Uniform of the Day: Colorado goes Vegas gold for one night only

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It's been a minute since I've done a 'Uniform of the Day' post, but I've had Colorado's unique look against Baylor in 1998 on my mind for a while now. The Buffs broke out a black-gold-black set in an 18-16 home win over the Bears that they only wore once:

For reference, this is what Colorado's regular uniforms looked like in that era:

I grew up going to almost every CU home game from 1990-2005, and even I can't remember them wearing these, or why they did it for this particular game. I reached out to Colorado for more info –thank you to Athletic Department legend Dave Plati for the pictures!– and all I could really get was that the gold jerseys were partly throwbacks. The Buffs wore gold jerseys at points in the 1950s and 60s, so these were the first time they'd rocked the color as a top in at least 30 years. It's also the last time they've worn a true "gold" jersey, unless you want to count the dull yellow/gold of their 1930s throwbacks against Wyoming in 2009:

It was also the first time in school history they wore a black helmet - something they wouldn't do again until 2012:

I've found the 1998 gold jersey available online at a few different thrift shops, but with slight differences from the on-field version. The ones for sale have a Big 12 patch on the collar, and no "Pope" lettering on the shoulders:

My only guess is that the version on the left was the original design, but the collar patch got scrapped. The Buffs didn't wear the Big 12 patch on their regular jerseys in 1998, but did in 1997:

As for why the "Pope" lettering isn't on the shoulders? No idea. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

I know a lot of CU fans don't like the uniforms from this era, but I'd love to see this unique lettering and number font make a return, even for just a game. I'd also be over the moon for a new gold jersey. It's hard to believe the Buffs haven't worn a true gold top since this game, given the explosion of alternates over the last 20 years. If anyone's going to bring back the gold, though, you'd figure Deion Sanders is the perfect person to make it happen.