With the job in front of them, Ducks should make a radical uniform choice

Oregon's spirit of innovation and style has helped elevate the program from the Bottom Ten and "Crummy Game of the Week" in the 1980s to a perennial power in college football.

The uniform changes resonate with recruits. The style choices are so anticipated that there's a weekly reveal, and an Oregon photo shoot becomes a highlight of every recruiting visit.

In November, the Ducks need to flip the script. Yes, constant uniform innovation has been a hallmark and a great contributor to their identity as a program. It's the first thing players talk about, often the envy of the nation.

They face four make-or-break games in November. A tough road trip to Iowa, followed by a visit to Autzen by a hard-nosed, pride-bruised Minnesota team six days later, followed by resurgent USC highlight the slate. If they survive all that, the Ducks travel to Seattle to end the season against 6-2, unranked and overlooked Washington.

It's as demanding a final month as the Ducks have had in a long time, one that will require steely-eyed focus and attention.

The week before the Rutgers game Dan Lanning held the Monday team meeting on folding chairs in the Jaqua Center, removing all frills. It was back to the basics.

The Grateful Dead tribute was fun for many but it sucked energy out of the stadium along with a brutal eight hours of weather. In these last five weeks Oregon needs every ounce of attention not on what they are wearing and what the new shoe is but on fundamentals, assignments and playing with purpose.

The opinions of tradition-obsessed older fans matter little in this landscape. They don't get a vote. But the Ducks need to pare it down for what's ahead of them. Wear the green and yellow base uniforms. Play football. Sack the quarterback, run power and make first downs. Leave the posing and styling to someone else.