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Ranking the Ohio State Alternate Unis Over the Years

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Over the last decade or so, the Ohio State Buckeyes have used several alternate uniforms. Some believe the alternates are a great piece of the Ohio State program… others lament that “Alabama doesn’t need to do all that flashy stuff!!” No matter where you fall on that spectrum, you know that recruiting is important, and changing it up now and then helps with recruitment. The Ohio State alternate uniforms usage has cooled off in the Ryan Day era, but the Buckeyes have suited up at least once per season.

Ranking the Ohio State Alternate Uniforms

In order to be considered for this list, the Buckeyes would have to wear a jersey that is different than their primary scarlet or white jerseys. In the past decade and a half, there have been 15 Ohio State alternate uniforms/alternate combinations, each with its own history, fan pushback, and success. Of course, these rankings are subjective and, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

15. 1916 Throwback

At the bottom of the Ohio State alternate uniforms list are the 1916 “Chick Harley” throwbacks. The Buckeyes wore these only once during the 2016 showdown against Nebraska. Both teams came in ranked in the top 10, and the game started with a Damon Webb pick-six, and the Buckeyes never looked back. They won 62-3 after rattling off 55 unanswered points.

This author was at this game in the student section. When Webb returned that interception, the Horseshoe was about as electric as can be. Unfortunately, the uniforms the Buckeyes wore were not. The lack of names on the back of the jersey is not an issue. The helmets were a dark gray, textured cannonball look. The scarlet jerseys with the vertical gray stripes are the issue. They just don’t work.

14. 1961 Throwback

With 20 seconds left, Braxton Miller heaved what looked like a prayer to a wide-open Devin Smith in the endzone to steal a win over the Russell Wilson-led Wisconsin team that went on to win the Big Ten. The 2011 season is one that Buckeyes fans yearn to forget, but this game was legendary.

However, there is a reason these 1961 throwbacks are towards the bottom of these Ohio State alternate uniforms rankings. They were scarlet jerseys with white numbers, gray pants, gray shoulders, and a thick scarlet line down the side of the pants. The helmet was scarlet with a thick, tapered gray stripe. This was the only time the Buckeyes ever wore this combo, and for good reason.

13. All Scarlet

In all reality, the Scarlet Out is not so much an alternate uniform as it is a different take on the classic home scarlet. For each of the last four years (2021-2024), Ohio State has hosted a “Scarlet the Shoe” event ala Penn State’s White Out.

In 2021, the Buckeyes elected to go scarlet jerseys on scarlet pants for the first time in program history. In that time, the program has hosted a “Scarlet the Shoe” for each.

In that 33-24 win over Penn State in 2021, the scarlet-on-scarlet look was not awful, but it was not exactly much to write home about. Fans will likely look back on them with more love after last year’s College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes trounced Tennessee in the first-ever home game at the Horseshoe, rocking the all-scarlet look.

12. 1968 Throwback with Cannonball Gray Helmet

The spot was good.

In 2016, Ohio State had to come from behind and force two overtimes to beat hated rival Michigan. This was another game this author attended, and was in the same endzone where Curtis Samuel sealed the deal. The Horseshoe was so loud that I could feel the wrinkles on my brain.

The 1968 throwbacks are not bad; they are the go-to for the Buckeyes when they wear scarlet in the CFP. But the juxtaposition of that jersey with the cannonball gray helmet did not sit right. It felt like when you edit jerseys on College Football 25 and create a set with a jersey from one era and a helmet from another. Thankfully, this game was the last time the Buckeyes ever sported this mix.

11. “Rivalry” (Scarlet)

These were often referred to as the “Primetime Jerseys” because Ohio State always brought them out for big night games in the Urban Meyer era. The Buckeyes premiered these threads in 2012 in the win over Michigan and have worn them six times overall. With wins over Michigan in 2012, Wisconsin and Penn State in 2013, and Illinois in 2014, Ohio State enjoyed these. They did drop two games to Clemson in the 2014 Orange Bowl, then to Virginia Tech in the 2014 regular season.

Change the names from black to gray, and these likely shoot up this list. The shiny gray helmet with the thick red stripe is an interesting take, but it worked. There are so many iconic shots of these jerseys where the Buckeyes are waiting in the tunnel, and all you can really see are the silver number outlines. These used to be higher on this list, but they haven’t aged quite as gracefully as others.

10. 1942 Throwback

Much to the chagrin of older Buckeye fans, Ohio State’s alternate uniforms came out against Michigan frequently. The 2010 matchup was no different. Just a year removed from the white 1954 throwbacks, the Buckeyes sported an all-scarlet throwback en route to yet another win in The Game.

Honestly, this is where we begin to split hairs. The throwback was very well done. It gave a modern look to a classic. The font of the numbers is not my speed, but they pulled them off. The helmets were a bit boring, but that’s what they looked like back in the day. As with three of the previous four entries, this was the only time the Buckeyes wore these threads.

9. All White

While the 2020 season was one worth forgetting for a number of reasons, it did give the Buckeyes a new look. In the win over Michigan State, Ohio State tweaked its usual away threads and substituted white pants in for the usual gray. There isn’t much to the combination, but the all-white look is just clean.

In addition to the 2020 matchup with Michigan State, the all-white look returned in 2024 in the loss at Oregon in the regular season.

8. “Land of the Wolves” (Gray)

This alternate was legitimately a shot at all of the “Ohio State’s colors are scarlet and gray! Not black!” folks out there. Well, here is a gray jersey. The Buckeyes wore these in their legendary comeback against Penn State in 2017. J.T. Barrett could not miss in the fourth quarter and kept the Buckeyes’ CFP hopes alive.

Realistically, these aren’t the best, but they could have been done better. The gray jersey with plain black numbers and names, with gray pants and an oddly textured gray helmet, felt kind of “meh.” If the Buckeyes had lost that game, fans would likely have just burned those jerseys and forgotten about it.

7. All Gray

The latest in this recent long line of Ohio State alternate uniforms features a brand-new take on the home jerseys. As with the Land of the Wolves (Gray) jerseys, the all-gray look is a switch on tradition while keeping with the “Ohio State is scarlet and gray!!” mentality.

In all reality, the all-gray unis are the exact same as the standard home and away jerseys, but with a few colors switched around. This time around, the all-gray unis were utilized against Michigan State in 2023 and Iowa in 2024.

6. 1968 Throwback/Nike Diamond Quest (Scarlet)

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones (12) hands the ball to running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) in the fourth quarter against the Oregon Ducks in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

One of the best Ohio State alternate uniforms to be worn multiple times is this 1968 scarlet throwback. It’s a popular opinion that these (or, at least, a re-worked version) should be their permanent home jerseys. Overall, the Buckeyes are 2-2 while wearing these with wins over 2015 Oregon (CFP Title) and Hawai’i, and losses to Michigan State in 2015 and Clemson in the 2019 CFP Semi-Final.

Change the shoulder numbers to white like the front and back numbers, and they could be the regular home jerseys. The black-on-scarlet seems a bit odd, but one could understand the allure.

5. “Rivalry” (White)

Not sure why, but it just looks immaculate when the Buckeyes wear white. Ohio State debuted the white versions of the Rivalry threads in 2013 against Michigan, then brought them back once more in a win over Penn State in 2014. Both games went down to the wire. Tyvis Powell intercepted Devin Gardner‘s two-point attempt to seal the win over Michigan. Joey Bosa baptized whichever poor Penn State running back tasked with blocking him one-on-one and sacked Christian Hackenberg to win it.

These could easily be the standard away jerseys. The numbers on the chest, back, and shoulders are all scarlet, as is the name. The helmet is the same shiny one from the scarlet version. Additionally, they loved to wear white pants to have an iconic white-on-white look.

4. 1954 Throwback

For the second-best throwback Ohio State alternate uniforms, we have to jump all the way back to the 2009 showdown between the Buckeyes and Michigan. In the 21-10 win, the Buckeyes ran through Michigan behind Dan Herron, Brandon Saine, and Terrelle Pryor. It was a forgettable game, but these unis were not.

The simplicity just works. They featured white jerseys with red numbers with gray trim, and white helmets with black numbers. The only points taken away are because of the different fonts between the jersey and helmet numbers. Either keep the block numbers on the jersey and lose the helmet numbers, or use the numbers from the 1942 throwbacks.

3.  1968 Throwback/Nike Diamond Quest (White)

If Ohio State were to change its away jerseys to any of these, the most likely would be these Diamond Quest whites. Since debuting them against Alabama in the 2015 CFP Semifinal, the Buckeyes have sported these threads an additional nine times. They’ve won six contests (2014 Alabama; 2015 Virginia Tech, Michigan; 2016 Oklahoma; 2019 Clemson; 2024 Notre Dame) and lost four (2016 Penn State; 2016 Clemson; 2020 Alabama; 2022 Georgia).

All white jersey/pants combo, scarlet numbers and names, and the gray sleeves? Sign us up! 10 instances in 10 seasons is easily the most frequent for all of these alternates.

2. “Land of the Wolves” (White)

We may be alone in thinking the Land of the Wolves whites used against Michigan in 2017 are great, but that’s fine. Yet another comeback win against Michigan, this one came thanks to Dwayne Haskins coming off the bench after J.T. Barrett re-injured his knee. The now-infamous segment with Michigan players mic’d up makes this victory all the sweeter.

Essentially just a white version of the gray unis against Penn State earlier in the year, these knock it out of the park. Instead of a bland black or gray number (like on the grays), these introduce a patterned black number. There is one more detail that sets them over the top, but more on that in the top selection.

1. “Blackout”

First off, it can be argued that the Ohio State Rose Bowl unis that utilize a subtle rose pattern in the scarlet stripe on the helmet should be at the top. Objectively, that’s fair, but the diversion from the usual isn’t enough to really qualify it as an Ohio State alternate uniform.

This will likely ruffle some feathers, but I shan’t be bothered. The best of the Ohio State alternate uniforms is the blackout edition. Easily. Initially debuted against Penn State in 2015, the Buckeyes rolled them out again in 2018 against Nebraska, 2019 against Michigan State, and 2022 against Wisconsin.. Ohio State is 4-0 in these games.

They used a similar template as the “Rivalry” with the reflective trim on the numbers, which has a neat effect when they play under the lights. Admittedly, they had noon kickoffs for their games against Nebraska and Sparty, so they lost their luster a bit, but they are still beautiful. The black helmets are what really make this look. The scarlet buckeye leaves previously used for the “Land of the Wolves” are fantastic. It’s a fun change of pace.

The black-on-black-on-black look is so much fun. The older fans whine that black isn’t a primary Ohio State color. While this is true, who cares? White technically isn’t either, and the Buckeyes wear white jerseys in half their games.

Main Photo: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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