Ducks sport new uniforms

NOT-SO-BASIC BLACK: It's a bye week for the Ducks, and that brings one certainty: Oregon can't unveil a new uniform.

Last Saturday the Ducks showed off their new black "Lights Out" uniformss with a flourish, changing out of dark green after warmups before charging onto the field in all black for the game against Arizona.

The Nike uniforms feature stylized silver "wings" on the shoulders, and a matte blackish-green helmet.

Oregon has become famous - or infamous, depending on how you look at it - for its revolving uniforms. It's a benefit of having Nike co-founder Phil Knight as your team's biggest booster.

Who can forget when Oregon unleashed its neon yellow uniforms and the Ducks were dubbed "The Human Highlighters?"

Quite a few pundits have chastised the Ducks for pilfering a color used by a certain team just north of Eugene.

Blogging for Oregonlive.com, Oregonian reporter Paul Buker wrote: "My take: maybe if the Ducks throw in orange socks, or orange piping on those black jerseys, they will actually PLAY like the guys in orange and black and win a big game in November."

Ouch.

But there's one more thing to ponder: There are reports that Oregon will have a complete uniform redesign in 2010.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)