BLACKSBURG -- The over-the-top literature being passed out at the gathering -- along with the $24 white cotton T-shirts being hawked -- said all you need to know. Their message: GOOD GUYS WEAR WHITE.

As for the guys not wearing white? Well, the promotional materials told Virginia Tech students, it's a matter of "good vs. evil." And good always triumphs. All this for the unveiling of a new style of football jersey the Hokies will wear this weekend against the Maryland Terrapins, who you might have guessed by now will not be wearing white.

"Stay in your shells, tortoises," the Nike fliers said. "It's time for combat."

All this, and several performances by Tech's cheerleaders and dance team -- oh, and appearances by head coach Frank Beamer and former legends Bruce Smith and Antonio Freeman -- for the debut of some new jerseys and pants and cleats.

Not just any jerseys, pants and cleats, mind you. These are, says the literature, 37 percent lighter than any jersey ever made. The shoes are a mere 10 ounces, surely making the Hokies' previously cleats seem like cinder blocks.

You sweat less in this space-age stuff, too. And the cutting-edge stitching -- trust them, it's all about the details -- makes last year's threads look like they were woven on a loom.

Lucky for Virginia Tech, it was chosen as one of only 10 programs to debut Nike's latest, greatest line over the next few weeks. The Pro Combat line. And the battle lines were clearly drawn Monday afternoon in Blacksburg. The fight is on for your consumer dollar. In such a showdown, not an ounce of bravado can be spared.

Sensitivity? Sometimes there's collateral damage. Nike executive Lorren Hoppes, in explaining the all-white look Tech will wear against Maryland this weekend, said his company learned that the Terps would be having a "blackout" for this game.

"So we wanted the good guys to wear white," he said.

Turns out, Maryland -- whose jerseys are made by Nike rival Under Armour -- is actually wearing black and tan camouflage uniforms for this game. It's in honor of military veterans and to promote the Wounded Warrior Project.

Hoppes said the "Good Guys Wear White" campaign wasn't a dig at his company's competitor. But then he did say Nike tried to roll out this new product line in games against non-Nike-sponsored schools. So what does Beamer think of it all? He thinks what just about anybody would whose athletic program is in the midst of an eight-year contract worth $9.7 million in cash and products.

The travesty of all this, then, is that Saturday's game -- read: wardrobe smackdown -- won't even be televised. And Maryland's Byrd Stadium won't likely be sold out.

Nike is donating the uniforms and helmets to be auctioned off with proceeds going to Herma's Readers. Herma's Readers is a non-profit organization that promotes the power of reading and literacy to youngsters in grades K-3.

The online auction will begin at 10 a.m. today and will continue through Nov. 23, at 5 p.m. Bids on the uniforms (jersey, pants and helmet) can be made by logging onto hokiesports.com/auction.

There will be a minimum bid of $500 and all orders will have a $25 shipping fee added. All auctioned items will not be mailed until the end of the season.