Nebraska and Northwestern's new threads

College football season is just around the corner and the Big Ten is having its annual media extravaganza in Chicago. The coaches and conference brass addressed the press yesterday and today the players are available to renew tired sports clichés. (That is basically what the whole thing is for.)

The preseason media days do not get me too excited, but it is a tease for coming attractions. BTN replayed the coaches portion last night and I caught a bit of the Legends division segment. I wanted to see what Captain Kirk had to say (he was the last coach scheduled to speak) but decided to call it a night before having to see Bo Pellini without a hat. (The conference should make him wear a hat at all times when he addresses the press. He is one homely lookin’ mofo without his signature cap.) I thought it was especially sad when Jerry Kill finished his opening statement and then patiently scanned the room and waited for someone, anyone, maybe even a hotel custodian, to ask him a question. Kill finished so early that the BTN studio crew needed to cut in to fill the rest of his time.

ANYWAY. Amid all the clichés and controversy being reported at the media days, jersey changes are also being noted (though I do not think they are being unveiled there). Jerseys and logos have always interested me, so I was piqued by news of Nebraska’s alternate uniform to be worn against Wisconsin and Northwestern’s new Under Armour threads.

Both are ug-ly.

When it comes to college football jerseys, I am a no-nonsense minimalist and traditionalist. Having lived in an era when Hawkeye football looked like this…

…I prefer solid colors, minimal amounts of stripes, and block lettering. No faded details or futuristic, space-age designs. However, the new era jerseys and their alternates are hit or miss for me. I did like Maryland’s uniforms in their first game last year (with the flag-inspired helmet design) but Ohio State’s alternate jerseys have been eyesores for the past couple years. Nebraska seems to be following suit but I can live with Northwestern’s new jerseys because I am sure it will change next year. (Indiana is another football program that changes its jersey designs almost every year. Purdue has been guilty of it, too, recently. Michigan State has gone through a number as well. I think one can tell a lot about the stability of a program’s identity by how often it alters its logo and jerseys.)

I am not sure what other Big Ten teams have made changes this year. There is a lot of speculation about changes to Penn State’s uniforms — changes that will mark a visual break from the past — but the coaching staff is keeping everything a secret until the team runs onto the field for its first game.