They were never stringing together year after year of top-notch football. They never had top notch recruiting classes. They have turned their program in to a modern power house in the last 10-15 years.

They strung together years of bowl appearances. It's not like they were regularly 2-10 just 10 years ago.

The funny thing is...Bill Snyder did build a football program out of nothing at Kansas State. Twice. Without 800 fancy uniforms.

Oregon isn't a program, they're now a legitimate power. They have the best record this decade, are playing in their second title game in 5 yrs, iwanna say their 4th meaningful (formerly bcs) bowl game.

And they did it without history, without tradition, without nice weather. What blows my mind is that their old facility was one of the nicest in the country. State of the art. Their new one blows the old one out of the water and is absolutely ridiculous. If I was a recruit I almost wouldn't wanna go anywhere else.

[Lee Noire]

It appears as though it wouldn't have mattered what Oregon trotted out in. Brown and pink? Well, that's Oregon whether you like it or not. Reflective black helmets and monochrome anthracite? Well, that's how Oregon does it and you just have to deal with it. Two tone pants with volt gradients all over the place? Well that's just how genius Oregon football is and I'm behind it 100%.

At one point we get so blinded by what's hip and what's cool that we can't see when a manufacturer like Nike has us firmly in their grasp, selling us junk and calling it gold.

Notice how nobody is griping about Ohio State's set? That's because those jerseys sell themselves and don't need all the extra politicians-speak.

I don't think anyone here is saying all that. The consensus is that Oregon can go out there in black and silver because they have done this consistently, for games big and small. Those colors are, for better or worse, de facto school colors and they embrace it.

[Webfooter]

Brian HamiltonVerified account ‏@BrianHamiltonSI 12m12 minutes ago

Urban Meyer on whether he talks about alternate uniforms with recruits: "I bring pictures and all that, act like I like it."

There is something to be said about this.

Oregon has pretty much built a National Contending football program out of nothing. I'll go out on a limb and say that the Nike produced plethora of uniforms plays a huge part in Oregon's recruiting. And as everyone knows, recruiting is the lifeline of college football.

So you know what... go for it Oregon. You made it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game from basically a non-existent football program 10 years ago. You do you.

A more accurate statement would have been saying 20 years since Oregon started to become relevant. It wasn't until after the 1995 Rose Bowl and 1996 Cotton Bowl that Phil Knight got interested in donating to the program. Since then, it's been a long steady climb for the program becoming what it is today.

Joey Harrington was on the radio yesterday and here's how he laid out their path to prominence:

• Rich Brooks bringing the team to respectability and bowl games in the early 90's (mentioned above)
• Improved recruiting based on bowl game appearances
• Belotti taking over and developing a more dynamic offense
• Knight funding best in class facilities and giving the athletic program unprecedented access to all of nike's resources. (Uniforms Included)
• Chip Kelly

To the average consumer on the outside looking the only thing they see is the nike gear but there's so much more behind the scenes that the Knight and nike relationship provides to the program. it goes way beyond what they wear on game day, the uniforms are nothing more than the icing on the cake of a massive investment in all facets of the program.

You don't have to tell me. I'm a life-long Oregonian who became a Duck fan in 1993 when I was in elementary school. I full-well know all the hard work that it took to get Oregon to where they are now. I even interned with the team in the spring drills before the 2007 season and everyone was buzzing about what then new-OC Chip Kelly was bringing to the table. His hiring marked the 2nd big growth period for Oregon football and one that is still going on with Helfrich as the coach.

[TheOldRoman]

Joey Harrington was on the radio yesterday and here's how he laid out their path to prominence:

• Rich Brooks bringing the team to respectability and bowl games in the early 90's (mentioned above)
• Improved recruiting based on bowl game appearances
• Belotti taking over and developing a more dynamic offense
• Knight funding best in class facilities and giving the athletic program unprecedented access to all of nike's resources. (Uniforms Included)
• Chip Kelly

To the average consumer on the outside looking the only thing they see is the nike gear but there's so much more behind the scenes that the Knight and nike relationship provides to the program. it goes way beyond what they wear on game day, the uniforms are nothing more than the icing on the cake of a massive investment in all facets of the program.

Another thing people forget is that Oregon took the "next step" or two when USC was hit was sanctions and Pete Carroll left. Not only did that leave a void at the top of the Pac-10/12, but it sent a lot of recruits Oregon's way. If USC was still a perennial top-five team pulling in top classes, Oregon would not (yet) be here. It'll be interesting to see if Oregon can keep this going when SC gets back on its feet.

[pianoknight]

Years from now people may look back at this game and not be able to recognize Ohio State, but I guarantee people will see the crazy wings on the helmet, and the seeming uniqueness of the uniform and know it is Oregon. That is what they have built.

I know it isn't what most of us on this site agree with, but the way I see Oregon is this: Ohio State is one of college football's biggest programs, but if you picked a random person off the street, any young kid, any old lady, any body, would they for sure be able to tell you that it was Ohio State? I would say less than half the time they would.

But if you did the same thing with any one of Oregon's crazy uniform, more non-CFB fans, and especially most of the kids would be able to tell you that it was Oregon.

And whether you like it or not, Oregon has built a huge and nationally recognized brand by doing the exact opposite of how it is usually done. But that's how it is. I'm pretty sure Nike isn't hurting one bit

Haha, thanks for the laugh.

[Webfooter]

Joey Harrington was on the radio yesterday and here's how he laid out their path to prominence:

• Rich Brooks bringing the team to respectability and bowl games in the early 90's (mentioned above)
• Improved recruiting based on bowl game appearances
• Belotti taking over and developing a more dynamic offense
• Knight funding best in class facilities and giving the athletic program unprecedented access to all of nike's resources. (Uniforms Included)
• Chip Kelly

To the average consumer on the outside looking the only thing they see is the nike gear but there's so much more behind the scenes that the Knight and nike relationship provides to the program. it goes way beyond what they wear on game day, the uniforms are nothing more than the icing on the cake of a massive investment in all facets of the program.

Another thing people forget is that Oregon took the "next step" or two when USC was hit was sanctions and Pete Carroll left. Not only did that leave a void at the top of the Pac-10/12, but it sent a lot of recruits Oregon's way. If USC was still a perennial top-five team pulling in top classes, Oregon would not (yet) be here. It'll be interesting to see if Oregon can keep this going when SC gets back on its feet.

That a little overly simplistic view since Oregon's recruiting class rankings didn't really take a jump with USC on sanctions. Oregon would get the occasional prototypical USC player, but USC was still pulling in top-20 classes (with a couple top 10 classes as well) during that time while Oregon was still averaging their normal top 15-20 class. If anything, SC's sanction benefited the South Division schools more since a lot of the SoCal kids still stayed somewhat closer to home.

[Tracy MidGrady]

Even with sanctions USC was and is still getting who they want for the most.

[Webfooter]

Oregon has overcome it's lack of a big-time recruiting base by outworking, innovating, and instilling a certain winning culture that permeates the program. While everyone sees the uniforms as what's gotten them to where they are now, there are many more meat-and-potatoes things that they do to continue their winning ways.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2015/01/06/oregon-ducks-college-football-uniforms-offense-win-the-day/21341383/

[pianoknight]

Joey Harrington was on the radio yesterday and here's how he laid out their path to prominence:

• Rich Brooks bringing the team to respectability and bowl games in the early 90's (mentioned above)
• Improved recruiting based on bowl game appearances
• Belotti taking over and developing a more dynamic offense
• Knight funding best in class facilities and giving the athletic program unprecedented access to all of nike's resources. (Uniforms Included)
• Chip Kelly

To the average consumer on the outside looking the only thing they see is the nike gear but there's so much more behind the scenes that the Knight and nike relationship provides to the program. it goes way beyond what they wear on game day, the uniforms are nothing more than the icing on the cake of a massive investment in all facets of the program.

Another thing people forget is that Oregon took the "next step" or two when USC was hit was sanctions and Pete Carroll left. Not only did that leave a void at the top of the Pac-10/12, but it sent a lot of recruits Oregon's way. If USC was still a perennial top-five team pulling in top classes, Oregon would not (yet) be here. It'll be interesting to see if Oregon can keep this going when SC gets back on its feet.

That a little overly simplistic view since Oregon's recruiting class rankings didn't really take a jump with USC on sanctions. Oregon would get the occasional prototypical USC player, but USC was still pulling in top-20 classes (with a couple top 10 classes as well) during that time while Oregon was still averaging their normal top 15-20 class. If anything, SC's sanction benefited the South Division schools more since a lot of the SoCal kids still stayed somewhat closer to home.

It's silly to write off Oregon's success as a simple USC failure. But it didn't hurt the Ducks, either.

The same goes for Washington, WSU and even the two Arizona schools who were enjoying levels of success through the 80s and 90s. We've seen a bit of a resurgence by the Wildcats and Sun Devils lately, but Washington and Washington State haven't really approached their level of 1990s dominance again (especially WSU).

That's not to cheapen UO's success, but it certainly makes things a bit easier when your conference rivals are going through struggles of their own. Those struggles don't guarantee Oregon a winning formula, but a winning formula coupled with those struggles DOES help UO win a few extra games.

[djam2410]

Joey Harrington was on the radio yesterday and here's how he laid out their path to prominence:

• Rich Brooks bringing the team to respectability and bowl games in the early 90's (mentioned above)
• Improved recruiting based on bowl game appearances
• Belotti taking over and developing a more dynamic offense
• Knight funding best in class facilities and giving the athletic program unprecedented access to all of nike's resources. (Uniforms Included)
• Chip Kelly

To the average consumer on the outside looking the only thing they see is the nike gear but there's so much more behind the scenes that the Knight and nike relationship provides to the program. it goes way beyond what they wear on game day, the uniforms are nothing more than the icing on the cake of a massive investment in all facets of the program.

Another thing people forget is that Oregon took the "next step" or two when USC was hit was sanctions and Pete Carroll left. Not only did that leave a void at the top of the Pac-10/12, but it sent a lot of recruits Oregon's way. If USC was still a perennial top-five team pulling in top classes, Oregon would not (yet) be here. It'll be interesting to see if Oregon can keep this going when SC gets back on its feet.

That a little overly simplistic view since Oregon's recruiting class rankings didn't really take a jump with USC on sanctions. Oregon would get the occasional prototypical USC player, but USC was still pulling in top-20 classes (with a couple top 10 classes as well) during that time while Oregon was still averaging their normal top 15-20 class. If anything, SC's sanction benefited the South Division schools more since a lot of the SoCal kids still stayed somewhat closer to home.

It's silly to write off Oregon's success as a simple USC failure. But it didn't hurt the Ducks, either.

The same goes for Washington, WSU and even the two Arizona schools who were enjoying levels of success through the 80s and 90s. We've seen a bit of a resurgence by the Wildcats and Sun Devils lately, but Washington and Washington State haven't really approached their level of 1990s dominance again (especially WSU).

That's not to cheapen UO's success, but it certainly makes things a bit easier when your conference rivals are going through struggles of their own. Those struggles don't guarantee Oregon a winning formula, but a winning formula coupled with those struggles DOES help UO win a few extra games.

As a Cal fan I can tell you that the USC sanctions haven't heard as bad as people might think. mostly it was just the coaching we still miss a lot of high profile guys who choose USC over everything but it is not like Oregon is getting all the top west coast recruits it is split basically USC > UCLA/Oregon > Stanford > Cal > rest of the Pac-12

[guest23]

Joey Harrington was on the radio yesterday and here's how he laid out their path to prominence:

• Rich Brooks bringing the team to respectability and bowl games in the early 90's (mentioned above)
• Improved recruiting based on bowl game appearances
• Belotti taking over and developing a more dynamic offense
• Knight funding best in class facilities and giving the athletic program unprecedented access to all of nike's resources. (Uniforms Included)
• Chip Kelly

To the average consumer on the outside looking the only thing they see is the nike gear but there's so much more behind the scenes that the Knight and nike relationship provides to the program. it goes way beyond what they wear on game day, the uniforms are nothing more than the icing on the cake of a massive investment in all facets of the program.

Another thing people forget is that Oregon took the "next step" or two when USC was hit was sanctions and Pete Carroll left. Not only did that leave a void at the top of the Pac-10/12, but it sent a lot of recruits Oregon's way. If USC was still a perennial top-five team pulling in top classes, Oregon would not (yet) be here. It'll be interesting to see if Oregon can keep this going when SC gets back on its feet.

That a little overly simplistic view since Oregon's recruiting class rankings didn't really take a jump with USC on sanctions. Oregon would get the occasional prototypical USC player, but USC was still pulling in top-20 classes (with a couple top 10 classes as well) during that time while Oregon was still averaging their normal top 15-20 class. If anything, SC's sanction benefited the South Division schools more since a lot of the SoCal kids still stayed somewhat closer to home.

It's silly to write off Oregon's success as a simple USC failure. But it didn't hurt the Ducks, either.

The same goes for Washington, WSU and even the two Arizona schools who were enjoying levels of success through the 80s and 90s. We've seen a bit of a resurgence by the Wildcats and Sun Devils lately, but Washington and Washington State haven't really approached their level of 1990s dominance again (especially WSU).

That's not to cheapen UO's success, but it certainly makes things a bit easier when your conference rivals are going through struggles of their own. Those struggles don't guarantee Oregon a winning formula, but a winning formula coupled with those struggles DOES help UO win a few extra games.

Much like the big 3 schools in FL rotate in dominance by their ability to get the top recruits in FL, the key to dominating the Pac 10-12 has always been to lock up the talent in socal. CU and UW had a solid pipeline in the early 90's then ucla locked it in during the late 90's then usc came back on in a big way and ultimately gained national prominence. Oregon and the AZ schools have often had to get a little more creative with their recruiting but have fared well from time to time. Oregon's biggest asset recently is knowing exactly who will fit their program and being able to recruit as far as way as TX due to the other reasons noted above.

The sanctions did hurt usc though, not across the board but they had huge holes in terms of depth at multiple positions for the last 5 seasons.

[pianoknight]

A lot has to do with styles of play as well. Oregon, for better or worse, has been known as a fast paced, speed-first team. They don't punch you in the mouth like Stanford, they run circles around you while your defensive line is gasping for air.

Not to say that UO can't run power plays, but you sort of get "known" for certain things - which helps you recruit in that area.