Ohio State to Play First 'Color vs. Color' Uniform Game in Cotton Bowl

A rare pairing of uniform colors will make Friday's game against the Missouri Tigers one of only a few in Ohio State Buckeyes history.

The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 9 Missouri Tigers are just over 24 hours away from facing off in the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

A majority of the attention leading up to the game has been focused on which players from the Buckeyes and Tigers will take the field. However, an often-overlooked element will make Friday's game historic. 

Ohio State will wear their scarlet jerseys, as is their right as the so-called "home" team in the neutral contest. Missouri, on the other hand, will wear their all-black, jersey-and-pants combination rather than their usual white uniforms when functioning as the "away" squad.

These uniform choices will make the Cotton Bowl matchup one in which both teams will wear one of their two primary colors rather than one of the squads wearing white. Unfortunately for Buckeyes fans, this kind of color pairing does not often end well for their team. 

The last time such a wardrobe matchup happened in Ohio State history was the 1976 Rose Bowl against the UCLA Bruins, per Andrew Lind. In a shocking upset, the Bruins of the then-called Pac-8 conference defeated the unranked Buckeyes, 23-10.

Ohio State's only other 'color vs. color' came in an earlier showcase of the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes dropped that game to the Cal Bears in 1921, but the color pairing was not out of the ordinary as that was the norm at the time.

Kick-off between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Missouri Tigers is scheduled for 8 p.m. eastern on Friday, December 29. Live coverage of the game will air on ESPN.