New Oregon State Uniforms Unveiled in The Latest College Football Rebranding

The rumored new Oregon State uniforms were unveiled on Monday, in a complete overhaul of the Beaver brand that also includes a new logo and slight redesign of the university’s official athletic site.

Oregon State’s Nike-designed gear includes a grill on the helmet facemasks, resembling beaver teeth. A similar duckbill approach was introduced at Nike University and OSU’s in-state rival, Oregon.

Per OSUBeavers.com, this is about so much more than updating uniforms that have already undergone multiple face lifts in recent years.

"Oregon State University, in partnership with Nike, today introduced a new brand and identity system that sets the visual direction for Beaver Athletics for years to come and modernizes one of the most recognizable brands in all of intercollegiate athletics.“Oregon State Athletics has undergone a tremendous transformation in the last 15 years and our new brand identity is another sign that the Beavers continue to confidently move forward,” said Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis. “The ultimate goal for the rebrand is to attract high-caliber student-athletes to a contemporary brand, while respecting our heritage.”"

The updated look coincides with much needed, large scale renovations made to Reser Stadium. Oregon State is one of many Pac-12 programs renovating facilities in the ever-growing arms race of big-time college football.

Cutting edge fashion is now just a facet in the overall efforts of athletic programs to gain national relevance. Oregon remains the clear frontrunner on the West Coast, no matter what efforts other schools in the Pac-12 make.

Since winning the Fiesta Bowl at the culmination of the 2000 season, Oregon State has been playing catch-up to the Oregon Ducks. UO is riding a streak of four consecutive BCS bowl appearances with three Pacific 10/12 Conference championships.

Nike’s Phil Knight will make certain the Ducks are always one step ahead. Conflict of interest when outfitting and leading the rebranding of other universities?

Maybe, but the Swoosh is well ahead of the pack in the college football game — both on and off the field.

And yet, the latest threads and redesigns hardly promise success on Saturdays. The BCS championship has been monopolized by programs with long-established branding, including their uniforms. The Alabama Crimson Tide have not needed to stray from their number-on-one-side helmets and black shoes.

Then again, would the Tide faithful be resistant to a black-and-white, Houndstooth helmet? Empirical evidence says no.