The Ohio State football program posted a graphic to social media on Monday afternoon hinting the Buckeyes will wear all-gray alternate uniforms during their Nov. 11 game against Michigan State, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
Multiple sources have confirmed to SportsLogos.net that’s exactly what will happen, though the design is unclear at this time. The only thing for certain is it won’t be the “Land of Wolves” alternate the program wore in a 39-38 win over Penn State in 2017.
That uniform – which featured a fur pattern on the helmet, numbers and socks and scarlet Buckeye Leaf decals – also included a darker shade of gray. The Buckeyes’ graphic uses a lighter shade, however, matching their standard helmet and pants.
Seeing as the Nittany Lions protested the contrast of Ohio State’s all-gray against the their all-white road uniforms in 2017, expect the Spartans to wear green helmets and/or pants in Ohio Stadium to provide some much-needed contrast that evening.
Of course, we’ll work to confirm the details of the uniform ahead of the Buckeyes’ unveiling. Perhaps they’ll look exactly like one of the concepts I created, which include the helmet stripe on the sleeves and scarlet numbers with a white stroke.
Ohio State is 2-1 in alternate or throwback uniforms against Michigan State, including a 17-14 home loss in 1968 throwbacks in 2015, a 34-10 home win in all-black alternates in 2019 and a 52-12 road win in alternate white pants in 2020.