In yet another striking piece of evidence that colleges are profiting wildly on their star players, ESPN reported this week that Oregon is selling 25 different variations of quarterback Marcus Mariota's No. 8 uniform.
That is the most of any single player in the NCAA this year, followed by the 17 different No. 98 jerseys sold by Michigan (for quarterback Devin Gardner) and the 15 No. 5 jerseys offered at Notre Dame (for quarterback Everett Golson).
In making this calculation, ESPN's Darren Rovell counted all the colors and sizes of the jerseys offered by the different programs.
Here's a look at a few of the No. 8 jerseys offered by Oregon:
"@GeorgeSchroeder: Now to Oregon’s school web site. “Do you know who Marcus Mariota is?” Emmert: “I do."" pic.twitter.com/QqQjqVVguL
— SB✯Nation CFB (@SBNationCFB) June 20, 2014
This increase in jersey variety at a few schools is notable in part because other colleges are scaling back on their selection. In the wake of the Ed O'Bannon trial and Northwestern players' unionization fight, three schools from power conferences -- Arizona, Texas A&M and Northwestern -- have decided to stop selling jerseys with star players' numbers. The NCAA's official store recently stopped selling jerseys with player numbers but the organization has not extended that dictum to specific schools.
In a telling sign of just how lucrative jerseys sales are for big schools, Ohio State's store is still selling seven different varieties of the No. 5 jersey. That's the number worn by Braxton Miller, the Buckeyes' injured quarterback who has been ruled out for the 2014 season.
Mariota, a redshirt junior, is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season.