Even More About Nebraska’s Alternate Uniform

Yesterday, adidas revealed the alternate uniforms that Wisconsin will wear in the September 29 game against Nebraska.  You can see Wisconsin’s new threads here.

Look familiar?

They look an awful lot like the alternate uniforms that Nebraska will wear in that same game.  (Click here for my thoughts on the Nebraska uniforms).

Before I enter into Rant Mode, I’ll say that overall I don’t hate Wisconsin’s version – although I think they should have made them look a little more like the letter sweater that Bucky Badger wears.  It’s a nice futuristic throwback (huh?) look.  Heck, I’ll be honest:  if I turned on a game and saw Wisconsin wearing these, I’d probably say they were cool.

But I hate them.

Why?  Because they came from the same template that produced Nebraska’s alternate uniforms.  Here is an in-depth look at the exhaustive design process used to create the Wisconsin alternates:

1. Open up the Uni-Maker Pro software
2. Pull up the 2012_TechFit_Master template file
3. Delete the sans-serif “N” and type in a sans-serif “W”.  Increase helmet font size by 50%
4. Uncheck the Home box and check the Away box.
5. Toggle the color palate from Nebraska to Wisconsin
6. Click Save
7. Email the file over to Marketing and CC the factory in Indonesia.

I hate that the NU-UW game – which should be a battle between two of the Big Ten’s premier teams – is reduced to a primetime commercial for adidas to peddle their gear and show that they can crank out cutting edge uniforms like Nike.  I hate that this game not only has a name (“Unrivaled Game”) but also a slogan (“The Quick and the Red”).  I, like others, will be calling this game what it truly is:  The adidas Bowl.

I hate that adidas seemingly cares so little about Nebraska (and Wisconsin) as flagship wearers of the adidas brand that they do not warrant their own unique designs.  While I probably should take that as a sign of how much Nebraska’s national prestige has fallen since 2001, I still take it as a slap in the face from the university’s official apparel provider.  Besides, look at Wisconsin:  two Rose Bowls in the last three years and they have to wear the same uniforms as a team who hasn’t won their conference since 1999.

And I can only chuckle at the biggest irony in this whole thing.  As most college fan know, the traditional uniforms worn by Nebraska and Wisconsin are very similar.  So similar that many fans have a hard time telling them apart when they play (Quick tip:  Nebraska has one helmet stripe, Wisconsin has two).  But thanks to adidas, this year’s game is going to look more like an intra-squad scrimmage than a match up of two traditional powers.  And that is just stupid.

Adidas – you can do better.