Nebraska Alternative (aka Sacrilegious) Uniform Slamma Ramma Extravaganza 2012

[redout22]

friend of mine uncle works somewhere at the university and he said they're going to be RED ON RED, BLACK #s, BLACK HELMET WITH A RED N. HE ALSO SAID SOMETHING ABOUT MAYBE NO NUMBERS ON FRONT JUST A BIG N

Prety sure T.O. said there will be no change in the helmets..

[icedavis]

First off, I really don't think it's just the blue hairs that have a problem with this. I am in no way a bluehair, and I don't want to see the uniforms change much.

 

I think that the main reason that some of us have a problem with changing the uniforms is the abandonment of identity. People have talked a LOT over the past 10 years about Nebraska's identity, often saying that we had lost it. We stopped running the option, we threw away our coaching continuity, the level of play and competition and intensity plummeted, the walk-on program fell apart, and the Big 12 changed our identity so much that we're now in the friggin Big Ten, something that would have been completely unthinkable just 15 years ago. The only thing recognizable about us any more is the classic red "N" on the helmet along with our traditional scarlet and cream jerseys. You take that away, and what are we? A middling Big Ten team in a less than desirable location that hasn't won a conference championship since 1999 and has no true rival.

 

How are we going to get back to winning conference and national championships by being like Oregon? Why would we abandon our history, the one thing that makes us more special than them, and the one thing that schools like Oregon can never match? Why would we choose to emulate their uniforms, where we'll never be competitive with them?

 

I don't think we're ever going to get the recruit who chooses his school based on their flashy uniforms. We're never going to win many recruits over with flash, because there are way too many schools that have way more flash than Nebraska. We're going to win them over with substance, with gravitas.

 

It's just one game, and hopefully we won't do anything particularly drastic. It'll look ridiculous and embarrassing if we come out wearing black or something that has nothing to do with what makes Nebraska football special. We'll look like we've completely forgotten who we are.

Part of the Nebraska allure is tradition, and there are a ton of people who are stomping around because of this. Let's think about this realistically - Nebraska hasn't been in the national title hunt - legitimately - for over a decade. Sticking to tradition and remembering who you are is important, but thinking about the future is just as crucial.

 

Nobody is going to pick a school simply because of their uniforms. But, whether we like it or not, athletes (especially the ones today) are interested in this kind of thing. I've talked to a couple of players here and they love the idea of alt uniforms because they wear the same thing week in, and week out, and then they have to look at Oregon who has awesome uniform changes every week. I brought this example up earlier - if you went to a Catholic school, you had a uniform every day. I'm sure it was awesome when casual Friday came around, no? It's sort-of the same principle.

 

It's one game - it's one uniform - and, for all we know, one time. It's not going to hurt anything, AND it will appeal to recruits who think Nebraska is full of 60+ year-old fans who complain about getting away from tradition all the time.

 

I think it can be appealing if it still looks like Nebraska out there on the field. I think if it looks like Texas Tech or Iowa State or if it just doesn't look like Nebraska, it'll just be embarrassing, and it'll demonstrate as clearly as ever that Nebraska has lost its identity. I kid you not, you send Nebraska out in black uniforms only to get blown out by Michigan or Wisconsin wearing their traditional colors, and you'll never find another moment more symbolic of how the program has regressed since its glory days.

 

It's just one game - but if it's a big game, big enough for College Gameday or for it to at least be a national story - then the whole country watches it play out and takes in that symbolism. I think the risk is greater than the reward.

 

Again - I don't have problems with minor changes to the uniforms. But Michigan doesn't change their color scheme. Neither does Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, or USC. Oregon changes their color scheme, and as much as it has worked for them, they back up their flash with tremendous substance in their facilities and on the field, and they're still second-fiddle to USC in their own conference.

 

This makes sense, however, people will find a way to compare whatever the new look is, to something that currently exists that that individual happens to not "like". I have seen my away look pop up in many online forums to similar responses: "Holy hell those are AWESOME!" or "Those are the most grotesque things I have EVER SEEN"...which are clearly exaggerations because no one in a web forum really gives their true opinion amirite? But really some people were making some real loooooongshot comparisons to teams. Sadly, I can only think of Texas Tech and the Cleveland Browns right off hand, the others were pretty ridiculous from what I remember though.

[tschu]

friend of mine uncle works somewhere at the university and he said they're going to be RED ON RED, BLACK #s, BLACK HELMET WITH A RED N. HE ALSO SAID SOMETHING ABOUT MAYBE NO NUMBERS ON FRONT JUST A BIG N

Prety sure T.O. said there will be no change in the helmets..

He did. He then backtracked and said the helmets could change.

[HuskerShark]

friend of mine uncle works somewhere at the university and he said they're going to be RED ON RED, BLACK #s, BLACK HELMET WITH A RED N. HE ALSO SAID SOMETHING ABOUT MAYBE NO NUMBERS ON FRONT JUST A BIG N

 

I'll take this with a grain of salt, but if that's what it will be, that's interesting. I would love to see a mock-up of these to see what they really will look like.

[walksalone]

you don't f*ck with tradition...

[tschu]

I'd much rather see a little gray than a ton of black.

[gobiggergoredder]

you don't f*ck with tradition...

 

As right as you may be, I don't think we have a choice. This is marketing that needs to be done to keep pace with what is going on in college football. I have no doubt that the uniforms change ups help recruiting.

 

I just hope Tom picks a game against a cupcake because I have no doubt the 'traditionalists' will try to connect on field play with the fact their helmets look like corncobs...or whatever.

[huskereddie]

Corn smut fungus is 'black'!! I know, I had a field full of it a couple of years back. It was disgusting but it did remind me of a possible color for an alternate jersey???????????????????

[Enhance]

Once again I find myself agreeing with you 100%, Enhance.

 

Since you've said you've talked with some players about the uniforms, I was curious if they have mentioned anything about white socks/cleats for next year?

I haven't heard anything, personally. When I talk to the couple of players I know, I generally try and avoid talking about the football team as much as I can, because I'm sure that the greater portion of the conversations they have with people are about football. So, I generally just go by what they divulge personally.

 

I might try and ask them about this, though.

[Enhance]

I think it can be appealing if it still looks like Nebraska out there on the field. I think if it looks like Texas Tech or Iowa State or if it just doesn't look like Nebraska, it'll just be embarrassing, and it'll demonstrate as clearly as ever that Nebraska has lost its identity. I kid you not, you send Nebraska out in black uniforms only to get blown out by Michigan or Wisconsin wearing their traditional colors, and you'll never find another moment more symbolic of how the program has regressed since its glory days.

 

It's just one game - but if it's a big game, big enough for College Gameday or for it to at least be a national story - then the whole country watches it play out and takes in that symbolism. I think the risk is greater than the reward.

 

Again - I don't have problems with minor changes to the uniforms. But Michigan doesn't change their color scheme. Neither does Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, or USC. Oregon changes their color scheme, and as much as it has worked for them, they back up their flash with tremendous substance in their facilities and on the field, and they're still second-fiddle to USC in their own conference.

I don't really disagree with any of that. I think my overall point is that uniforms don't really matter. People try and make them matter, when - in the grand scheme of things - they're irrelevant. Unfortunately, I can't make everybody see this the way I do.

 

If we lost to Wisconsin wearing alt unis, I would care no more/less than if we lost in our regular attire. People will, however, make the exact same observation you talked about.

 

My guess is that Nebraska will wear them for a non-con game against an irrelevant opponent, possibly Idaho State. I wouldn't be surprised to see us do it for the Wisconsin game, but I hope we don't. We're the real Scarlet n' Cream, no matter how hard they try to look like us.

[walksalone]

you don't f*ck with tradition...

 

As right as you may be, I don't think we have a choice. This is marketing that needs to be done to keep pace with what is going on in college football. I have no doubt that the uniforms change ups help recruiting.

 

I just hope Tom picks a game against a cupcake because I have no doubt the 'traditionalists' will try to connect on field play with the fact their helmets look like corncobs...or whatever.

 

We do have a choice, but you're right in that there are too many worried about marketing the product. But I'm not sure if a uni change is necessarily the answer.

[marble]

Obviously not done well, but this is what i would like to see:

 

1. Black-Futuristic

2. Tradition-70's style stripes.

 

Anything they come up with will be awesome though.

Edited April 9, 2012 by marble

[marble]

[walksalone]

I guess I just don't see the fascination with the "black uni's". I guess because anytime you add Black to a uniform, it makes you some sort of badass. It works for the "Blackshirts", but thats a tradition older than most of us on this board. I don't think we need to go down that road because the Huskers have made Red pretty badassed.

[Hoosker]

Once again I find myself agreeing with you 100%, Enhance.

 

Since you've said you've talked with some players about the uniforms, I was curious if they have mentioned anything about white socks/cleats for next year?

I haven't heard anything, personally. When I talk to the couple of players I know, I generally try and avoid talking about the football team as much as I can, because I'm sure that the greater portion of the conversations they have with people are about football. So, I generally just go by what they divulge personally.

 

I might try and ask them about this, though.

 

Of course. I generally try to avoid talking football with them, that's just common courtesy.

 

I'd be interested to know if we do make the switch to white socks/cleats because I like the black on black look a lot. I'm not opposed to the white look, but part of me doesn't want to see the black look die. This is partly why I don't mind if we add black to the uniforms for the one game next year. It's a good time for a trial run and see how it goes over with the fans/players.