To heck with the game, let's see your uniform!

There was quite a bit of buzz in the midwest leading up to Oklahoma State University's fall practice..not about the Pokes' new offensive coordinator, not about OSU's question marks at defensive tackle, but over something clearly becoming far more critical.

The uniforms.

Yeah, you read that right, uniforms.

Seems that the folks at Nike have decided to make Oklahoma State the "Oregon of the Southwest," and bestowing on the good kids at Stillwater more neon-infused color combinations of football uniforms than your local pizzeria has of cheese, veggies, and meat. And some of the colors are even actually part of Oklahoma State's official color scheme of orange and, uh, something.

This increasing obsession with the composition of the uniform raises the question, "So what?"

Having been a fan of college football for close to 40 years, I've never come across anything quite as particularly absurd as the obsession with the uniform. Gray helmets with bright orange pants. Black helmets with black pants. Orange pants with charcoal numbers and orange helmets. Glow-in-the-dark helmets with polka-dot pants.

Yeah, right.

In the broader context of college ball, who cares?

Does the running back run faster in a dark-colored jersey, or a light-colored one? Does the center snap the ball more quickly with a gray helmet instead of a white one? Does the wide receiver jump higher with white pants or green pants?

It is to boggle the mind.

I suppose the old axiom holds that any publicity is good publicity, but ultimately the game of college football is played and one on the field, not in the mirrored room of a fashion designer. I suppose the multiple permutations of uniforms gives athletic departments new sources of revenue for officially licensed merchandise, but it just seems a contrived issue designed to create news where there is none. Classic teams have a classic look. Teams with less tradition, I suppose, are looking for a "hook" to get them the notoriety they don't already have.

As for me, strap on the pads, put on the helmets, and get on with the game. Leave the designer permutations to the folks on "What Not to Wear."