Michigan will wear its all-white uniforms against Ohio State on Saturday, a combination that hasn't provided fortune for the team in The Game.
The Wolverines have sported white jerseys, white pants and white accessories against Ohio State three times in the history of the rivalry, in 1974, 2016 and 2018. In each instance, the Buckeyes came out on top. Still, Jim Harbaugh and his players chose to wear the uniforms in the 118th meeting between the teams this weekend.
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 25, 2022
According to The Wolverine, Michigan wore the all-whites in every road game except one (2017 at Penn State) during the Harbaugh era until 2021, when the program began mixing up its uniform combinations. Since then, the Wolverines have worn white-on-white only twice on the road – last year at Nebraska and this year at Rutgers.
From the Ohio State perspective, the Buckeyes’ first win against Michigan while it wore the all-white uniforms was in 1974. Ohio State won The Game, 12-10, after Wolverines kicker Mike Lantry missed a 33-yarder with 18 seconds left. Lantry's kick appeared to go over or barely outside the left upright, and the officials called it wide left. Television replays of the kick were anything but conclusive, so Ohio State came away with the win.
In 2016, Ohio State beat Michigan, 30-27, in a double-overtime thriller. The Buckeyes won The Game because of a Curtis Samuel walk-off touchdown from 15 yards after J.T. Barrett secured a first down on 4th-and-1 with a quarterback run. The victory propelled Ohio State into the College Football Playoff that year despite losing to Penn State, who also won the Big Ten East and the conference championship in Indianapolis that season.
The last instance of Michigan wearing its all-white uniforms was in 2018. Ohio State entered the matchup as 4.5-point underdogs at home but finished with a 23-point victory in Columbus, as the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines, 62-39, behind Dwayne Haskins’ 396 yards and six touchdowns.
Ohio State is expected to wear its traditional home uniforms with chrome helmets, scarlet jerseys and gray pants on Saturday. The No. 2 Buckeyes will host the No. 3 Wolverines at Ohio Stadium for the first time since 2018 as 8-point favorites over Michigan. The Game is set to kick off at noon and will be broadcast on FOX.
