"We’ve gotten good feedback on that, so we decided to do that again this year."
When Ohio State takes the field for Saturday’s Peach Bowl against Georgia, the players will be outfitted in throwback uniforms that feature a traditional striping pattern associated with championship teams of the past.
“We try to honor the traditions and try to do the best we can in that area,” head coach Ryan Day during his virtual media availability on Monday afternoon.
The throwback uniforms were introduced during the Buckeyes’ run to the inaugural College Football Playoff as a nod to the 1968 title team, complete with a Block “O” on the collar, as well as black TV numbers on the shoulders of the scarlet home jersey.
Ohio State wore the road version in a 42-35 upset of No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, then wore the home version in a 42-20 win over No. 2 Oregon to capture the eighth national championship in program history.
The uniforms appeared in select regular season games over the next two seasons, albeit without the “Diamond Quest” Nike Swoosh on the left shoulder and pants that are reserved solely for the playoff.
But when the Buckeyes returned to the College Football Playoff in 2016, so did the road version of the throwback uniforms with the diamond Swoosh, though they suffered a 31-0 defeat to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal.
Ohio State subsequently wore the home version in a 29-23 loss to the Tigers in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl semifinal, but got revenge in the road version a little more than one year later, blowing out Clemson, 49-28, in the 2021 Sugar Bowl semifinal.
That uniform, which was updated to include the athletic logo on the collar instead of the Block “O” to make it true to the 2002 national championship team, made another appearance just 10 days later, when the Buckeyes lost to Alabama, 52-24, in the title game.
That dropped Ohio State’s record in the road version of the throwback uniforms to 2-2, though it’s worth noting the Buckeyes are 1-0 in this combination as the fourth-ranked team in the country, just like they’ll be against the Bulldogs.
This year’s throwback uniform has some additional modifications, meanwhile, as it features “FIGHT” sewn into the back collar as one of the program’s core values, as well as an update to Nike’s Vapor Fusion template.
Of course, some people believe the stripes should be part of Ohio State’s primary look, just as they were from 1944-56, 1967-78 and 1988-2005. But for now, it appears the Buckeyes will reserve the throwback uniforms for the College Football Playoff.
“That’s been something we’ve done here in the past and our guys like it,” Day said. “We’ve gotten good feedback on that, so we decided to do that again this year.”
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