Baylor's transition from college football laughingstock to powerhouse has been as swift as it is impressive. Suddenly, the Bears have built a solid program that became even more successful after its Heisman-winning quarterback left for the NFL.
The Bears used that momentum to build a brand-new college football stadium seen as maybe the most technologically advanced in the country. And now Baylor is now trying to win another all-important battle: it's taking on Oregon and other schools in the race to own the most exciting jerseys.
To that end, Baylor made new additions to its jerseys options this summer that create a number of new combinations the team can use on game day. The team's equipment manager, Jeff Barlow, explains in a YouTube video that the Bears now have 120 different uniform combinations that feature six helmet options, four jerseys and five different sets of pants.
If the team uses a different combo every week, it's currently set to debut an original combo every game for the next 10 years.
"You'll never see that. I don't think you will. But yeah, that's a lot,” Barlow says. "Really it's all about recruiting ... that's just part of the program -- the uniforms, the fast offense, just the relentlessness of how we play fast, physical, fearless."
Recruiting is right. Oregon used its relationship with Nike to gain the attention of recruits in faraway parts of the country. Former Oregon Duck and one-time Heisman candidate LaMichael James once said that, as a high school star in Texas, he only knew one thing about the Ducks' football programs.
Yes: It was the jerseys.
To give you a sense of how the mixing and matching can be done, here's a look at quarterback Marcus Mariota's uniform in each game of the 2013 season for Oregon:
Marcus Mariota In Every 2013 Uniform
Dec. 30 vs. Texas, Alamo Bowl
Ducks win 30-7.
Nov. 29 vs. Oregon State
Ducks win 36-35.
Nov. 23 at Arizona
Ducks lose 42-16.
Nov. 16 vs. Utah
Ducks win 44-21.
Nov. 7 at Stanford
Ducks lose 26-20.
Oct. 26 vs. UCLA
Ducks win 42-14.
Oct. 19 vs. Washington State
Ducks win 62-38.
Oct. 12 at Washington
Ducks win 45-24.
Oct. 5 at Colorado
Ducks win 57-16.
Sept. 28 vs. Cal
Ducks win 55-16.
Sept. 21 vs. Tennessee
Ducks win 59-14.
Sept. 7 at Virginia
Ducks win 59-10.
Aug. 31 vs. Nicholls State
Ducks win 66-3.
Bonus: 2014 Spring Game
May 3, 2014, in Eugene, Oregon.
Baylor is hoping that similar attractions can persuade blue-chips to move to Waco, Texas. It's not the Garden of Eden, but the Bears have got a lot of shiny sweeteners for anyone who wants to play football.
They've even got a winning program, too. But as Baylor and Oregon will tell you, winning isn't all that matters to recruits.
