The tastemakers of college football (for better or worse) are at it again, as Nike has rolled out their new Nike Pro Combat “Mach Speed” uniforms for their local guinea pigs, the Oregon Ducks. As usual, Nike has gone to great lengths to describe how technologically advanced these new uniforms are (they’re ‘lighter’ than ever before!) and although we’re sure that the players are totally going to care about the laser perforated mesh that will “release heat where athletes need it the most,” we’re also sure that if you’re reading this, you probably only want to know how advanced and futuristic it looks & just how far Nike pushed the envelope for this one since this is Oregon we’re talking about.
Starting with the helmet, the wings that made their debut in the 2012 Rose Bowl Game are still intact on both the green & black helmet. The black helmet has a matte finish, while the green helmet has a chrome finish. Not too much change here, as these are 2 of more than half a dozen helmets that the Ducks have worn over the past 2 seasons.
Both uniforms have a lot of two things: Feathers on the shoulder, and silver everywhere. The feathers on the shoulder from the previous uniforms are no longer sublimated, as they are clearly colored in with silver & yellow on the home uniform & silver & green on the road uniform.
Both sets of pants have silver writing on each side of the legs, with “Ducks” on the left leg & “Oregon” on the right. The nameplates have silver writing on both uniforms as well. One would think that having silver on white might cause visibility issues, but Oregon’s been known to let that type of thing go from time to time.
Overall, the look is definitely extremely progressive if we’re comparing this to programs such as Alabama or Texas (their opponents for this year’s Alamo Bowl), but for Oregon’s reputation, it’s a bit subdued. Most of the changes were pretty subtle or purely technological. Either way, it’s definitely a look that screams out “Oregon,” and one that will surely turn heads when they take the field on December 30th in San Antonio. But what do you think? Is it progressive enough for you, or did you want them to take it to the next level? As usual, let us know below what you think of the new uniforms!
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