NFL tells University of Houston to stop wearing Oilers-inspired 'Luv Ya Blue' uniforms

The “Luv Ya Blue” uniforms unveiled by the University of Houston earlier this season will be short lived. According to the Houston Chronicle, the NFL is not pleased with the Cougars’ use of the former Houston Oilers look.

The school wore an Oilers-inspired uniform for the season opener against UTSA this season. Because of the love for nostalgia, fans went nuts over the look. But the NFL’s merchandising and licensing department sent a cease-and-desist letter to the school over the uniform.

The “Luv Ya Blue” look is trademarked.

The NFL has ordered Houston to cease the usage of Oilers-inspired alternates, citing trademark infringement.
(h/t @HoustonChron) pic.twitter.com/ka1v0ZwqQf

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 30, 2023

Just when you thought the league might allow some leniency, the NFL shows, once again, why people refer to it as the “No Fun League.”

The Cougars found some success wearing those powder blues, defeating UTSA 17-14 in the opener. Houston’s season has not gone according to plan since then, posting a 3-5 record on the year and just a 1-4 mark in Big 12 play.

The “Luv Ya Blue” look was worn by the Houston Oilers from 1960-96. The team then moved to Nashville and became the Tennessee Oilers from 1997-98. In 1999, the franchise altered its name to Titans, changed the logo and incorporated navy blue as the team’s primary color, while still utilizing the powder blue and red.

This year, the Titans paid homage to their time in Houston by breaking out their own “Luv Ya Blue” jerseys for two games.

Houston steamrolled by Kansas State on Saturday

The weekend went from bad to worse in Houston. As if Saturday’s blowout loss to Kansas State wasn’t bad enough, the NFL slapped the university with a cease and desist.

Prior to the NFL wagging its finger at the Cougars, the team suffered an embarrassing 41-0 loss to the Wildcats on Saturday. Houston dropped its fourth conference game of the year.

The Cougars totaled just 208 yards of offense and recorded just 11 first downs in the thumping. Houston also finished the contest with six penalties for 60 yards and two turnovers.

Although it has not been pretty for the Cougars, bowl eligibility remains a possibility. Three of the remaining four games on Houston’s schedule come against teams below .500. Here is a look at the remaining schedule:

• Nov. 4: at Baylor (3-5)
• Nov. 11: vs. Cincinnati (2-6)
• Nov. 18: vs. Oklahoma State (6-2)
• Nov. 25: vs. UCF (3-5)

Houston needs to win three of those games to secure a spot in the postseason. So, as ugly as it has been so far, there’s still some hope for the Cougars on the field … just not while wearing a powder blue uniform.