The possibilities for parody always were there, but as long as the Oregon Ducks were rolling over opponents with a mixture of space-age offense and panache, their dizzyingly varied uniform combinations came across as cutting-edge cool.
But when the winning stops, the fascination with fashion can become a punchline.
The O's Tyson Alger took a look back at last year's game with Washington State in Autzen Stadium. In that one, Ducks couldn't hold a 31-21 fourth-quarter lead and lost 45-38 in double overtime.
Worse, Oregon over-reached with a Lewis & Clark-themed uniform combination that didn't use traditional UO colors.