Football

Back In Black: Your Dress Code For Ohio State – Michigan State

by Tom Orr
Ohio State football Ohio Stadium Blackout

This weekend’s game between Ohio State and Michigan State isn’t a black-tie affair, but the Buckeyes will be wearing black… pretty much everything else.

The school announced that their first prime time home game of the season will be a blackout.

OSU players will wear black uniforms, and all fans are being encouraged to wear black as well.

This won’t be a big change for new Buckeye head coach Ryan Day, who has made a black windbreaker and black hat his signature look.

The black jerseys first appeared for the 2015 Ohio State vs. Penn State game, a 38-10 prime time Buckeye win.

The Bucks also wore them last fall in a 36-31 home win over Nebraska. The “blackout” theme looked a lot less menacing for a noon kickoff.

Never a favorite of traditionalists, the black jerseys have at least been quarantined to non-rivalry games thus far.

And while some might point to the fan dress code as nothing more than a transparent call-to-action for tens of thousands to purchase officially-licensed merchandise in a new color, others may attempt to simply change the subject.

Regardless, the uniforms are unquestionably a popular look with many recruits, who frequently choose to wear them for photo shoots during campus visits.

With the combination of opponent and kickoff time already making this a big recruiting weekend, it’s not a surprise to see them on the way again.

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22 Responses

  1. Give me Ryan Days black game Day outfit over Urbans wussy white jacket!

  2. All gray jerseys with red numbers and current gray pants with the regular silver helmets would be nice

  3. Black IS an official color of the Ohio State University. There’s no gimmick involved.

    Gee, lets see if this one gets deleted as well.

    1. Technically, maybe…MAYBE…but not really…and you know it.

      1. No maybe’s or technicalities. From the official Ohio State website.

        Ohio State Buckeyes Hex, RGB, PANTONE and CMYK Color Codes

        The Ohio State Buckeyes team colors are Scarlet, Gray, White and Black. Here are the Ohio State University color codes if you need them for any of your digital projects.

  4. The blackout thing seems to me to be a disadvantage.
    The black unis would blend in with blackout crowd making it harder for Fields to see receivers, no?

  5. Now we are reduced to gimmicks??? What has been a powerful display of offensive power mixed with a dominating defense, is now reduced to a sideshow. I always thought Ohio State colors were Scarlet and Gray. Most Buckeye fans bleed Scarlet and Gray not black!

    1. It was nice when I would come to the comment section and read and comment on football. Who cares what they wear for one game? Something happened here. These uniforms are for the players not for us.

      2. Maybe you shouldn’t click on an article with “Dress Code” in the title and expect the discussion to be about Xs and Os.

  6. The kids like the black uniforms. I’m ok with it. But asking OSU fans to participate in a “black out” never works You end up with a checker board.

  7. Just be happy we aren’t wearing anything like the players for the Wisconsin vs. Northwestern game.

    1. I actually liked Wisconsin’s throwback uniforms in that game.

      1. EW they looked like Target or State Farm employees.

  8. Look here is the real point. It helps with recruiting, and that is all that matters is you want to continue to WIN. 17-18 year olds kids love alternate uniforms and that attracts them. Bosa, Roby, Miller, Ginn Jr, Haskins, Apple, Lattimore, Thomas, Young, Fields and the list goes on… Do you want to continue getting first round draft picks? These are youngsters that come from the swag lifestyle. If you want to keep dominating the team up north, you have to please the demographics of these players. Do you think the inner city kids want to keep coming here wearing the same uniform every game? I like the traditional red as well, but you have to switch it up some now. It is not the 80s or 90s anymore.

    1. So, you’re contending if Ohio State didn’t do this, we will lose recruits? Really? Seriously?

  9. Totally lame! It’s so unoriginal too! What’s worse is that if you are trying to ”intimidate” the opposition, having fans wear BLACK during a NIGHT game makes the stadium look empty. Nothing stands out! They’d be better off doing a ”sea of scarlet.” The reason the white out looks so good at PSU is because it’s a bright color set against a dark surface (the night sky). At the end of the day I think it looks stupid! It’s over done, and we never play well in black anyways.

  10. Completely agree, Bluegrass. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it- and OSU’s true unis ain’t broke. Lose the gimmick unis!

  11. Gimmicky. Although there must be SOME reason for this abomination, it’s hard for me to believe that it has anything to do with recruiting…ahem, Alabama, anyone??? If the ordinary (which is anything but ordinary) Ohio State brand doesn’t attract recruits (and I have every reason to believe it doesn’t), then they need to look elsewhere. The recruiters aren’t doing their job if they don’t tell the recruits, “Hey, look what’s on the field and what we put in the NFL. If that’s not enough for you, then you may be interested in another program.” In my opinion, this whole blackout/whiteout thing cheapens the championship brand that is THE Ohio State University. I’m still a fan, regardless, but this annoys me…and it’s pathetic.

    1. couldn’t agree more, bluegrass. i don’t want to replicate the oregon schtick with the uni’s. thank God my annual trip back to cols for a game will not be this one, as i wouldn’t capitulate with anything other than scarlet. i get the kids’ thinking it’s slightly bad-ass once and a while; but honestly think the traditional uni’s carry with then an element of intimidation based on what they represent…kinda like (for all the semi-olds) what the UCLA or Indiana basketball uni’s did to the opposition during warmups. the black uni’s do not carry with them any sort of fear. gimmicky is all.
      (oh, and true that re the abomination what were the Wiscy throwbacks. wow.)

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