Nike dominates college football apparel, but may not be champion on the field

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CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 01: Clemson Tigers wide receiver Justyn Ross (8) catches a long pass during the ACC Championship game between the Clemson Tigers and the Pittsburgh Panthers on December 01, 2018 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Clemson Tigers wide receiver Justyn Ross (8) catches a long pass during the ACC Championship game between the Clemson Tigers and the Pittsburgh Panthers on December 01, 2018. (William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma—these gridiron heavyweights will battle in the College Football Playoff on Saturday.

But as the games heat up, a different contest will unfold between three corporate adversaries: Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour.

Each company sponsors apparel for athletics programs as part of the multi-billion dollar collegiate merchandising industry. A company’s investment in a school’s gear, which can reach as much as $280 million for a 15-year contract, is not only a bet on the school’s reputation but its performance. If the team wins, the company does too.

Whether the college football apparel business is competitive enough to be called a rivalry, well, that’s another story.

Graphic breaks down the college football bowl teams by the company that sponsors each team's apparel: Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour.
Graphic breaks down the college football bowl teams by the company that sponsors each team's apparel: Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour.

Nike is dominant. The company sponsors jerseys for 49 of this season’s 80 bowl teams, as well as 21 of the top 25 teams in the country, per the latest Associated Press poll. Nike’s roster of football juggernauts includes three of the four teams in the College Football Playoff: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson, and No. 4 Oklahoma. If you tune in, ubiquitous swoosh symbols will grace your screen.

But this year’s gridiron champs may very well don Under Armour, which outfits No. 3 Notre Dame. It’s one of only two top 25 teams that rep the company, making Under Armour an underdog in the game within the game.

Watch Nike and Under Armour face off on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN) in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, featuring No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame. Later that day, No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Oklahoma will battle in the Capital One Orange Bowl at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Both teams in that second matchup wear Nike, but don’t expect them to get along because of it.

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