Sources: Ohio State To Wear 2002 Throwback Uniforms Against Notre Dame

The Buckeyes will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 2002 national championship on Sept. 3.

Update: A team spokesperson denied this report but confirmed to BuckeyesNow that Ohio State is encouraging fans to wear black against Wisconsin on Sept. 24 and scarlet against Iowa on Oct. 22 after we reported what sources told us the Buckeyes will wear that afternoon or evening. 

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As part of the 20th anniversary celebration of its 2002 national championship, multiple sources have indicated Ohio State will wear throwback uniforms for the season opener against Notre Dame on Sept. 3.

The uniforms are nearly identical to the 1968 throwback uniforms first worn in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship win over Oregon and most recently in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson.

They feature modified Northwestern stripes on the sleeves, which notably include gray, a color that has been absent from the Buckeyes’ standard home jerseys since 2006, when the program put its iconic helmet stripe on the sleeves instead.

However, it’s the smaller details that make this a true throwback to the 2002 season, as it includes the athletic logo on the collar – as opposed to the traditional Block “O” – and white TV numbers on the shoulders, rather than black.

Ohio State actually wore the road version of this uniform in the 2021 Sugar Bowl win over Clemson and College Football Playoff National Championship loss to Alabama.

Had the Crimson Tide fallen to the Fighting Irish in the semifinals, though, the Buckeyes would have likely worn the home version as the higher-ranked team, albeit with the Diamond Quest Nike Swoosh on the shoulder and pants, as is customary during the playoff.

This is just the first of at least three alternate uniforms for Ohio State season, as sources have also indicated the Buckeyes will don their all-black uniforms against Wisconsin on Sept. 24 and all-scarlet “Color Rush” uniforms against Iowa on Oct. 22. 

They also have white pants at their disposal for a road game of their choice, though the sources were not aware of any specific plans to wear them this season.

The 2002 throwback uniforms could make an additional appearance or two later in the season, assuming Ohio State makes the College Football Playoff, as the Buckeyes have worn throwback uniforms in each of their first four playoff appearances (2014, 2016, 2019 and 2020). 

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