A gridiron fashion statement

When LSU and Alabama take the field in their championship game tomorrow night they'll be wearing classic traditional uniforms. And then there's Oregon, which has long had a very different notion of what it means to DRESS FOR SUCCESS on the gridiron. Mo Rocca looks at the new look in gridiron gear:

When the Oregon Ducks defeated the Wisconsin Badgers in last week's Rose Bowl, they looked less like football players and more like comic book superheroes, sporting mirrored "special edition" helmets that had never been worn before.

In fact, the Ducks haven't worn the same exact uniform for two games in a row since 2004.

Portland-based Nike has outfitted the Ducks since 1996. "We're getting lighter weight," said designer Todd van Horne. "We've got stretch panels through here. It's completely 360 degree materials, zone ventilation through a lot of it."

The changes, he says, are all in the service of performance, such as the shoulder's "wings": "Durability, yeah, it protects from, you know, the hits from other helmets or chin straps or, you know, faceguards that would actually nick the material itself. So it makes it stronger."

But this is about more than functionality.

This regular season alone, the Ducks wore eight different jerseys, six pants, five helmets and four different shoe and sock colors . . . a staggering number of possible combinations.

ESPN'S Paul Lukas, founder of uni-watch.com, says college football uniforms have been changing ever since colleges have played football, but that over the last decade, Oregon "has really pioneered the idea that nothing is out of bounds . . . 'we can push the envelope'"

In the beginning uniforms were made of wool and had long sleeves. And helmets?

"There were no helmets in the beginning - the players just played bare-headed," said Lukas. "Some players used a little device that strapped around their head and just covered their nose. That was the first face mask."

As for why today's players now wear their jerseys skin-tight . . .

"It's really about this hand-to-hand combat," said Lukas. "Anything hand-to-hand, you don't want those hands to be grabbing anything."

The Ducks have turned the gridiron into a catwalk . . . and other schools are following suit.

The Maryland Terrapins were cheered - and jeered - when they debuted their "Maryland Pride" uniforms, taking the state's flag and wrapping the players in it.

"The biggest thing is, you know, people are talking about Maryland, and they're talking about the uniforms. And anytime anybody's talking about you, it's all good," said coach Randy Edsall.

If you think these uniforms are a little too fashion-forward, don't tell Edsall.

"Would you ever think of sending the offensive line up to Fashion Week in New York?" asked Rocca.

"With our uniforms? Oh, most definitely. They'd be the hit, seeing the big guys walking out there with those uniforms? When we had our show here, the runway, those guys were a hit!"

Yes, the Maryland players had a runway show featuring this season's collection!

And this year, even tradition-bound Notre Dame succumbed to the pressure t flash up their look.

We wondered if other squads should change up their look. So we brought in Barney's creative director Simon Doonan for some fashion advice.

Modeling for us were Columbia University football players Nick and Mike.

Simon was impressed with Wyoming's Cowboys . . .

"This feels very spring to me. Well, it's sharp. It's crisp," said Donnan. "I think the brown would be drab if it didn't have the sharp yellow accent."

. . . And had only kudos for Arizona State's Sun Devils.

"I love it. The burgundy looks incredible on the field. You know, against all that green!"

But when it came to the University of Hawaii?

"Well, I have to say I'm a little disappointed 'cause I thought, 'Hawaii, it's gonna be really over-the-top," said Donnan. There was a bit of tiki in the uniform, but Donnan said it was "very subtle" tiki: "To me, subtle tiki is no tiki. I want my tiki full-on."

By now you may be wondering: Why does any of this matter? Paul Lukas says a uniform may tell you a lot about the team's heritage, but he doesn't think it has much to do with its success.

"You take a school like Nebraska, they have a really plain helmet with the N on it, you know? And they sell out every game. So obviously the uniforms aren't what's driving attendance there. It's their history, it's their heritage, it's their success. Nothing looks better on the field at the end of the game than having more points than your opponent."

A flashy uniform may not mean more points, but it does mean more dollars.

"The biggest thing that has changed in terms of what drives it is that when you and I were kids, you couldn't go and buy a jersey. That market didn't exist," Lukas said. "They hadn't figured out that someone would drop $200 for a polyester shirt.

"And now, now that they know people will do that, 'Well, you already bought this year's jersey. Well, what if we change our jersey next year?' You'd go and buy another one. And so that's, like, the merchandising tail wags the on-field dog in a way that it wasn't necessary or even possible 30, 40 years ago."

And while the Oregon Ducks may be trendsetters and Rose Bowl Champs, Maryland ended the season with two wins and 10 losses.

"It's one thing to look like a clown and win. Then you're a winner," said Lukas. "If you look like a clown and lose, you're just a clown."

For more info:

• University of Oregon Ducks
• University of Maryland Terrapins
• uni-watch.com (Paul Lukas)
• simondoonan.net
• "Gay Men Don't Get Fat" by Simon Doonan (Penguin)
• barneys.com
• nike.com
• Under Armour